At Sundance 2026, Solidarity House Wants to Rebuild Independent Media From the Outside In

As the Corporation for Public Broadcasting begins dismantling itself following federal funding cuts, Sundance is preparing for its final edition in Park City — a symbolic end to one era unfolding alongside the quiet collapse of another. Together, the moments underscore a reality that’s becoming harder to deny: the infrastructure that once sustained independent media and culture is no longer holding.

That collapse forms the backdrop for a new gathering taking shape just beyond the festival’s official perimeter. From January 23–25, The Solidarity House will convene artists, organizers, and media builders who see the CPB’s unraveling not as an isolated political outcome but as part of a broader post-studio reckoning — one in which creators can no longer rely on legacy institutions, public or private, to provide stability, protection, or scale.

Hosted at Distrikt F in the Iron Horse District and operating as an official Sundance Institute Associate-level partner, the activation brings together purpose-driven organizations committed to building shared infrastructure. (See full list here.) The question animating the space is blunt and structural: What does independent media need to survive the next decade when the systems built to support it are disappearing?

“Solidarity isn’t a theme,” said Seed&Spark CEO Emily Best, who worked closely with organizations like Open Television, BLIS Collective, and the Center for Cultural Power to create the project. “It’s a necessity.”

They saw the House as a response to industry consolidation, political pressure on artists, and an increasingly unstable funding landscape. Rather than treating imagination as branding or inspiration, the Solidarity House advances it as infrastructure to be designed, resourced, and maintained.

Countering a Fragmenting Industry

Independent creators face shrinking public arts funding, risk-averse commissioning, cultural censorship, and fast-moving technologies. Meanwhile, the traditional systems meant to support them are under pressure themselves.

As a counterforce, Solidarity House positions itself not as a pop-up lounge or networking suite but a working space where coalition members align around shared commitments to transparency, care, and collective power. 

“If the gates won’t open, we gather outside and build something better,” said Solidarity member Aisha Goss, CEO of The Center for Cultural Power.

Participating organizations agreed to uphold a set of Solidarity Commitments, principles designed to guide how resources are shared, how power circulates, and how long-term collaborations are formed beyond the festival calendar.

From Panels to Practice

Alongside panels on artist safety, technology, and sustainability, the space will host participatory workshops on funding models, narrative power, and creative labor. A centerpiece is the Liberation Lab, an expo day where coalition members offer micro-services, strategy sessions, and experimental labs for artists, funders, and collaborators.

Community gatherings are built into the design, with emphasis on alignment over amplification and generating real commitment rather than festival-week soundbites.

“We are coming together at a moment when everything around us is pushing people apart,” said Solidarity member Elijah McKinnon, co-founder and president of Open Television. “The Solidarity House is a counterforce.”

For an industry long trained to compete for attention and scarcity, it’s a provocative reframe — and one that may say as much about the future of independent media as any film premiering on Main Street this January.

The Solidarity House runs January 23-25, 2026 at Distrikt F in Park City. More information, coalition partners, and the Solidarity Commitments are available at thesolidarityhouse.com.