Week 4: The Art of Sustainability
“Right now, we need to make something future generations can be proud of.”
— Meena Natarajan, Minnesota Women’s Press
Sustainability is a core value of Pangea that guides our work artistically, and as we work towards rebuilding on Lake Street. It is central to our vision of a better world.
To truly embody the value of sustainability, we believe there must be connection to Indigenous practices and communities. Recognizing that we are on Indigenous land means being in a relationship of care and reciprocity with the land, and with each other.
Communities are sustainable where everyone is honored, respected, and cared for. There is a deep need for a return of the commons. Art and culture are at the forefront of building communities that are interdependent and stand for the dignity of all.
We reject the paradigm of scarcity.
Having strong relationships and strong communities is crucial. Even in the direst circumstances, even when we have been under-resourced and stretched thin, Pangea has weathered every storm through collaboration rather than competition.
This is why we provide mentorship and fiscal agency to emergent, grassroots organizations and individual artists in our community doing work aligned with our mission. We take care in choosing to whom we will serve as fiscal agent, but we invest deeply in those relationships.
As we have grown over the years, it has been with intention. We do not believe in growth for its own sake. We grow our organization to better serve our community.
Since the onset of COVID-19, every Pangea event has been presented for free and supported by donations from our community.
From the beginning of our work, we have kept our ticket prices low to ensure that the communities we represent onstage are able to access our work. In fact, our regular ticket prices are what many theater companies charge on their Pay What You Can evenings. To reach audiences that historically do not attend theater, we also present our work in non-traditional venues, such as Plaza Centenario, the Midtown Global Market, parks, or community members’ backyards.
No one is ever turned away for lack of funds. Hundreds of people per year experience our work for free.
As we move towards realizing our own theater space on Lake Street, we are committed to building with environmentally-friendly materials and designing for energy efficiency. We will use our space in service to our community in Longfellow and the greater Twin Cities. As we build, we will honor the earth at every step.
Pangea’s strong, generous base of donors makes all this possible.
You sustain this work in the community.
You sustain our circle.
There's Still Time to Bid!
We have such a wide array of items available in our silent auction this year– and it's all 100% virtual! Anyone from anywhere around the world can bid... and there's still time left to participate!