Ben Kinmont arrived at my doorstep in 2022 asking to see the Digger archive. Ben is a project-based artist, and out of that first encounter emerged Our Commons Are Free. The initial iteration took place in a Santa Rosa park later that year, where Ben set up a Risograph—a stencil-based duplicator similar in spirit to the old Gestetner mimeograph machines used by the Communication Company and Free City—to print copies of A Short History of the San Francisco Diggers (and the movement they spawned) for anyone passing by.

Since that first production, Ben has taken Commons to Italy, to Paris, and most recently to the Wigan Festival in England. Now, this celebration of the Diggers is coming home. Beginning June 21, Fort Mason will host the latest iteration of the project. Ben has added new dimensions to the exposition, expanding its reach and resonance. Here is a link to the Fort Mason announcement.