Cultural cooperatives: between the social economy, art and sustainability

Abstract

Since the 19th century, cooperatives have emerged in different sectors as a response to industrialization and the worker´s need to organize, facilitating collaboration, sense of community, and mutual support. Similarly, cultural cooperatives have emerged as a vital response to the crisis that has affected the artistic sector, an area that has suffered acutely from precariousness jobs. According to Towse (2005, p.61), "when working in the arts instead of in a comparable profession, artists suffer a penalty in their earnings of nearly