By Adrian Tonon, Jabari Jefferson, Andre Reed
Photo Lil Monsterr
Arts Collectives;
An arts collective is a group of artists, curators and supporters who work together to support and promote the work of every member. Meet eight Detroit creative arts collectives that are leading the way to access, equity and sustainable change.
Motown Accelerator
Motown Accelerator teaches, guides and introduces Detroit artists to the music industry. We want to see them break out, so we’re providing access to major labels, streaming platforms and marketing services. Accelerator doesn’t expect equity in return from artists. We just want to prepare them for lucrative careers beyond the program.
We have so many ideas for artists. It’s very fulfilling work to meet with them one-on-one, understand their goals and share with them what might help move the needle on their careers. We’re inspired by the Detroit artist community to keep innovating and helping get the word out about their music.
OVDO Media
The core values of the collective in relations to access, equity, and sustainable change are the following: 1) Develop our people 2) Support each other and collaborate 3) Act with integrity 4) Strive for continuous improvement 5) Promote diversity + inclusion. In order to achieve fair and equitable access, we’ve set team work, self-improvement, and diversity as the foundation of our collective.
To be inspired, is to keep your mind open at all times. We believe that you have to welcome new experiences and receive them with curiosity to truly be inspired. With our team, we are continuously inspired by everyday creatives, people, ideas, and events.Our inspiration stems both locally and globally, as we’re always striving for new outlooks, fresh ideas, and creatively tangible concepts to apply on a daily basis.
Motor City Street Dance Academy
When it comes to core values as a collective regarding access equity and sustainable change; this is our Mission and Vision and in the DNA of the work we do. I opened MCSDA inside of a space where low-income and immigrant families have access to our programming, making it affordable and during times that families can attend. Equity is a core value practiced in our collective whether it’s in a form of earning or creating, everyone involved has access to the same resources and tools to catapult themselves as an independent artist. That takes shape as hosting workshops, using the space, or creating curriculums. I feel like all of this ties into sustainable change because it isn’t something that is created with a lot of resources or money, it’s natural, it’s something we have been doing. I have invested heavily in social capital and that’s why so much of what we do is sustainable, working with each other to support each other isn’t something that runs out.
My inspiration for my creativity comes from teaching my students, to see what I give them and how they interpret it and flip it is amazing. It’s a pure connection and they aren’t worried about crews, battles, or politics they are just in it for the moment. As a practitioner of Hip-Hop and a “B-boy”, what else is there to do when I’m on the floor but play, you know be-a-boy; b-boy. The other side of what inspires my creativity is taking what’s around me, my experience, and creating something from that, that moment. We have a foundation of what makes us all of those experiences that brought us up. They remain the same but how we reflect on them and present them changes over time.
CrowdFreak
Our entire mission is based on accessibility! We’ve created a collective that allows aspiring musicians to have the same opportunities for success as those who are more fortunate in the music industry. In addition, we value our process by pushing diversity and inclusion for not just music, but also nationality, background and gender.
Our biggest inspiration is having the ability to change communities through music! Giving our youth the opportunity to express themselves musically, while providing a musical safe space for our youth to be themselves. Knowing that one of our stages or our virtual opportunities could change someone’s life is all the inspiration we need!
Fiesta Vibes
We provide a platform for Latinx creatives to obtain tangible outlets, access to industry jobs, and opportunity to apply the skills they have learned. We work to develop equitable relationships with major brands, venues, festivals and labels that are available for the latinx community in Detroit for the first time. This balance of both youth development programming and commercially sustainable entrepreneurship is the heart of our work.
The inspiration for my creativity as a whole comes from embracing my Mexican American culture while being raised in a diverse environment and being inspired by different cultures in the city of Detroit. Being from Southwest Detroit influenced me to be a curator where I express my vibes through art, music, food, hustle & fashion. Seeing the multi-cultural community of Detroit come together and get inspired by the vibes we create is the biggest flex as a creative.
Assemble Sound
At Assemble, we are committed to cultivating both a diversity of sound as well as a diversity of the artists and staff that make up our community. A wide breadth of tastes, thought and backgrounds are so essential to the creation of world-changing music and to the development of world-changing artists. We exercise this commitment with great care especially when selecting candidates for our annual Residency program. We take great pains to ensure each class is representative of the city we call home, and the wide swath of talent that exists here. Access is often the only thing standing behind a great artist and great success. We want to be a part of lowering this barrier for hard working and talented Detroit artists and creators.
We love collectives that emphasize collaboration and access. The YOUmedia studios at Chicago Public Library were a direct influence at the inception of Assemble Sound. Obviously, Motown moved the whole world and inspires us too with its emphasis on timeless songwriting and production, and it’s family-style creative environment.
BabexHouse:A National Solidarity Network
Babe House aims to create more opportunities through resources in the community through art and culture. We aim to focus QTBIPOC to the front of art and culture in each city we expand to and create chapters/collectives. We believe that when society focuses on QTBIPOC, the most marginalized people in the capitalist structure, there will be more efforts for alliances to follow the leadership of QTBIPOC, which helps everyone who is affected by the system. We are inspired by the activists that created the roles that we follow today, such as Martha P Johnson, Audre Lorde, who we set as examples. Following our ancestral work leads towards more growth in solidarity.
Mundane Media
Mundane Monday is a cultural hub for individuals to grow, network, and even actualize. Hosting talents with varying experience gives them all a platform to be proud and make their voices heard in their own fashion. There’s so much talent all around us and with proper opportunities, their messages can be expressed and enjoyed. Continuing to provide opportunity and a platform to the muted and marginalized is what I believe will drive culture, promote safe spaces, and create more palatable environments for us all.
Personally, I’m inspired by innovation. Looking at something in a different way or putting a modern spin on classic motifs gets me going. Some of my favorite music, fashion, even film are like time capsules for an era almost; possessing defining characteristics that take you back every time you experience it. My first venture into the creative world was a brand I started called INNO which was short for innovations, as I still believe constant innovation creates timeless design, if that makes sense.
24-Hour Economy is not just about the party or creatives. If you want to see a true 24-Hour Economy, visit Henry Ford Hospital. When a doctor, nurse or janitor gets out of work at 5:00 a.m., is there a restaurant, dry cleaner or grocery store open to visit. Not only does it create quality of life for the late night workforce, but it is a job driver for entrepreneurs. In the next series meet four leaders who are championing jobs and opportunity at night.
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