Exciting Projects In Greensboro
One of the functions of the GCAC is to serve as a networking tool for existing grassroots projects and DIY community initiatives in Greensboro; to combine our collective power, to share our resources, and to inspire further radical artistic collaboration and activism. Listed below are some exciting projects currently shaking things up in Greensboro.
The Bike Me! Bicycle Collective is a nonprofit student and community-run collective promoting the bicycle as a viable means of transportation. The collective unites local cyclists among alternative transportation users and advocates to create a self-sustaining community through events (informational workshops, rides, etc.) and a campus-based bicycle workshop.
Cakalak Thunder been bringing noise to the streets for about three years now. The rhythms we play are borrowed from Brazilian samba. Samba emerged when the music of indiginous latin american cultures mixed with that of Africans who were brought to Brazil as slaves. It is a music of resistance and it carries with it a great deal of history. We try our best to play it with respect for its roots and in the spirit of resistance that it embodies.
The first ever Fire Flies Festival was held from July 4th to July 10th, 2005 in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. During the week, dozens of events were held in venues expected and unexpected in and around downtown Greensboro.
Right here in Greensboro hundreds of thousands of dollars go to downtown revitalization, neighborhood beautification, tax incentives for wealthy corporations and new shopping malls, but our city lacks even barely adequate services for its poorest citizens. In the face of all this, Food Not Bombs comes together to serve three free vegetarian meals a week. Do you want to see how the world could work? Come join us!
The GCAC hopes to bring together a working group interested in making a cooperative screen printing space a reality here in Greensboro, and all it will take is a little elbow grease and enthusiasm. Think four color flyers, t-shirts with ease, and a community sharing creative ideas and resources. We have been graciously offered a space on the corner of Guilford Avenue and Ceder Street, ready for transformation into a print-making facility. It's got a big sink, lots of floor space, tons of shelves, and it's ready to be used rent-free if we get it cleaned out and set up.
Collaboratory Studios is a community-based recording studio in Greensboro that aims to provide affordable studio access to a variety of local musicians, artists, and journalists. This projects is designed the address the high costs of studio time and therefore help nurture the music and artistic scenes of Greensboro by making studio time accessible to anyone.
The GCAC Resource Center is a collectively run resource center serving the diverse needs of a broad coalition of artists, activists, and community organizations working for change in the city of Greensboro. The Resource Center offers a radical library, free internet access, and an open space for workshops, skillshares, meetings, film screenings, movement groups, fun-raisers, art exhibitions, and more. It is a space to meet others and collaborate on projects.
Many college students experience the rewards and challenges that come with sharing living facilities. After college, however, most people choose to live singly or in a nuclear family-the most familiar models in 21st century American life. In a program called "Residency" members of one of Greensboro's collective houses propose collective living as an alternative for life beyond college. "Residing" in a public area on campus, presenters spend two days going about their normal activities as a collective community.