Frequently Asked Questions

Is this money real? 

Valor y Cambio is an art, storytelling, and community participatory project. This phase of the project focuses on asking what we value as a society and introducing the idea of a community currency. For the duration of the project, the currency can be exchanged for products and services in participating establishments.

What is the currency’s value? Will it expire?

We set the value of the currency as 1 to 1 to the US Dollar. The currency has been used in Puerto Rico and New York but is no longer active.

How is the currency’s value backed? 

The value was given by the project’s participants. It has no other backing.

Are community currencies legal?

They are legal and recognized in many parts of the world, including the United States. For our project, we studied several U.S. community currencies, including Ithaca HOURS and San Francisco BAY BUCKS.

Are the pesos like Bitcoin?

No. In many ways, they are the opposite of Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a speculative currency. People trade it and make money. The project’s peso is a means of exchange. The artists ask participants to tell a story about what they value and the VyC ATM dispenses the bills —each one telling a story. 

Can you take the project to other cities?

We have taken the project on tour to Puerto Rico, NYC’s Lower East Side, and NYC’s East Harlem. We have received requests to visit several cities –Palm Beach, Philadelphia, and Chicago. We would love to and will explore how we can expand the tour.

Where can we buy pesos?

In solidarity economies, people exchange products and services but do not sell them. In that spirit, we do not plan to sell the pesos but we are considering ways that these may circulate more widely. If you have any thoughts about how we can achieve this goal, let us know!