TatsCru

We were honored to be invited to visit TatsCru, the legendary graffiti artists and mural kings, as they worked on a new mural (commissioned) in the Bronx. We have been discussing the relationship between artists and money. We know that TatsCru is now an incorporated business and that they paint in public spaces only when they have permission. In fact, they are paid really well, though when they started out they were paid nothing for their art. Graffiti was considered an illegal underground art movement of the counterculture.

Nicer and our Project Group in front of the latest TatsCru mural.

Guest artist Chuck from Nicaragua works on the TatsCru mural.

Their autographs are works of art!

Thank you, Nicer, Bio, BG183, How and Nozm for a priceless (and free) experience!!

The Brooklyn Free Store

Our second trip took us to the Brooklyn Free Store in Bed-Stuy. Spencer introduced us to Thaddeus, one of the Free Store's founders. The concept is so simple that it's kind of difficult to understand at first. It's a store, but nothing is for sale, as everything is free. Take what you want. Donate what you can.

There are no doors, no locks. We wondered, what if someone stole everything? Thaddeus explained that it wouldn't be a theft, as everything is free. Hmmm. As we thought about this, someone arrived with more donations. We learned about some new concepts and added a new term---anarchism---to our growing list.

Shopping and sharing at the Free Store. 

Spencer and Thaddeus discuss the concept of free shopping with Gotham students.

Visiting a Vegan Commune

Our first trip of Project Group was a visit to a vegan commune not far from our school. We met Adam, Rebecca, and Spencer, who graciously welcomed us to the home they share with nine other people. All members of the commune are vegans, and some are freegans. We learned a lot about how to meet our basic needs without spending any money at all! We left with an invitation to a free bike event, a free store, and a community dinner. Have we found our way into the Free network?

Rebecca welcomes us to the vegan commune.

Adam and Gotham students enjoy the commune's rooftop garden.

First Reflections on MONEY: WHO NEED$ IT?

We've begun our project by thinking about what things cost. What items or pursuits require a lot of money? What things require very little money --- or no money at all?

We also watched The Story of Stuff. What does it take to make all the "stuff" we buy? And what is it costing the planet?

Project Group, Fall 2010: MONEY -- WHO NEED$ IT?

At the beginning of every semester, Gotham Academy conducts a school-wide investigation of a single topic, with small groups looking deeply at various aspects of the subject. For Fall 2010, our school-wide topic is Money. Our small group, titled MONEY: WHO NEED$ IT?, will examine the role of money and consumerism in our lives and will explore alternative philosophies.  

So --- do you enjoy cutting-edge art? Music? Entertainment? Is it your natural right as an American to enjoy all this for free? Is paying for these—and many other things—ruining our lives?

This project group will investigate philosophers, artists, and others who have rejected the idea of making (and spending) money. We will be looking at public art, Depression-era artists and hoboes, and people who live in communes right here in Brooklyn.

Come with us and see — what can you get for free?