Jeff T. Blau Hall, 700 E University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Making It: per$pectives on the business of creativity
Date: Thursday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Ross Impact Studio (Jeff T. Blau Hall, 700 E University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 | 2nd Floor)
Join a panel of individuals with diverse professions to explore perspectives on the business of creativity and learn how we all can contribute to better financial wellness for artists. Art supplies and snacks will be provided!
This discussion is a free, public event presented in conjunction with Making it: $napshots from the Artist Pay Project by Makeda Easter, an exhibition based on an anonymous journalistic series that examines how artists survive and thrive through anonymous money diaries. Developed by 2022-2023 Knight-Wallace and the Ford School’s Center for Racial Justice Fellow Makeda Easter, the series includes interviews with over 30 artists from various disciplines — including visual arts, dance, film, and drag — to understand how much artists are paid for their work, how work is priced, and how artists feel about their overall financial security.
Making it: $napshots from the Artist Pay Project is sponsored by the U-M Arts Initiative and Ross Impact Studio. The exhibition is open to the public through December 12, 2024.
Speakers:
- Makeda Easter is an award-winning journalist and creative based in Chicago. The overarching goal of her work is to amplify underrepresented voices and communities. Her journalism has been recognized by the Online News Association, the L.A. Press Club, and the Society for Features Journalism. She was also the 2022-2023 Knight-Wallace fellow and a visiting fellow at the Ford School’s Center for Racial Justice.
- Erykah Noelle Benson is a Doctoral Candidate in U-M’s Department of Sociology. Her research focuses on the ideological, financial, and cultural motivations for entrepreneurship among Black creatives. She examines their experiences selling and sharing art on online platforms like Etsy, Depop, and Instagram. Her work is made possible by the support of the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Center for Institutional Diversity.
- Moderator: Jerry Davis is the Gilbert and Ruth Whitaker Professor of Business Administration at the U-M Ross School of Business and Professor of Sociology. He writes about corporate power, authoritarianism, and how digital technologies change the organization of the economy and society.
More information on Happening at Michigan and RSVP here.