STEAM Collaborators:
Melissa Crum, Ph.D- Founder
Mosaic Education Network
Sonia Manjon, Ph.D- Director, Affiliate Faculty
The Barnett Center, Latino Studies
Summary:
Columbus is ranked the 6th most creative city in the US (Wallace, 2015). However, the research grounding this ranking does not reflect local
artistic entrepreneurs’ level of success or the business support available to make a creative enterprise profitable. While Columbus offers many programs to assist artists, The Barnet Center and its partners identified a lack in long-term comprehensive programs for art-centered businesses and students who are aspiring arts entrepreneurs. In early 2015, The Barnett Center and Mosaic Education Network came together to form the ARTrepreneur workshop series which offers three unique components to address the needs of Ohio State entrepreneurial students and Columbus artists: 1) two-month intensive series of finance, marketing, and law; 2) three-months of business workspace in Franklinton’s Bottom’s Up Coffee Co-op for participants who complete the program; 3) Continued professional development through quarterly arts-centered business programs
sponsored by The Barnett Center, ARTfluential, and Creative Control Fest. These three components satiate the need for business- oriented skill building, time to focus on their businesses, and dedicated working space in a location that supports community building and collaborations.
Participants will meet three times a week Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in May and June 2016 in STEAM Factory space 400 Rich in Franklinton. Through the Barnett Center and Creative Control Fest’s established networks, the two-month series will offer master classes led by locally and nationally renowned creatives to help seasoned and aspiring Columbus artists and Ohio State students create vibrant and sustainable careers.