Summer Commune

Photo

heller — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:47:31 -0500

Here’s an MP3 from Summer Commune’s appearance...

heller — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:16:22 -0400

Here’s an MP3 from Summer Commune’s appearance on KRFP Radio Free Moscow’s Every Other Sunday Show back in July, featuring STARSKATE and The Super Saturated Sugar Strings

Summer Commune – a lesson in grassroots economic stimulus

heller — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:17:00 -0400

Summer Commune – a lesson in grassroots economic stimulus:

coverage in the examiner

"There’s a thriving arts scene and local food movement, plus one of the region’s biggest and..."

heller — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 17:15:31 -0400

“There’s a thriving arts scene and local food movement, plus one of the region’s biggest and brightest farmers markets. Like students, twentysomethings are drawn to the town on the Palouse for its creative community, walkability and bike-ability. This summer, a group of them from around the country settled there for “Summer Commune,” a temporary intentional community focused on the arts.”

- The Inlander: College Guide 2012 - University of Idaho

so many thank yous, so much time.

anicolekelly — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 18:44:00 -0400

As our last day in Moscow drew to a close, we found ourselves feeling stunned that this whole thing just happened. From an idea, a blog post, some emails, a Facebook page, some postcards, and a lot of help from some friends (and some strangers), Summer Commune became an incredible community and a transformative experience. And we couldn’t have picked a better location for launching our experiment.

Big ups to the city of Moscow, and a very special thanks to Mayor Nancy Chaney, Kathleen Burns & the Moscow Arts Council, Sue Scott & the City Council, Gina Taruscio & the Chamber of Commerce, Steve Streets & Daystar Organic Farms, Nicole & Thando & Wanderer’s Tavern, Jesica Dehart & Book People of Moscow, Austin Storm of Brick & Mortar, Maree McHugh & The Every Other Sunday Show, Stacy Isenbarger & The Pritchard Gallery, One World Café, David Giese, Tiffany Harms, friend and teacher Jay Feldman, and artsy-partner-in-crime Sofya Yampolsky.

Oh, and you too, Communers: Christin, Mike K., Jon H., Nitsan, Alaya, Maggie, Spivey, Amy, Micah, Bill, Kathleen, Max, Jason, Mike V., Jeana, Jon L., Lola, Rachel, Oliver, Taras, Anna, Christine, Odette, Nathan, Warren, Lauren, David, Kaitlin, Vinh, Eugene, Ava, Jan, Jen, Teresa, Ana, Noah, Kevin, Joyelle, Michael, Daniel, Dan, STARSKATE, Fiddlin’ Al, & The Super Saturated Sugar Strings. THANKS FOR BEING PART OF THE FIRST SUMMER COMMUNE!

heller: Wow, what a silly image? It was all made possible by...

heller — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 12:40:26 -0400

heller:

Wow, what a silly image? It was all made possible by this temporary intentional community we created this summer in Moscow, Idaho. We’d really appreciate it if y’allz could vote to help us present a panel about it it at SXSW this March.

Please vote for Summer Commune's SXSW Panel

heller — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 14:48:02 -0400

Please vote for Summer Commune's SXSW Panel:

We’ll be talking about how to use the the Internet to build a temporary intentional community in a small town in rural North America. Complete with WINs, FAILs, and a few LOLs.

peachtreekeen: Close encounters with hippie van 1971, Piedmont...

heller — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 19:51:04 -0400

peachtreekeen:

Close encounters with hippie van 1971, Piedmont Park, Atlanta

Photo

heller — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:02:41 -0400

The old swimming hole.

heller — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:02:07 -0400

The old swimming hole.

yr an adult: Some things I learned at Summer Commune

anicolekelly — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:44:35 -0400

yr an adult: Some things I learned at Summer Commune:

yranadult:

I had hoped Summer Commune would help me feel creative—energized and inspired by like-minded people. I thought Summer Commune was my DIY writer’s residency. But it’s turned out less like an artists’ commune and more like existential summer camp. Summer Commune is this liminal space in which we’re figuring things out…

All good things....

heller — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 18:27:29 -0400

Hey friends,

This summer in Moscow has been amazing, but like all good things it’s coming to an end. Though many Communers have gone, we few that remain have some final events for you to enjoy in our final week in town. Stop by, say hi, and say good-bye. We’d love to say hey to you once last time.

