Comfort & Joy

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 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. Whether in San Francisco or the Black Rock desert, Comfort & Joy provides a fabulous environment for queers pursuing big ideas.

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 32 events during our week at Burning Man, as well as four Bay Area fundraisers during the rest of the year.