“Order this year’s CSA from Springboard for the Arts, and you won’t get squash or cucumbers. You’ll get monthly deliveries of unique local art.” said Jared Kaufman for TwinCities Pioneer Press. “At the St. Paul artist resource organization, CSA stands for community-supported art. It’s an intentional nod to a better-known version of CSA — community-supported agriculture — through which people can support local farms for a whole growing season by pre-purchasing a subscription to receive regular fresh produce.”
“Each item is created specifically for the CSA boxes, and only 50 editions of each artwork are produced. So the CSA could soon sell out, Vang said, since more than half the 50 shares had already been claimed as of Dec. 14.”
“Shares run $350 apiece, which Vang said is actually a good deal given the prices you might otherwise pay for each individual artwork on its own. The CSA can be purchased online.”
“Springboard for the Arts has been organizing versions of the CSA program for many years, though for the past couple seasons, the organization nixed the in-person elements. Now, boxes are mailed to recipients, which also means folks out-of-state can participate, Vang said. Springboard also created a toolkit to help other arts resource organizations start their own community-support art programs. So far, more than 60 organizations nationwide are using Springboard’s model.”