Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who are you folks?

A: Comfort & Joy is an arts collective dedicated to promoting queer culture, expression, self-actualization and community by acting as a mutual-support society for our members, producing art installations & organizing special events. We are active year-round in the San Francisco Bay Area and as a “theme camp” at Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada.

Q: What are you all about?

A: Briefly, our mission is to support queer art, expression and community through the support of our members’ various projects and event productions, both at Burning Man and in the Bay Area.

Q: What is this Burning Man anyway?

A: Burning Man a one-of-kind experience (or, rather, 40,000 experiences!) that’s difficult, if not impossible, to explain to someone who has never been there. It is a gathering of tens of thousands of people who construct a temporary city, complete with newspapers and radio stations, for a week at the end of every summer in the desolate, moonlike, Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada, and then take it all down, “leaving no trace,” as the mantra goes.

Although for some it may be just the world’s coolest party, Burning Man is filled with amazing examples of creativity and leadership, because its structure allows lots of flexibility, promotes self-reliance and rewards initiative. The burner community is based on 500-plus small volunteer-led groups that create “theme camps.” Each offers a group project to the festival, whether it be an art installation, educational or healing workshops, functional services, dance parties or roving art cars.

Q: What does Comfort & Joy do at Burning Man?

A: Good question. If Burning Man is an artists’ convention, we operate a “booth” that features several elaborate art installations, including Mylar Rain (below).

You could also think of us a queer community center for black rock city.

We build a venue for events and workshops with restorative and celebratory themes, including yoga, makeup and painting workshops, live theater, spoken word events, cabaret performances, and themed parties, such as our annual climax reception for the World Naked Bike Ride.

In 2007, we offered over 30 events during our week at Burning Man, as well as four Bay Area fundraisers during the rest of the year.

We built a pink gym filled with glitter weights that we hope to expand for 2008, along with two stages and four art installations.

Q: What is the Comfort & Joy “theme”?

A: Historically, our theme has been summed up by our name, however one might care to interpret it. This flexibility is reflected in our organizational strategy: any project, event or art installation that a camp member feels represents either comfort or joy is a welcome addition to our offerings. We are very open to whatever inspires you.

Comfort & Joy does more than provide a flexible theme. The camp also creates a supportive environment which serves a great platform from which people can launch creative projects. Our facilities available to camp members include a large kitchen tent from which hot meals are served twice a day, showers, and a communal costume dressing room. We also help members transport and store their Burning Man projects. Comfort & Joy is an excellent environment for anyone pursuing their big idea.

Q: What does all this wonderful creativity cost, and how do you pay for it?

A: Comfort & Joy’s 2006 budget was approximately $12,200, which was raised by several fundraisers throughout the year as well as member dues. Our expenses include renting equipment (including trucks & generators), storage space, art supplies for our various installations, decorations, and enough food & water to take care of forty people in the desert for a week. Work is mainly done in a committee system, including: kitchen, infrastructure, art, decorations, construction, membership, internet and events. Each committee has a leader, and of course some committees are more active than others. 

Q: Are you a gay group?

A: In the fall of 2006, we had a “Future Visions” meeting. About a dozen of our more active members discussed our shared group purpose, in terms of social benefit. In other words, what greater good were our efforts serving? Did it matter that we are a group of mostly queer men, and not from other demographics?

After much talk, the discussion seemed to return to one core idea: that being part of the queer community was central to Comfort & Joy’s purpose, which is to support queer art, expression and community through acting as a mutual support society for our members, both in San Francisco and at Burning Man. Many members say their time with the group’s supportive environment brought periods of personal and artistic growth.

Q. What are your Shared Values?

A. We brainstormed the following at a leadership meeting in Spring 2008. Comfort & Joy’s shared values include:

• optimism
• sex positivity
• utopian intentions: heading towards where we ought to be
• helping queers reach self actualization
• operating in a transparent way with minimal bureaucracy
• inclusive / compassionate
• community focus
• empowering / enabling
• fostering creativity / art / fabulous drag
• educating the community (e.g. workshop programming)
• service orientation (greeters, hosts, courtesy bottoms)
• supporting members (in their projects / community)
• supporting burning man culture & philosophy
• queer focus / celebrating faggotry (while welcoming others)
• novelty /uniqueness / not reproducing what already exists
• giving / gifting / culture of generosity
• personal growth in fabulosity / artistic development
• mentoring / helping people help themselves
• creating an atmosphere of liberation & exploration
• encouraging responsible participation
• sustainability / green approach to doing “pink business”
• fostering comfort (taking in orphans) & joy (tickling them)
• bridging various communities
• providing alternative places for new expression
• FABULOSITY ! ! ! !