Collective Genus is a group of Bay Area artists working across media and subject matter but united by common goals and a commitment to the greater arts community. The group is comprised of three distinct smaller collectives: Three Point Nine Art Collective, ONE + ONE + TWO, and Borderline Art Collective. “Genus” references the taxonomic category above species, and denotes the entity’s status as both an aggregation of smaller groups and a subset of a larger category: the greater Bay Area arts community.
The three collectives of Collective Genus were first brought together through a 2019 Kadist Institute program, in which Mercer Union and Native Art Department International (NADI) generously shared the platform of their artist residency with local artist groups. That project sparked the desire for continued collaboration, and Collective Genus was formed.