Guilded is the first attempt in the United States to form a cooperative structure at scale to solve the durable challenges of contingent labor in the arts. Creative freelancer income is often volatile, and freelancers are unable to access employer-sponsored benefits and are vulnerable to theft of intellectual property or non-payment of contracts given a lack of human resources protections. These risks and barriers disproportionately impact BIPOC creatives and restrict the kinds of people who can afford to work as artists. Through a concerted recruitment push in Philadelphia, Guilded is testing whether they can attract enough artists to their platform such that it can become self-sustaining and creative freelancers can access the stability and benefits of traditional employment without losing their creative autonomy and control over their work.
