In an effort to preemptively answer the inevitable questions about Something Takes Place, I thought I would get some of the background out of the way.
About 2 years ago, I had an idea for an art forum (then named ZeitGeistduJour – cool, but a mouthful) where creatives could energize each other and simply “do their thing” whatever that may be. As can happen with good ideas, we set that one aside and got back to work.
Well, a couple of weeks back we were all walking around saying “I can’t believe it’s spring” and no sooner did we say the words, the resumes and portfolios of internship-seeking college students started flooded in.
Not wanting to say “no” to talented people any more than I wanted to shelve the art forum idea to begin with, the gears started turning. There had to be enough people who would be willing to do a piece of the work, to make something this cool go off. We tied together the efforts of 6 talented interns, Brad Raffenaud of Sprout Media Group, Jon Lundstrom of Junebug Photography, the Park Theatre, and our team at Thirty Six Squares (36squares.com) to rebrand, redeveloped, test, tear apart and redo the site, launch online promotions, and began planning the event – in the past month or so – the first Live Event is June 11 at The Park Theatre.
For those skeptics who want to know what the hell we’ll do with this “monthly event” after the interns are gone … if its as successful and well-received as it could be, we’ll simply trade in for a new set of interns and all the sponsors will huddle around them and see what new levels we’ll be able to take the project during a 12 week semester. Fun.
So, that’s how it all got started, now to the nitty gritty.
We’ll start with the web site … SomethingTakesPlace.com (STP)
After the site launches, you can register, login, create a profile and begin uploading your works of art. You and other registered users can peruse the multimedia experience, leaving comments, feedback and encouragement for the artists, as you wish. Check out the placeholder for a couple screenshots. (somethingtakesplace.com)
We are already discussing the features we’ll be adding, so feel free to offer insight on your site experience, but keep in mind there’s already a long list .. for instance, I’m testing the ability for a registered user to insert a Google Checkout button in their description field, effectively enabling the sale of your art directly form the STP interface, using the artist’s own Google Checkout Seller account.
So that’s the site in a nutshell.
The event.
The event is a similar monster, but with a lot of unknown and unforeseeable potential. What ages will come? What art will be the most prevalent? Poetry? Music? Painting? Who knows. And that’s the beauty of it. Similar to the site, we’ll be creating a monthly venue – a variety show, if you will – where creatives can vent their passion and share their wares. Sell it if you can. Artists don’t pay to be a part of it. Artists participating don’t pay to get in. The general audience will pay a minimal fee to get in – we’ll publish it when the time comes, but it’s been discussed at less than $5. We’ll define this swiftly after the site launches.
So .. you may be wondering “why?”
Because it’s fun. Because we could all use a bit more art in our lives, whether it’s creating or experiencing. Because it’s a great way to get together for minimal cost an have fun during tight times.
Which reminds me. The artists and performers will be separated into two groups based on only one element – age appropriateness. The first act of the show will be an all ages, family friendly event. After a brief intermission, it will be 18+ and after that, the gloves are off. Be forewarned that Slam Poets have a penchant for raw language. Which can be quite tasty with an adult beverage from the Park Theatre bar. My goodness, are we making everyone happy all at once?
Now it’s time for the “Who?”
Something Takes Place is an evolving creative community, supported by the Park Theatre and promoted as a collaborative effort between Thirty Six Squares LLC and the STP Intern Team. The STP intern team consists of AlexaRae Antekeier (Kendall College of Art and Design), Laura Foster (Northern Michigan University), Christine Hostetler (Hope College), Michelle Ipema (Hope College), Stephen Slachta (College for Creative Studies) and Mari von Websky (Hope College). Its current sponsors are Sprout Media Group, providing Event and Talent Assistance to the interns focusing on the event planning, and Junebug Photography, making sure that any antics that go off are well recorded and archived.
So that’s the basic scoop. All for one, one for all.
Hope to see you at the site SomethingTakesPlace.com (sometime) on Friday May 15 and at the first Something Takes Place LIVE at the Park Theatre on June 11th.
If you’re interested in sponsoring an aspect of the event, either through volunteering your talents, in-kind donations (i.e. printing fliers and posters), or financially (we can design and sell some sweet logo tees, thus ensuring that we can continue to support the event) please email contact@somethingtakesplace.com.
Thank you kindly.
Craig Tommola, Owner
Thirty Six Squares LLC
http://36squares.com
616.566.6971
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