SUMMER COMMUNE READING #2

Book People of Moscow (Main Street) - Wednesday, JULY 11, 6:30 PM

The second reading of the Summer Commune Reading Series will feature new poetry by Michael Rutledge Riley (Potlatch) and Daniel Bagley (Moscow), and more prose by Kevin Taylor (Spokane). The entertainment is free & so are the drinks! The reading will begin at 7, but come early to browse the stacks & sip on sangria. [RSVP/Invite Your Friends ]

LAST OPEN MEETING!

The Garden Lounge (Main Street) - Monday, August 13, 7 PM

It’s our last Blue Monday, need we say more?

See you around town,

Summer Commune

Joyelle Johnson performing at Summer Commune’s comedy...

heller — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:40:58 -0400

Joyelle Johnson performing at Summer Commune’s comedy show

Summer Commune Comedy night! So hilarious! #summercommune by sofyay http://instagr.am/p/NpxB2gzYWu/

Super Summer Commune Comedy Hour Gigante! Atlanta-based comic...

heller — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 19:16:46 -0400

Super Summer Commune Comedy Hour Gigante!

Atlanta-based comic Noah Gardenswartz and Brooklyn-based comic Joyelle Johnson join Summer Commune for a night of laughs.

This Saturday night at 9pm!

Summer Commune's updated FAQ

heller — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:58:36 -0400

What’s a Summer Commune?

It’s a diverse & temporary intentional community. It’s like summer camp but with more potlucks and no curfew. It’s a utopian social experiment.

Summer Commune will bring an assortment of people to a small town for two months, where participants will collaborate & work independently to create new art, new media, new technology, and new ideas for a new society. Summer Commune provides attendees with an audience, potential collaborators, and an existential support network.

We hope that Summer Commune proves another world is possible, and that the alternative can be freeing and just as much fun.

Why are we doing this?

The talent in the community we build over each summer could incubate the next stellar start-up, be an opportunity to meet future coworkers, or inspire the next band, novel, web series, or film. And the conversations this experiment encourages will inform how we live when Summer Commune is over.

We are over the idea of starving for our art. We are over being alienated from nature and each other. We want to live in communities where our friends live, but we’re priced out of neighborhoods that gentrify in 10 seconds, and gentrification makes us feel weird, anyhow. We want to live in great communities that we can also afford; our plan is to go somewhere new, together, and to make cool happen wherever we are. (See: This still sounds like gentrification.)

Who should come to Summer Commune?

This is a community built by academics, architects, bakers, bloggers, chefs, designers, DJs, farmers, gardeners, inventors, musicians, potters, painters, political organizers, philosophers, poets, producers, visionaries, radicals, spiritualists, students, teachers, travelers, technologists, visual artists, writers, and urban planners.

Summer Commune is for anyone who wants an alternative.

If you can work virtually, you can Summer Commune. The project lasts two months, so it’s not like you have to quit your job. Start ups and small work teams can relocate temporarily (lease your NY office space, save on overhead), or perhaps you already freelance from home. A sympathetic boss might let you work remotely for the summer (telecommuting can even save the company money). We’ll be moving somewhere with strong broadband connectivity.

This is a project in flux; we’re constantly seeking new collaborators, storytellers, and iterations.

Where is Summer Commune?

Summer Commune is right now through August 15 in lovely Moscow, Idaho. Have a suggestion for Summer Commune 2013? Email us!

What will we do all summer?

At Summer Commune you can record your next album, write your novel, develop your website, grow your own produce, practice yoga, finish your dissertation—whatever you want to do!

Though most days and nights will be unstructured, we’ll definitely be planning potlucks, parties, sporting events, skill exchanges, time banks, salons, happenings, readings, concerts, field trips, and fun times. We’ll have weekly meetings to discuss community issues & to plan events together. Both local & visiting Communers are encouraged to suggest their own events. (See: How can I help?)

Like anywhere else, the summer will be what you make of it. How you choose to participate is up to you.

Where will we all live?

Summer Commune is not a physical space — participants find housing on their own via Craigslist, AirB&B, and other online resources. Use the For Communers Only Facebook page to find a roommate, find a rental, and share tips about relocating to the area. If you live in the area and would like to visit, send us an email.

Why would I leave Bushwick/Echo Park/The Mission/East Van/Hackney?

“The rent is too damn high!” in The Mission, Capitol Hill, or wherever you’re paying a premium to live.

Outrageous rents are the result of a system that rewards greed over people. When our privileged community gets priced out of previously-undesirable-turned-trendy neighborhoods and moves into cheaper, currently less desirable ones, the process often displaces poorer communities of color who already live there. Underground dive bars pave the way for gourmet cupcake shops that turn into Starbucks franchises.

