Combining the creative autonomy of an artist-run space with the democratic spirit of a free school, we fill a critical gap in Lexington's aesthetic ecology: an independent organization of, by, and for working-class artists and our neighbors.

We opened our doors on May Day 2025 in a former pawn shop on Winchester Road. Since then, we’ve hosted hundreds of member-programmed events: exhibitions, performances, screenings, workshops, teach-ins, study groups, potlucks, and parties.

Art and organizing have always been the same fight.

Big puppets, small presses, banners for the march: making art together has always been a way of building the world we want to live in. artfarm is where Lexington does both. We are a censorship-free space where working-class artists, organizers, and our neighbors can gather, create, and build community.

We believe that the people’s art and radical theater need places to live. artfarm is one. We are not a corporate farm run for-profit, and we are not a city park administered by bureaucrats. We are a commons: a garden tended by a community, built wherever there is the will, skills, love, and care to tend it.

How we are structured

artfarm operates in three overlapping layers to keep the space accountable to the people who use it:

1. Worker-Owned: artfarm is structured as a worker cooperative. The artists who run the day-to-day operations and hold the institutional knowledge are the worker-owners.

2. Member-Run & Funded: The space is sustained by our members. They don’t just fund the space; they govern it. All public programming is created and run by member teams.

3. Open to Neighbors: Our doors are open to the public during all open hours. You don’t have to be a member to come in, browse the gallery, or access the Really Really Free Store (our mutual aid pantry) and restrooms.

What’s inside

Located at 1123 Winchester Rd, artfarm is a five-thousand-square-foot space that serves the whole community. It houses:

• Gallery & Performance Space: Hosting exhibitions, screenings, workshops, teach-ins, and community meals.

• Print Shop: Featuring a Risograph duplicator (the only community-accessible riso in town), a tabletop press, a book press, button makers, a mat cutter, vinyl cutter, laser cutter, long-arm staplers, flat file storage, and office printing.

• Tool Library: Through our partnership with the Lexington Tool Library, members can borrow hand and power tools, kitchen appliances, lawn and garden equipment, and camping gear.

• Artist Studios: Six private, semi-enclosed studios for artists, leased on a sliding scale to keep creative infrastructure accessible.

• Shop: Stocked by our members with anti-fascist propaganda, functional wares, queer adornments, and ecological zines.

Why we are member-funded

We don’t take philanthropic grants, corporate sponsors, or government money. Direct support from our members is what keeps us autonomous, resilient, and fiercely independent.

This isn’t a new idea. The 1% dues model we use is how the original Houses of Culture funded themselves: member dues, member governance, zero outside money or influence. Worker-run cultural commons, sustained by the people who used them. 

(Want the full breakdown of dues tiers, perks, and how to join? Head to our Membership page.)

Join us

Whether you want to rent a studio, pitch a new programming team, borrow a drill, or just come chill in the comfy-cozy area, there is a place for you here.