Detroit A.C.E. And Artops: Join Forces

For those in the creative field in this day and age, if you’re not on the internet or actively trying to market yourself, you might as well be a missing person in the mind of opportunity.

That’s why the Detroit Arts, Culture, and Entrepreneurship office (ACE) and ArtOps Detroit are collaborating throughout the rest of this year to bring free workshops to artists and creators who could use a little assistance with the backend of their craft; annoying, technical things like website building and scaling prices. 

“30 years I worked in newsrooms, and I learned that when you’re well-versed in the background details of your craft, you can devote that much more time to what you’re truly passionate about. It’s the same with artists and that’s the purpose of these workshops – improving the entrepreneurship behind the vision so more people can be made aware of the talent,” says Rochelle Riley, director for Detroit ACE.

The workshops will be held once a month, on the third Tuesday, from 6 P.M. to 7 P.M. Topics stay away from the typical ‘here’s how to art’ and instead focus on things helpful to practiced artists. Last month’s topic was “copyright and trademark issues” and November’s meeting, which is scheduled for the 16th, deals with partnerships. The sessions will be primarily hosted by Michael Hall, an intellectual property and entertainment attorney at Michael Everett Hall Law, PLLC who advises entertainers, musicians, athletes, songwriters and more on how to best promote and protect themselves in their careers.

“We had a previous panel of artists and asked them first how many people had a website, and secondly how many people owned their name.

Two different sets of people raised their hands, and it wasn’t many each time. Artists don’t need help being artists, but some could benefit from a little support with confidence and vocabulary,” says Janielle Robinson, Community Engagement Officer for ArtOps. “The idea of the starving artist is dead and tired. We’re trying to get people on the map.”