
Visual assemblies
The Visual Assembly is a democratic form of creative collaboration that aims to imagine new ways to run and organize our social systems.
Every human society sustains itself through various forms of collective sociality. Different types of assemblies were developed as experiments in direct political deliberation, as a response to the crisis of representative democracy. Books and workshops we created around the world over the years became the basis for the way we conduct Visual Assemblies, in which people collaborate on public art projects. These assemblies are intended to facilitate direct, recurrent dialogue between people of different ages, classes, and social statuses, without intermediaries, whether teachers, artists, or other experts. Everyone is invited to participate on equal footing.
Check out full presentation of the Visual Assemblies in this PDF.
In the beginning of 2025, we are planning a series of Visual Assemblies in the US and the Netherlands. If you as an institution or as an individual are interested in taking part in Visual Assemblies in these (or, actually, any other!) countries, we would love to hear from you! Send us an email to info@a4kids.org — or share this with someone you know who might be interested.
In January-February 2025, we are arranging several Visual Assemblies on cities and libraries in NYC. Details are soon to follow, keep an eye on our social media for more information.
On February 20th Nika Dubrovsky will facilitate a pilot Visual Assembly in Amsterdam. We are happy to be supported by the Public Libraries of Amsterdam and honored to be hosted by the Central Library of Amsterdam. Read more on our website! For this event, we are looking for Dutch-speaking volunteers — maybe, you are the one?
The main goal of Visual Assemblies is to create a network of public spaces where people can assemble. A playground is a perfect spot for this with the place for the Visual Assembly at its center. Visit the Visual Assembly as a Playground room at the Museum of Care for more details!