VISION: The bARTer collective believes in reImagining the contemporary notion of exchange of currency for product or service. our action-based inquiries originate in a belief of every human needs to be actively creative and actively involved in their community.

MANIFESTO: The bARTer collective is a collective of artists, designers, educators, thought provokers, dreamers, service workers, and citizens who host a mobile exchange space. we trade ___________ for _____________. once we fill in the blankety blanks, we adapt our systemic platform to suit each happening.
The bARTer collective believes in reImagining the contemporary notion of exchange of currency for product or service. our action-based inquiries originate in a belief of every human needs to be actively creative and actively involved in their community.

Our motivation is driven by citizenship and the need to vitalize and contribute to our local community. our approach is to create dynamic situations that present alternative means of exchange where active creation gives way to goods and services. We would gladly trade the mass produced for blowing kisses and hand written notes.

dialogue + creative voice + action + social change = bARTer.

Story Exchange


The bARTer collective travels far and wide to collect stories and recipes from the locals.

By providing typewriters and a recording studio, we invite people to share their stories in exchange for a small momento. The collections are archived here on our website for all to see. Our hope is the archive can serve as a form of history useful in education, research, and community building.

Our story collections have captured peoples thoughts on life in the city vs the country, the experience of a disastrous flood, family recipes, and memories of the local flora and fauna. Collection topics are customizable by the event, audience, and goals of the hosting organization.

Archives can also be produced into catalogues or postcard sets to continue sharing the story in hard copy.