Feminist Center for Creative Work (FCCW), 2013-2025

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Online items

Summary

Creators:
Sarah Williams Women's Center for Creative Work Feminist Center for Creative Work
Abstract:
Extent:
8 boxes, 2 flat file drawers, 3 offsite containers.160 MB (316 digital images (.html))
Language:
Preferred citation:

Feminist Center for Creative Work (FCCW). Los Angeles Contemporary Archive

Background

Scope and content:

The Feminist Center for Creative Work Archive contains materials related to the internal structure and formation of the organization, as well as the organization’s ongoing public activities such as dinner invitations and menus, skillshare workshop collateral such as Basics of Auto Care, DIY Phd, and Collage Club, and ephemera from their artist-in-residence program. The organizational/internal materials include staff and board retreat items, organizational onboarding, procedural packets, volunteer workflows, space management, and membership documents. Materials from FCCW partnership materials are also featured in the collection, such as Co—Conspirator Press’s artist books (FCCW’s inhouse publishing arm) and the Feminist Library on Wheels (F.L.O.W.) a free mobile lending library of donated feminist books. The collection holds a variety of textiles, banners, and flags that demonstrates FCCW’s changing visual communications over the years. Materials also trace staff changes: Co-Founder Kate Johnston leaving the organization in 2018; MJ Balvanera taking over this position in 2019 after the Design Fellowship search and the formation of FCCW’s imprint as Co—Conspirator Press; Graphic designer Raquel Hazell becoming lead graphic designer in 2021. The FCCW materials share a visual history of the formation and the sustainability of a Feminist non-profit organization in Los Angeles between 2012-2025. The collection is arranged in seven boxes: #1-2: two boxes are dedicated to organizational materials (92.1 and 92.2). #3: A third box is dedicated to housing FCCW’s artist books. These include publications prior to the creation of Co—Conspirator Press and are more organizational such as "A Feminist Organization's Handbook" and the “Emergency Health Grant” booklet as well as books produced during artist-in-residence periods produced by Co—Conspirator Press also referred to as Coco. (box 92.3). #4: Three boxes (92.4, 92.6, 92.8) hold a variety of FCCW merchandise such as fundraiser goodie bags, membership gifts, and other branded merchandise. #5: one box is dedicated to Feminist Library on Wheels F.L.O.W (92.5) and #6: another box (92.7) contains various textiles such as flags and banners that were hung in the WCCW space. #7: Membership gifts and goodie bags sometimes included 12” long play audio records which have been separated and placed in a record box (92.8) Two flat file drawers have been dedicated to the FCCW collection and include artist posters, a dinner menu, and the F.L.O.W map. Born-digital materials exist on the LACA database and backed up on LACA’s RAID. These are FCCW bulletins spanning from 2020-2021. A WCCW wooden sign is located offsite alongside two containers of exhibition materials from their participation in the Los Angeles Public Libraries, Something in Common show.

Biographical / historical:

In 2013, with the intention of opening a feminist creative space, founders Sarah Williams, Kate Johnston, and Katie Bachler hosted a “Women’s Dinner” at various locations including in the park adjacent to the historic Woman’s Building, now closed community restaurant Thank You For Coming, and at private homes, which they described as a “participatory group project.” The Feminist Center for Creative Work (FCCW), at the time referred to as Women’s Center for Creative work (WCCW), aimed at hosting a large conversation over a meal to discuss “contemporary intersections of feminism and creative practices.” They wanted to hear what people needed and might want from a new space dedicated to women artists in Los Angeles. After this initial gathering they brought that feedback into a “Year Long Laboratory” research phase. During this phase, FCCW hosted programs and dinners to gather ideas about different “institutional paradigms, network organizational structures, community models, and collective workspace arrangements” to inform their feminist organization. In April 2015, FCCW moved into the organization's first home along the L.A. River in Elysian Valley on Glover Pl. Over the next two years, the space functioned as a public programming space, print lab, and co-working space. During this time, FCCW hired more staff and formed their Artist in Residence program. The Feminist Library on Wheels (F.L.O.W) joined the space. FCCW began its Emergency Health Grant, with funding by an anonymous donor, to support artists with illness-related, mental health or dental emergency financial needs. 2017 marked FCCW’s “Rethinking” program, where they paused and reflected on feminist coalition building practices. During this period, language around intersectional feminism entered into the organization's mission and values. In 2018, FCCW staff and the board held a retreat with the Anti-Oppression Resource & Training Alliance (AORTA). In 2019, FCCW launched their publishing arm Co—Conspirator Press and began looking for a new location as their 5-year-lease was about to expire. At the initial stages of the Covid-19 Pandemic, FCCW decided to close its physical space, and pivoted to remote programming. FCCW’s Emergency Health Grant was also adapted to address Covid-19 related needs for artists.. In 2021, FCCW developed, promoted, and published SALIMA magazines, which ran for two issues. In 2023 FCCW rented a temporary office for its staff on Brand Blvd in Glendale. During this time, the FCCW changed its gendered organizational name from “Women’s Center” “Feminist Center” as an “acknowledgment and reminder of their continued work toward centering trans and nonbinary people in their community.” FCCW continued online programming up until 2024 until they moved into their new location on Rosslyn St. in Los Angeles. FCCW also decided to donate their archives to the Los Angeles Contemporary Archive (LACA). In late 2024, FCCW finished building out its space and opened their new location on Rosslyn Street.

Indexed terms

Places:
Los Angeles, California

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Preferred citation:

Feminist Center for Creative Work (FCCW). Los Angeles Contemporary Archive

Location of this collection:
709 N Hill Street Suite 104-8
Los Angeles, CA 90012, US