Natalia “Nati” Linares
Co-Founder and Artist & Communications Organizer, Art.coop
she, her, hers
“Artists and culture workers can change hearts and minds to resist exploitation and disrupt persistent inequality in the world.”
Natalia “Nati” Linares is a cultural organizer and communications strategist who works to expand the horizons for economic fairness and stability to the creative community. Through her work as artist and communications organizer and cofounder of Art.coop, an organization that addresses inequality among artists and culture workers, she helps creatives and culture workers change conversations about the role that art plays in changing our social and economic systems.
Natalia spent more than a decade working in the music industry before joining the New Economy Coalition, a network of over 150 groups focused on building the solidarity economy movement in the U.S. and internationally. In 2021, she co-authored the report Solidarity Not Charity: Arts & Culture Grantmaking in the Solidarity Economy, which traced the long history of artists organizing for economic justice and pushed funders to invest in solutions to the root causes of systemic failures that leave artists vulnerable. Art.coop supports artistic communities to provide for themselves and increase collective ownership of housing and creative businesses, as well as build solidarity in the field by speaking more openly about the harsh realities of making a living in their industries while tapping into legacies of artist resistance.
Natalia believes in the power of artists and culture workers to change hearts and minds and to expand society’s ideas about what is possible. Art, housing, and dignified work are human rights, and artist-led movements bring everyone closer to justice, equality and freedom. When everyone’s basic needs are met, everyone can be a part of remaking a better culture and society.