“Project Exchange Rates” is a term used by Lady Kitt in their socially engaged or participatory art work.  It describes their approach to exploring, negotiating, communicating and managing responsibilities and benefits of collaborative art making.  "Exchange Rates" are developed collectively with people involved in each project. They have included things like:

• organising access / wellbeing support

• deciding what types of behaviours are acceptable in a project and ways in which everyone involved can support one another in these

• deciding how people are credited

• exploring approaches to copywrite in collaboratively created artworks

• agreeing the number of hours each person will dedicate to a project

• finding ways for the project to benefit the local environment 

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          "In socially engaged projects ( like this one) we talk about the “Exchange Rates” of the project. This means           what people are putting into the project and what we all hope to enjoy in return. Often people involved are         putting their hard work, creative skills and imagination into the project. In exchange we think everyone                deserves recognition for this. That is why everyone involved is invited to be named as co-authors. "

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Part of a statement from Lady Kitt and artist Sofia Barton about the exchange rates developed in their Durham University artist residency,  2020-21

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Resources:

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"Policy Exchange Rate" template

In the 2020-22 "enSHRINE" project  Kitt is developed a "Policy Exchange Rate" template for organisations. This highlights the desire of an organization / artist to consult on policy and develop open, care-filled, nuanced, mutually supportive relationships with members/ audiences / staff / constituents. This document is intended as an introduction to the role policy can play in supporting these symbiotic approaches. There is a link to a google doc template here:

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"Policy Exchange Rate" template for organisations

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Co-author credits Power Point slide and wording used by Kitt in their work:

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"Meshwork credits

For collaborative work we need collaborative credits. I’m delivering this talk today, but the ideas and projects I reference were made by many people working together over many years. These are the names some of them:

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They are part of my constellation of people, an ever evolving meshwork of creative action and mutual support."

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