We are following the national migration trend of moving back to the center of the country because it costs less to live there, and we’re not expecting anyone to make a permanent change.

This still sounds like gentrification.

Though Summer Commune is great for local economies & tourism, its brevity (only 2 months!) prevents it from impacting small towns in lasting negative ways. Our goal is to integrate with good will into the community that exists, not to impose ourselves upon it. We do hope, however, that our ideas linger.

What are your politics?

We love personal freedom but we’re a lot more Abbie Hoffman than Ayn Rand.

How long will Summer Commune last?

Roughly 2 months. Summer Commune 2012 started June 1 and ends August 15.

Can I come for a day, a week, a weekend, a month?

Yes! We understand that not everyone can make a commitment to the full summer, so we’ve made it possible to accommodate weekend guests and short-term visitors. But the longer you can stay the better! If you live in the area and want to visit, email us.

Is this a cult?

Yes, but it’s better than the one that makes you work too hard for not enough money to be able to live around the corner from your friends.

How can I help or become involved?

We’re excited that this is all happening, and that you want to be part of it! Our goal for this summer is to connect Communers with each other, as well as with like-minded people in Moscow, Pullman, and Palouse. Check out our calendar for the time & location of the next Open Meeting & other events.

Get involved by planning an event.

So you’re coming out to Summer Commune with your magic show/reptiles seminar/dance party/knitting workshop and don’t exactly know how to make it happen? We can help you with that. We can help you find a place, a date, and any other resources you need to make a successful event go down.

Send us an email with the following information you need, and we can help you set it up.

EVENT NAME
DESCRIPTION
WHEN DO YOU WANT IT?
WHAT KIND OF SPACE DO YOU NEED?
WHAT MATERIALS DO YOU NEED?
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE YOU EXPECTING?
DOES THIS EVENT RECUR?

DONATE

Help us get off the ground with a donation through Paypal:

MEDIA

If you’re a journalist, write about us!
If you’re a blogger, blog or reblog us!
If you have contacts at a blog or a magazine, let them know about us!

On Sunday we were on KRFP’s “Every Other Sunday...

heller — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 15:35:00 -0400

On Sunday we were on KRFP’s “Every Other Sunday Show” for a Summer Commune Variety Show.

We talked about our project and our politics. Communards Vinh and Josh read stories, and we brought two bands that we just met for great radio performances: STARSKATE from Oakland & The Super Saturated Sugar Strings from Anchorage.

and the livin's easy.

heller — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 15:16:51 -0400

Hey y’all,

Summer Commune is still on for one more month! It’s not too late to list your apartment on Air B&B, it’s not too late to find a place to rent for a week or two in Moscow.

We’ve been busy — camping at Moose Creek, swimming in a blue lagoon, speaking at PechaKucha, jamming at the Moose Lodge, reading at Book People and on the radio — and we’ve got the next month to camp, hike, thrift, and swim, potluck, party, and meet more people. Which we can do if you come to these upcoming events!

WEEKLY OPEN MEETING

The Garden (Main Street) - Tuesday, JULY 24, 7 PM

Drinks are cheap & the AC is on high! Have an event you want to plan? Come tell us about it. [ RSVP /Invite Your Friends ]

SUPER SUMMER COMMUNE COMEDY HOUR GIGANTE!

Wanderers’ Tavern (Washington & 2nd) - Saturday, JULY 28, 9 PM

Atlanta-based comic Noah Gardenswartz and Brooklyn-based comic Joyelle Johnson join Summer Commune for a night of laughs. [ RSVP/Invite Your Friends ]

SUMMER COMMUNE READING #2 - POSTPONED UNTIL AUGUST 8

The first reading of the Summer Commune Reading Series was a big success. We’d like to do a second on August 8. The reading series, hosted by Book People, features work by both local Communers and those visiting. Each reading will feature a mixture of styles and genres. We’re particularly interested in literary voices that will reflect the spirit of Summer Commune — youthful, daring, innovative, irreverent, passionate, entertaining. Or, you know, some combo of those things. If you’d like to read on August 8 at 7 pm, please send a writing sample to nicole@summercommune.com by August 31.

See you around town,

Summer Commune

Summer Commune live on KRFP for the next two hours.

heller — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 17:13:01 -0400

Summer Commune live on KRFP for the next two hours.

submitted our sxsw panel

heller — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 17:36:40 -0400

submitted our sxsw panel

tye-dying

heller — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:29:21 -0400

tye-dying