Who We Are
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CREATIVE MIGRATION
is a women-of-color-led, international arts organization based in Los Angeles and Bangkok.
Our mission is to bring together cultural and climate diplomacy with a special focus on collaborative community building through intersectional practices.
Our mission is to bring together cultural and climate diplomacy with a special focus on collaborative community building through intersectional practices.
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OUR MISSION
CREATIVE MIGRATION is a women-of-color-led, international arts organization based in Los Angeles and Bangkok. Our mission is to bring together cultural and climate diplomacy with a special focus on collaborative community building through intersectional practices. Our programming is defined through three primary strands:
Creative Migration was founded in 2005 by our Executive Director Susannah Tantemsapya in California. She expanded operations to Thailand in 2018 to open our largest project to date, Bangkok 1899, a cultural & civic hub established through funding from The Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Motor Company Fund.
Since 2011, our nonprofit has employed environmentally regenerative practices throughout our projects and day-to-day operations. Throughout the years, we have accumulated knowledge and experience to create our organization-wide Climate Policy, which features guidelines and recommendations for all our operations.
Creative Migration, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States and Creative Migration (East) is a registered foundation in the Kingdom of Thailand.
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OUR LEADERSHIP
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CREATIVE MIGRATION CLIMATE POLICY
Creative Migration recognizes the gravity of the Climate Crisis and environmental degradation. We are aware of the importance of a comprehensive Climate Policy for all public institutions. In our Climate Policy, we aim to establish standards and expectations for all of our operations and the conduct of our team.
Since 2011, we have employed environmentally sustainable and regenerative practices throughout our projects and day-to-day operations. Our commitment to such practices saw its beginning with POST NEW BILLS: The Story of Green Patriot Posters, a short documentary illustrating how art can influence public perception towards environmental issues. Susannah Tantemsapya, Creative Migration’s founder, directed the documentary and was the only person to travel between the shoot locations in six different cities. This commitment to reducing the production’s carbon footprint served as a foundation in Creative Migration’s development of environmental cultural diplomacy.
We are also pioneering the use of Climate Impact Reports for in-person events. This initiative was introduced by Artists Commit, an artist-led collective committed to a climate-conscious, resilient, and equitable future. Climate Impact Reports focus on four core aspects: cutting emissions; eliminating waste; supporting people; and collective action. Creative Migration hopes to establish Climate Impact Reports as a standard among non-profit institutions that organize in-person and virtual events, leading by example. We believe that this will increase public awareness regarding the Climate Crisis, as well as encourage transparency among various institutions in reporting their personal climate impact.
As the conversation surrounding climate change is evolving and changing rapidly, we commit to reviewing our Climate Policy annually in order to stay up-to-date with current developments. We also commit to sharing this Climate Policy publicly in order to inspire our partners and the wider public to be aware of their impact on the environment and to develop Climate Policies of their own.
Below are our recommendations & expectations regarding our operations that impact the environment:
Travel
- Travel by train or sea instead of flying where possible
- If flying is necessary, go direct and in economy class where possible
- Arrival/departure times should be arranged to minimize car trips to the airport, train station or bus station
- Plan travel schedules as far in advance as possible
- Use public transportation, car-share or opt for EV vehicles as much as possible
- When traveling, use green accommodation (i.e. avoid hotels and opt for couchsurfing or other options instead) where possible
Shipping
- Collaborate with other non-profit organizations, i.e. Ford Community Center to coordinate and consolidate shipping wherever possible
- Prioritize road and sea freight over air
- Request hybrid or electric transport wherever possible
- Use shipping companies who support sustainability; check if couriers have a green tariff
- Keep a clear record of all shipments sent and received and ask shipping companies to keep their own thorough records; information on carbon footprint will be used for future CIRs
Waste and Recycling
- Sort waste into general waste and recyclables; set up clearly labelled recycling bins
- Partner with recycling organizations who can recycle the widest range of materials
- Collect batteries, fluorescent light bulbs and electronic waste separately for proper disposal
- Conduct regular waste audits to analyze waste management practice
- Reuse materials to the point of failure before replacing
Circularity
- Build a shared inventory of equipment with Ford Community Center
- Reuse, repair or repurpose when possible
- Establish partnerships with upcycling organizations for items like mattresses and other furniture (or buy second-hand) for artist-in-residency programs
- Establish partnerships with studios, universities, schools and community centers, and offer them materials that might otherwise end up in landfill
Energy Use
- Update building’s insulation to minimize energy losses
- Use natural light or LED lighting where possible. All lighting should be turned off or powered down when not in immediate use
- Use rechargeable batteries for digital equipment
- Keep internal temperatures as consistent as possible, avoiding spikes of air conditioning or heating throughout the year
- All heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) should be turned off or powered down when not in immediate use
Digital
- Use Cloud Computing services for email and business applications to Cloud Computing services
- All accounting/administrative paperwork will be done online; printing will be kept to a minimum
- All digital equipment should be turned off or powered down when not in use
Food
- Food catering should be primarily plant-based options and ingredients should be locally and seasonally sourced
- No single-use plastic policy. Plates, mugs and utensils should be reusable. Single-use plastic water bottles should be avoided
- Reusable containers and bags should be used to transport food where needed
- Partner with Scholars of Sustenance (SOS), a food rescue station to compost food waste where possible
Future Actions
- Investigate renewable energy suppliers
- Discuss a transition to a 100% of energy for all operations being supplied from renewable energy sources
These guidelines are adapted from Gallery Climate Coalition’s Effective Actions; Project Green: A sustainable filmmaking initiative; and the Green Production Guide.
Our Climate Policy helped shape the Creatives for Climate Action - Thailand (CCAT) toolkit, a comprehensive, easy-to-use toolkit for the Thai creative industries with checklists and best practices. CCAT was a project by EUNIC Cluster Thailand and co-organized by Creative Migration. In 2025, Creative Migration will continue this initiative with the launch of the 2nd edition of the CCAT toolkit by mid-year. Learn more about the toolkit at creativesforclimateaction.org
