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“You have to contemplate the past, and you have to look toward the future with an open heart in order to be in the present.”
– Larry Harvey
Mission
The mission of Burning Man Project is to facilitate and extend the culture that has issued from the Burning Man event into the larger world.
Vision
The Burning Man organization will continue to bring experiences to people in grand, awe-inspiring, and joyful ways that lift the human spirit, address social problems, and inspire a sense of culture, community, and civic engagement.
2020 The Multiverse
Back in the fall 2019 when we chose the Multiverse to be our guiding theme for the 2020 event, we had no way of knowing how prescient it would become. Blissfully unaware of the impending COVID-19 pandemic, we couldn’t possibly foresee the chain of events that would spur the co-creation of a truly multiversal virtual year, and Burn Week.
One could say: in any given year Black Rock City has multiversal, and multidimensional, components. But in 2020, tens of thousands of physically distanced Burners simultaneously co-experienced and brought their caring and endlessly playful selves — not only during Burn Week, but throughout the year.
It was truly a collective journey into the nature of building and experiencing mutiversal realities. As a global community we connected virtually in profound ways; we built and explored astonishing works of digital creativity; and most importantly, we worked within challenging limitations to offer mutual aid, support and resources to those who needed them most.
Letter From the Founders
Dear Burner (yes, YOU),
Looking back at the year that was, a mix of emotions rises to the surface. There’s grief. And loneliness. And uncertainty. But there’s also awe. And wonder. And heart-bursting pride in the compassion and ingenuity of our wondrous, global community.
We all made it through this dust storm because of YOU — each and every Burner who shares in our vibrant global culture.
Some might say 2020 was the year that wasn’t. In fact, 2020 was so much more.
With the event cycle on hold, everyone at Burning Man Project took this opportunity to make headway on important work. We laid the groundwork for community outreach and support; we advanced our thinking and hard work on Radical Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity initiatives; we accelerated our planning toward an environmentally sustainable Black Rock City. Burners around the world gathered in a myriad of virtual spaces and events; and we supported our global community as you co-created new ways to bring Burner magic and love into the world.
Black Rock City is resilient. Burning Man culture, even more so.
It was absolutely the right decision to pause on co-creating Black Rock City in 2020. As cultural founders, we’ve been part of this event cycle for more years than we care to admit. And we’ve been actively saving Black Rock City for decades — rebuilding from tragedies, floods, financial instability, government stipulations, and of course, losing our friend and founder Larry Harvey.
Every year, Black Rock City continues to rise from the dust, often coming back from the brink of oblivion. Except for 2020. It took a pandemic to bring the Black Rock City production cycle to a halt.
In 2020 our robust cultural engine kept on burning, stronger and brighter than ever. The fuse ignited, its pistons fired, and this mighty community rose up, fueled by empathy, creativity, and love. Together we’re SO much more than the annual event in Black Rock City. We are a global citizenry of doers, with the capacity to spark hope in the future of humanity.
Here’s the story of what we accomplished in a year without Black Rock City
Thanks Larry,Crimson Rose, Harley K. Dubois, Marian Goodell, Michael Mikel, and Will Roger
