The Performance Collective is an artist-led initiative that’s reinventing artistic development and sustainability.
Research with local artists and the public made two things clear: (1) artists need additional opportunities—and spaces—to develop and show work, and (2) our community is ripe for a revolution in the economics of art-making. The Collective emerged to address these needs.
about
The Collective is part of a small arts ecosystem in which space is affordable, materials are shared, collaboration is the norm, and artists are in relationship with mentors and other resources—all while being compensated for their time, effort, shared knowledge, experience, and creations.
Collective Core Members share investment, resources, risk, and benefit. They are employed to expand programming, relationships, and partnerships in the Twin Cities community. The Collective is building a blended community investment model that incorporates diverse revenue streams and responds to evolving community needs.
Within the creative ecosystem, artists earn the freedom and ability to reflect, experiment, and create new processes and works. Over 2020, local artists have iterated this model with us, using their skills and knowledge to expand the Collective.
We are deep in planning.
After engaging facilitators to unite the best business thinking with the best artistic thinking, TPC has emerged ready to build an arts incubator focused on both the artistic and business development of artists. Led by TPC members Maia Maiden and Kat Purcell, this artist incubator envisions new ways of building work, finances and audiences for artists. More coming soon.
Interested in being part of the Collective’s growth? Contact us.
stay tuned
Join the CFPA mailing list to get updates on events produced by the Performance Collective, incubator programs, and how to support our work.
collective member leadership
A scientist by day, dancer by night, Maia Maiden (she/her) aka Rah Fyah has been a leader in the dance community for over 20 years. A South Minneapolis native, her work as a dancer and choreographer in Hip Hop led her to create Maia Maiden Productions, a Twin Cities based arts presenter. Established in 2009, Maiden’s curation is focused on uplifting and recognizing artists aligned with the organization’s mission to provide an equitable and engaging platform for Hip Hop, people of color (BIPOC), women, and youth through performing arts.
Kat Purcell
Kat (they/them) is a nonbinary trans performer, lighting designer, experimental producer, installation artist and theatrical director. They are a current Q-Stage Fellow with 20% Theatre Co. Kat is best known in the Twin Cities as the Producing Director of Lightning Rod, an ever emergent and evolving political flash theatre intensive for artists. They have performed and worked in London, New York, Paris, Stockholm and Minneapolis. Kat graduated from the London International School of Performing Arts in 2009 (now split into two schools: Arthaus-Berlin and Embodied Poetics London). They are also a passionate activist and organizer, with a focus on prison abolition, immigrant detention and fighting for the bodily autonomy of queer and women folk.
The Performance Collective is sponsored by Springboard for the Arts’ Incubator program.