Brief description: Bring together an array of groups in your community to share one cultural object/performance in exchange for another. Imagine: a martial arts group performs, followed by kindergarteners who all know the same song, followed by a street theater group, followed by poems by politicians, followed by a senior center musical presentation, followed by an action-demonstration by a local fishing group, and a hip hop album release! All this takes place in a public space or local theater.
How to: Identify and contact as many groups in your community as you can that might have something to showcase. (They don’t have to be arts groups.) Ask them to join in the barter with a piece of their own. Schedule the barter in a easily accessible public space or theater. Invite the whole town!
Inspiration: Denmark’s Odin Teatret: http://www.odinteatret.dk/events.aspx
Impact statement: The Cultural Barter asks participants to expand their definition of culture and to enjoy the cultural production of those in their community, fostering both new knowledge and social connection and communication.