Photo Cooperatives, at Oberlin and beyond...

The Oberlin photo co-operative not only puts buying power and decision making control in the hands of its members, but it allows students who are not currently enrolled in a photography course at the school to print and work on their art. Cooperative organizing is a great way to build community, save money and save resources. At Oberlin, we’re all about that!

Try organizing a photo cooperative in your area. Especially if you are in school, colleges and universities are often willing to provide the space (and sometimes even the funding!) for this sort of project. When it is an option, cooperative is the way to go. It is for sure less expensive and for sure conserves resources. As we all learned when we were little, sharing is caring! When I (Erika) was in high school I did some work at the Boston Photo Cooperative. I believe that since then this co-op has shut down, but it was an amazing resources and amazing experience! It became more than just a way to share physical resoures; I learned a huge amount from the more experienced photographers working in the space. It created a very inspiring artist collective that stretched beyond chemicals, photo paper and red lights. Think about setting up a collective like this in your community. Even if it’s just a few friends, one set up is cheaper and more sustainable than three or four.

For more information about the Oberlin Photo cooperative visit Oberlin photo cooperative. With the exception of other college photo coop structures, the best resource I have heard of is Photo Coop in New York City. If you would like to learn about cooperative philosophy visit Peacework Magazine online.