Membership Agreememt
〰
〰
〰 〰
What We Stand For
Paraspectra has been formed by sapphic and trans visual artists for sapphic and trans visual artists, with the purpose of creating and uplifting each other as both people and artists.
We welcome discussion, feedback, and critique as part of the process of learning from and uplifting one another, but what has no place here is gatekeeping and debate on whether something “counts” as art, whether someone is “really” an artist, or whether their work meets some external standard of mastery or professionalism.
The broader art world has spent far too long defining and policing the boundaries of what constitutes legitimate art and who gets to be considered a legitimate artist. Paraspectra rejects that framework in favor of centering self-expression, curiosity, unbounded creativity, passion, experimentation, and continual learning instead.
You do not have to be an expert to belong here. You do not have to make “good” art. You do not have to make art professionally. You do not even have to know exactly what kind of artist you are yet. You just have to want to create.
How We Create Together
Political Context
Although Paraspectra is social in nature, no organization and no piece of art exists within a vacuum, separated from the political happenings of the world. Particularly as queer artists, the political nature of our existence and our creation cannot be separated from the world around us.
Building a community for ourselves also means being attentive to the systems and forces that threaten our communities. For both the protection of individual members and the integrity of the community we are building, Paraspectra is fundamentally and actively against exploitation, fascism, and genocide.
As a collective and as individuals within it, we stand in firm solidarity with those resisting occupation and fighting for their right to self-determination, within the United States and beyond.
We also recognize that creating community means more than simply agreeing with one another. It means being willing to show up for each other, share resources, make space for one another, and recognize that our individual freedom to create is connected to one another's freedom to exist.
Stance on generative AI
Paraspectra disavows the use of generative AI as a tool for or form of visual art.
There are many reasons for this, from the environmental impact of these technologies to the exploitation and theft of artists' work used to build generative systems. Beyond these concerns, however, its use fundamentally conflicts with one of our core values: centering human intention, expression, and creative process.
We believe that art is not only the thing that is produced at the end of a creative process. The experimentation, mistakes, decisions, curiosity, labor, and human experience that go into making something are themselves valuable. The presence of generative AI fundamentally conflicts with that principle.
Accessibility
We want Paraspectra to be a community where people can show up as they are, ask for help when they need it, and know that there are people around them who will help them stay connected. Community itself can be a form of access, and we want to make sure that no one feels like they have to navigate the world alone in order to participate.
We want to actively consider the physical needs of our members and make sure that our events and spaces are accessible to the people who want to be there. As we grow, this means being intentional about things like physical access, mobility, seating, sensory needs, and whatever else our members need in order to comfortably and safely participate.
Finally, we want to work toward making the creative community more financially accessible. Art can be an expensive practice, and access to materials, knowledge, equipment, opportunities, and travel is often determined by who can afford it. Paraspectra hopes to lessen those barriers through skill and resource sharing, communal materials and equipment, fundraising, financial assistance, and opportunities to share what we have with one another.
We don't expect accessibility to be something we can solve once and be done with. It is an ongoing practice of listening to each other, recognizing barriers, and figuring out how we can make more room for one another.
Expected Conduct
The collective is built on mutual respect, curiosity, and care. Members are expected to engage with one another in good faith and to respect the boundaries and identities of other members.
Harassment, discrimination, bullying, or other behavior that causes serious harm to members will not be tolerated. These behaviors will be subject to a strict zero-tolerance policy and may result in an individual no longer being permitted to participate in the collective.
Not every harmful behavior can be anticipated or specifically listed in advance. If a member's conduct is causing harm to one or more other members, or if a member seriously violates the values outlined here, their continued membership may be reviewed, with the possibility of membership being revoked.
Membership Agreement
By joining Paraspectra, you agree to uphold the values outlined in this statement and to participate in the collective in a way that supports the community we are building together.
Membership may be revoked in cases of serious violation of these values, harassment, discrimination, bullying, or other harmful conduct that makes continued participation incompatible with the collective's purpose and values.
The purpose of this process is not to police disagreement or enforce conformity. We want Paraspectra to be a place where people can have different perspectives, experiment, challenge one another, and grow and accountability exists to protect the ability of everyone in the collective to do those things safely and freely.