“Artists to my mind are the real architects of change, and not the political legislators who implement change after the fact. ” — William S. Burroughs.
(Find us on Facebook or Meetup)
In association with the PDX Creative Networking group, Curious Apes have launched a new non-profit for artists and thinkers in the Portland metro area called ProjectConnect.
Project Connect: a community-centric platform providing art and technology creatives with events, resources, and networking opportunities that will enable them to turn their skills and passions into completed projects and sustainable careers.
Our focuses:
1) We want to provide motivation for creatives and thinkers who feel overwhelmed by the prospect of finding people who can help them bring their projects to completion. We hold weekly gatherings to help members hold each other accountable.
2) We want to provide motivation by providing them with a platform from which they can promote and share their work, instilling a sense of purpose through the realization that the world will indeed see their creation.
3) We want to provide the funding and equipment our members need in order to complete their projects.
4) We want them to find fulfillment in the beauty of community and the subsequent deep relationships with people who share their interests.
5) We want them to find inspiration from other members and their showcased projects.
6) We want them to find meaning, seeing ideas turn from abstract thoughts into tangible creations.
7) We want to connect them with agencies and governmental officials to get paid work and to solve issues in the city of Portland, Oregon; this could include things like beautification of neighborhoods via artwork, creative solutions to pollution, and/or smarter and safer infrastructure via an app.
How we accomplish our goals?
Through weekly meetups, our community has a series of events, programs, and resources set up to bring creatives and technologists together to collaborate on projects that can then be showcased at our once-monthly showcases.
Through these efforts we are continually promoting and sharing our member’s creations, using our splendid platform as a way to draw attention and to raise money that will be then in-turn be given back in support of our community members and their projects. Donations, membership fees, and any grants are used as described below:
Funding:
100% of all membership fees and donations go back to supporting our artists.
Interested in joining and getting your projects funded?
How are donations, membership fees, and grants divided?
First cost covered:
Overhead Costs for our regular events and showcases — Meetup fees, venue space and event insurance, liquor licensing, food, gear, legal/licensing fees, staffing(time spent organizing and grant writing, etc).
All remaining funds go directly to:
Equipment for experimentation, usage, and rental: A % of all funds raised will be spent purchasing equipment that our members will be able to experiment with and use at events to gain inspiration or complete projects; in addition, our members will also be able to rent the gear for off-site usage (this includes projectors, 360 cameras, wacom tablets, portable green screens, podcasting equipment, and more).
Funding for projects: We’ll also be setting aside a % of all the money we raise to help fund projects proposed and voted on by the members of our community—a perfect opportunity to get that short film made or to launch that new app.
Why is this so important?
Look at any city that has made a major impact on society throughout all of history: it always started with a gathering of bohemian artists and thinkers working together to make the world a better place by promoting community and by inspiring people to think in more critical, and open-minded ways.
And those artists and thinkers changed the spirit of the times, forcing their governments and cultures to acquiesce to their vision.
In this most tumultuous of times, help our passionate community of artists bring their projects to the world so that we may send another beacon of hope out to the species, informing them a place still exists for honesty, rawness, humanism, and appreciation for the beauty and poetry inherent in existence. Let the world know that collaboration and unity still have a place in this world often run by selfishness and competition. And if nothing else, help hardworking and passionate people pay rent and afford to eat by doing something that makes them truly happy–a state of mind they’ll carry out like ripples to turn the emotional tides of their communities.