“So what are you going to do when you graduate?” I ask my friends in the Crafts department this on a regular basis. Woodworkers, Glassblowers, Ceramicists, I ask them all, because for them, there is no obvious choice for places to work after graduation. I’m majoring in Art Direction so an obvious choice is to work in an agency. But for these guys, the whole “getting a job” thing, is a little different. Most want to make a living creating and selling their own work. But to do this, they need a studio to work at equipped with the unique tools required for their craft. Also, a place to display and sell their work is vital to keeping their studio afloat. How though, do you afford rent along with the supplies and tools you need, if you’re already weighed down by debt?
So If I had a million bucks and a few months I would like to set up a Detroit Crafts CoOp. A studio for recent graduates to produce and sell their work to get them on their feet and going. The goal would be to not have to charge the young creators anything, but instead to have the CO-OP run and maintained by the residents. The work created at the CO-OP would be sold in the store to help pay the studios bills. Recent graduates from schools around the world could apply for a spot at the studio, but their would always be spots reserved for Detroit artists. Having artists from beyond Detroit would help the recent graduates make new connections and discover other points of view. The CO-OP could also be open to none recent grads at a monthly rate. All this would work to promote young artists and keep the studio afloat as well as grow the Detroit art community.
The million bucks would go to getting a shop space, storefront and supplies. The CO-OP would have a glass hotshop, a metal shop, a wood shop, and a ceramic studio with kilns. There would also be a digital shop with computers, scanners and a C&C machine to cut out 3D models. This dream stet up would cost a lot to set up but having a lot of the tools like glass furnaces and kilns built by volunteers who would get to use the studio once its completed would save a lot of money.
