Local artists' collective implements web-based collaboration platform to manage shared artist studios
CHICAGO, Il., 11/21/12 - Fulton Street Collective, a Chicago-based artists collective and co-working site, recently implemented A Spare to Share, a web-based communication platform, to manage the use of shared studios, galleries and other items. Fulton Street Collective members are also able to use A Spare to Share as a ‘collaborative consumption’ platform to share, rent and sell their items to other members within the Fulton Street Collective network.
“We were looking for a way to streamline the management of shared studios, our main gallery and other items available to the members, such as easels and lockers.” said Joe Lanasa, Director of Fulton Street Collective. “A Spare to Share is a great web-based solution and includes a community sharing feature for our members. Our environment is open and collaborative by nature, so this is a perfect fit.”
Through A Spare to Share, Fulton Street Collective members register using an invite code which puts them directly into a closed, private network of their fellow collective members. They can then exclusively share, rent or sell their items and space within the network. They can also use the product for general communication as an electronic bulletin board. Borrowers request items or space with a start and end time, pending approval from the item owner. They can also post requests about skills they are seeking and even social activities. Early next year, A Spare to Share will add a mobile app feature through which items can be added or searched via scanning bar codes.
A Spare to Share’s Founder, Gregory Jaros, developed the platform specifically for closed communities and membership-based organizations, such as apartment buildings, workplaces and clubs. "People like helping their friends and neighbors and are happy to share their items, skills and even their time with people they know." he commented. “Having a safe, closed sharing network within their workplace or community makes perfect sense. They may not know everyone on the floor yet, but they all have something important in common, which implies a certain level of trust.”
ABOUT FULTON STREET COLLECTIVE
Founded in 2002, the Fulton Street Collective is dedicated to the development of artists and the artistic community. Featuring 28 artist studios, a gallery exhibition space, and more than 2500 square feet of resident and shared members’ space, FSC spans two floors and houses studios of emerging and established Chicago artists and creative professionals. FSC members work in a variety of disciplines including painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography, glass, digital media, dance, performance art and fashion design. For more information, visit www.fultonstreetcollective.com.
ABOUT A SPARE TO SHARE, LLC
A Spare to Share is a web-based communication and social sharing network within apartment buildings, condominiums, offices and clubs. A part of ‘the sharing economy’, A Spare to Share helps businesses manage shared space & items while creating a more social community within their organization, and helps tenants save money when looking for things, make money on their seldom used items, keep track of things they own, and get to know their neighbors. A Spare to Share launched in 2012 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL. In functional beta mode, A Spare to Share is seeking progressive residential buildings, businesses and clubs that would like to add a social communication and sharing platform within their organization. For more information visit www.ASparetoShare.com. For inquiries please contact [email protected].
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