Thursday, June 27

S.I.M.O.N. Session - 'Creative Practice'

Starting Intentional Momentum Over Networking!

By Sadie Madden Music & Do Good Work

Date and time

Thursday, June 27 · 5:30 - 7:30pm EDT

Location

StudioStudio, Packard Street, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

1946 Packard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48104

About this event

2 hours

S.I.M.O.N. Session - 'Creative Practice'

Date: June 27, 2024

Time: 5:30pm - 7:30pm

Location: StudioStudio, Packard Street, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Do you as a BIPOC business owner want a different way to connect with your community? Are you seeking a way to change who you interact with for more local connectivity? The goal and focus of this programming will be to start momentum around the survival of not only Black businesses, but BIPOC businesses and organizations across Washtenaw County that have been in decline from the pandemic. We are inviting and engaging local creatives to share their talents, methods, and knowledge while also providing networking opportunities for all attendees.

This is the third event in a four-part series in which you engage with BIPOC creatives to learn about their ways of thriving/surviving as a person of color within Ann Arbor // Washtenaw County // State of Michigan. This session focuses on the 'Creative Practice' aspect within our community. Our speakers are Lillian Werbin (CEO & Co-Owner of Elderly Instruments) snf This session focuses on the 'Creative Practice' aspect within our community. Our speakers are Avery Williamson (Multidisciplinary Artist) and Lillian Werbin (CEO & Co-Owner of Elderly Instruments).

Lillian Werbin is Co-Owner and CEO of Elderly Instruments, a fretted and stringed musical instrument retailer and musician haven, located in Lansing, Michigan. Through working on local and national boards such as the National Association of Music Merchants, Bluegrass Pride, and the IBMA Foundation; Lillian has helped to create and maintain inclusionary spaces on a national scale. Lillian believes it is possible to highlight our backgrounds and use our differences to forge a deeper connection to one another. Lillian is a proud member of the Arnold Shultz Advisory committee and the Rhapsody Project, is a Co-Director of Midwest Banjo Camp and Midwest Ukulele Camp, and continues to help organize events such as The Banjo Gathering (formally known as the Banjo Collectors Gathering). Lillian is also founder and co-owner of Sturdy Roots LLC and the For Good Foundation.

Avery Williamson is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores historical and contemporary notions of the archive. Her work as a multidisciplinary artist challenges the flatness, fixity, and polarity of history. Her artwork has been featured in The New York Times, Harper's Magazine and the Guardian News. She graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Visual Studies and currently lives and works in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Frequently asked questions

How Does SIMON Work??

Each session will begin with food, intros to the evening’s theme, and then two creatives will engage in conversation and present their work in community. BIPOC business owners will engage with creatives for the remainder of the meeting with an opportunity for networking afterward.

How Do I Sign Up To Attend S.I.M.O.N.?

This Eventbrite is the only way to register. Space is limited to 25 attendees per session to ensure that not only creatives converse and share about their work in the community, but that business owners also get a chance to present as well as ask questions in a group setting.

Who is Presenting for the Rest of the Series?

Each set of creatives will be announced at least one month ahead of each new session. At that time, the Eventbrite will be created for registration. Sign up quick!

Where To Park???

StudioStudio is located next to York Food & Drink - a busy establishment. You can do street parking, OR, Liberty Title Insurance & Real Estate Services has a parking lot directly across from StudioStudio offering free parking after business hours. Please adhere to parking directives.

Organized by

Sadie Madden Music & Do Good Work

SIMON (Starting Intentional Movement Over Networking) is a programming series intending to bring together people of culture/BIPOC creatives and business owners in conversation around the challenges experienced in the Ann Arbor / Washtenaw County / State of Michigan. The intention of the series will have four themes (Education, Creative Practice, Healing, and Mental Health) and will encourage networking and build relationships that foster collaboration and create conversation and learning between BIPOC creatives who run an organization or business, but keep artistry the focal point of their work.

Each FREE session will begin with refreshments, introductions to the evening’s theme and presenters, and then two creatives will engage in conversation and present challenges and successes of their work in community. BIPOC business owners will be able to engage with creatives for the remainder of the meeting with an opportunity for more refreshments and networking afterward.