On Saturday evening, June 14, from 9-10 PM, the East Side Freedom Library will structure a conversation on The Past, Present, and Future of the Commons: International Perspectives. Part of the annual Northern Spark arts festival, the East Side Freedom Library will be operating out of the sParkit Mobile Unit, located on the Minneapolis riverfront on West River Parkway at Portland Avenue.

Historically, the commons–spaces and resources shared by communities and used for the sustenance and survival of their members–were central to the lives of generations upon generations across the world. The development of capitalism promoted the enclosure and elimination of the commons, making private property and competition central to humans’ lives. In recent years, globalization, inequality, and economic and environmental crisis have led activists to reconsider the history of the commons and to imagine a global future in which forms of a commons can play central roles in the organization of everyday life.

Northern Spark, the annual arts festival, is shining its spotlight on the commons. The sParkit Mobile Unit, with discussion tables and chairs will be on Minneapolis’ West River Parkway at Portland Ave., throughout the night of June 14-15, supporting a variety of presentations.