FAQs
CELEBRATION 2019 | photo by Alanna Floreck
Click here to view our Mission & Vision
How do you pronounce your name?
It's pronounced “Celebrate Eightfourfive”. You can also call us "Celebrate" for short.
What is "845"?
It's actually the area code for the mid to lower-Hudson Valley, where we facilitate our events.
What exactly do you do and where are you based?
Events we’ve hosted include art exhibitions (group and solo), performances, open mics (virtual and in person), DIY workshops, info sessions, networking mixers, dance parties, mail campaigns, and more.
We have hosted events in Beacon, Kingston, Newburgh, New Paltz, Poughkeepsie, & Rosendale and look forward to future programming throughout the Hudson Valley region. We've also hosted a number of virtual events.
We do not have a venue of our own and are happy to collaborate with existing spaces - preferably those that are owned or run by marginalized folx.
We do not take commission on sold artwork during exhibitions, we pay our performers, we rent venues that support our community, we source supplies and food locally and consciously, and we pay collaborators for their efforts. This is a standard we are committed to upkeeping.
What do you mean when you say "marginalized" and why do you center them?
To marginalize someone is to relegate them to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group. A society that labels certain people as outside the norm - not white, not cis-gendered, not able-bodied, etc.- marginalizes those people, edging them out. Such persons are typically systematically excluded from full participation and consequently lack the self-efficacy to improve their life situation.
We believe that while the populations we attract have many differences between them, they are similarly disadvantaged in the creative arena. We believe that creating space for them all to come together and/or work together can have many benefits, including a chance to educate one another about their unique and shared experiences via their creative work and also provide space for them to organize and mobilize against inequitable and oppressive systems.
Didn't you used to be called something else?
We did! From January 2018 - January 2021, we went by CelebrateWomxn845. When we were first founded, we chose to use the term "womxn" and sought to organize women and women-identifying artists but, in 2019, revised our mission to include femme, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming creatives. Over time, our reach and network became more and more intersectional and it made sense to continue to bend and expand.
We also recognize that conversations around race, gender, gender identity, classism, ableism, etc. and the language surrounding them all is super personal to each individual and is also changing every day. We do not claim to be experts. We do, however, choose to create a platform that is rooted in intersectionality, education, mutual respect, and celebration of and for marginalized creatives.
Are you an artist collective / non-profit / gallery?
Nope. We're just using our resources, networks, and privileges to create opportunity and hold space for connection and celebration in a sustainable, conscious, and community-centered way.
Who's "we"?
CelebrateWomxn845 was founded by Jamie Sanin (she/they), an artist, educator, and organizer from the Hudson Valley. In 2020, we finally put together #TeamCelebrate, a diverse group of delegates from different parts of the 845 who practice different forms of art. We have the conversations and make the decisions for where Celebrate goes based on our collective community's needs. Get to know them here!
How can I work with Celebrate845?
Contact us
organize - recognize - celebrate!
