Events

Sneakers & Speakers: ‘Artivism’

It’s that time again! Thursday, June 8 we’re hosting Sneakers & Speakers at our Focus: HOPE campus! This year, our theme is ‘Artivism’ (Art + Activism). Tickets are $35. Sponsorship opportunities are still available!

Purchase Your Ticket Here

What is ‘Artivism’? We’re bringing together some of the best local artists, business, and experience as we explore art as a form of activism. Join us for a fireside conversation exploring the meaning of ‘Artivism’ and how artists from all genres are raising awareness through their vision and a silent auction.

Check-In: 5:30-6:00 pm
Program: 6:00-7:00 pm
Networking: 7:00-8:30 pm

Meet our Moderator:

Rochelle Riley, Director of Arts and Culture City of Detroit

Rochelle Riley ended a nearly 20-year career as an award-winning, nationally syndicated columnist in 2019 to become the City of Detroit’s Director of Arts and Culture and guides the city’s investment in its creative workforce. Her first major project was the United States’ first city-wide memorial to victims of Covid-19, 15 funeral processions that circled the city’s Belle Isle past 924 photo billboards of victims. More than 25,000 cars drove past victim billboards, and millions viewed it online and on television. Her office, the Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship (Detroit ACE), is currently transforming nine alleys around the city into artistic gathering spaces and is commissioning murals in the largest arts-training program in the city’s history.

Meet Our Panelist Below:

Amy Peterson, Rebel Nell

Amy Peterson, Co-Founder, and C.E.O. of Rebel Nell, a verified social enterprise and women-owned jewelry company with a purpose, employs women with barriers to employment to help them transition from a life of dependence into self-reliance. Living next to one of the city’s most well-known shelters gave Amy the unique opportunity to build relationships with many residents. The inspirational stories many of the women shared of overcoming emotional, physical, and financial abuse were the catalyst for creating Rebel Nell.

Jozie Bullard, Artist

Jozie is a nonbinary multidisciplinary artist, illustrator, painter, muralist, ceramist, community arts organizer, and event curator. graduated from the College for Creative Studies with a BFA in 2020. As a mixed-media artist, Jozie uses painting, drawing, sculpting, sound-art, fashion design, block printing, and social activism to explore themes of gender, race, trauma, belonging, healing and the human condition.

Keith Bynum, HGTV’s Bargain Block

Home renovation expert and designer Keith and his partner work together to buy as many abandoned houses as they can on a single block and renovate them into appealing and affordable properties for buyers within the community.

Mario Moore, Artist

Local artist, Mario Moore has an extensive artistic background. Receiving a BFA in Illustration from the College for Creative Studies (2009) and an MFA in Painting from the Yale School of Art (2013). He has been awarded the prestigious Princeton Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University and has participated as an artist-in-residence at Knox College, Duke University, Fountainhead residency and the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation.

Moore’s work has afforded him many opportunities– from multiple exhibitions and featured articles including the New York Times. His work is in several public and private collections which include the Detroit Institute of Art, The Studio Museum in Harlem and Princeton University Art Museum. Moore’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions including The Smart Museum, Chicago; the Smithsonian Museum traveling Sites Exhibition; Xavier University Art Gallery, New Orleans; the Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, Grand Rapids, MI; David Klein Gallery, Detroit; and the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, New York. In 2021, he had his first museum survey exhibition, Enshrined: Presence + Preservation, at the Charles H. Wright Museum in Detroit, MI.