what is art mutual aid?

art mutual aid is a community-driven approach to collectively sharing resources, skills, and support to meet artist’s needs, especially in times of systemic failure. unlike charity, which often involves top-down assistance, mutual aid is rooted in solidarity, reciprocity, and collective responsibility. it emphasizes horizontal relationships, where everyone contributes and benefits equally.

Art mutual aid reduces art waste and builds more resilient communities

mutual aid readings

other SJ mutual aid groups

groups outside of San Jose, CA

how did Art Pocket start?

Art Pocket was established in 2023 after we went through the Art Mutual Aid Mentorship program with the Broad Room artist collective. With their training, and a bonus stipend to fund our first year of events, Art Pocket started attending events and sharing art supplies. Our mission has always been to create a free art-share community and to be a disruptive response to the growing needs of San Jose and the South Bay Area. Creativity should not be reserved only for those who can afford materials. By redistributing art supplies and hosting free community events, we make art more accessible, sustainable, and equitable. We believe that anyone can be an artist!

Now we:

• host a monthly free community event where supplies are shared and local artists connect.
  • Free Art Supply Swaps: we bring out a majority of our inventory to share, and people are welcome to donate their unwanted supplies.
  • Workshops: we provide the supplies (majority from our inventory) for a group craft activity
• partner with established businesses and organizations that have loyal customers.

Art Pocket is radical, political, and not your kids’ new craft club. Art Pocket is about supporting knowledgable local artists and building community based on their needs.

how can i get involved?

• donate supplies: arrange a drop off for new or gently used art materials or bring them to a monthly event!
• volunteer: help with supply restocks, event setup, donation sorting, or outreach.
• host an Art Pocket: got a community space, café, library, or shop with a little extra room? you could host an “art pocket”!
• collaborate: we love partnering with local artists, orgs, and small businesses. (It’s our bread and butter!)
• spread the word: tell your friends and post about us! visibility keeps us alive.

about donations

How do you get donations?

We collect supplies through:

• Art supply donations from San Jose resident artists and community members.
• Host Spots (”art pockets”)
• Monetary donations (venmo or cash)

What kinds of supplies do we accept?

We welcome nearly all types of new or gently used art supplies, including:

• Paints, brushes, pencils, pens, markers
• Canvases, sketchbooks, paper, and pads
• Fabrics, textiles, beads, clay, and craft tools
• Specialized crafts (rug tufting, candle making, resin, etc)
• Vintage craft supplies
• Anything creative that can be reused!

What donations do we not accept?

• Toys
• Sharps
• Pill Bottles
• Trash (even if it could be someone’s treasure. Art Pocket is about redistributing quality art supplies <3)

What happens to donations we cannot redistribute?

We do our best to make use of everything, but sometimes donations aren’t actually usable as art supplies. When that happens, we responsibly recycle or dispose of them so our spaces stay organized and ready for creativity.

what’s the catch?

There is no catch :-) The beautiful thing about mutual aid is that you get exactly what you put into it!

We just need you to continue supporting Art Pocket SJ as we support the community!

Please share our instagram, our ko-fi, and our events with your friends!