the ARTS AND CULTURAL WORKERS' UNION

Zandi Dandizette

(they/them) www.bluep.ink

"I've been an arts and cultural worker in precarity for a while pre-pandemic. Much of my labour has been volunteerism or given for trades such as live-in residency. As an artist run centre, you have to navigate project grants and then gain trust enough to get operational funding after a few years. This leaves many nonprofits with barebone support of paid labour. Beyond that, board positions are generally volunteer roles as well. As an artist, its always uncertain in gig work or saleable products. \ Getting unionized gives me the possibility to have access to benefits and systems of support that I would never hope to have outside of it. It also builds a possibility of having a network of folks aimed to change those systems of precarity we've come to accept as artists."