Our 5×5 is coming up on October 30, and it’s making us a little nostalgic. So, we reached out to our presenters from last year to see what they’re up to now and what advice they have for future 5×5 participants. (RSVP to attend.)
First thing, what was your idea for last year’s 5×5?
I presented an idea called I Am An Artist which was a public art exhibit. The project was to serve three goals: to circulate more positive images of people of color, to expose Indy to its artists and to challenge the idea of who can be an artist.
I proposed to hire a photographer and conduct 52 photoshoots of 52 different local artists, to display some of them in large formats on the exterior of storefronts and windows and then to make a deck of cards out of them that people could purchase. I really wanted to offer images of people that you might normally ignore and put them in the context of an artist to see how that changes personal perspectives.
There’s more to presenting at a 5×5 then just winning, right? What would you say you learned from participating?
I learned that everyone has an idea and a lot of people have really good ideas. What I loved about 5×5 is that there were no eligibility requirements to submit. Anyone could submit their idea on how to change the city for the better and that was awesome. It was clear that a ton of people were waiting for the chance to say their idea out loud and get help to make that happen. We need more projects like 5×5.
Your idea won, which is totally awesome. But other than the money, how would you say you’ve benefited from your participation?
5×5 was huge for me. It was the first big project I was able to complete under my Mosaic City hat. I’d just formed a business three months prior to do things exactly like this. It was huge. The exposure was great and the feedback I received from the project really was amazing. I was so grateful – and I’m still grateful – for the judges taking a chance on me and believing that I could pull I Am An Artist off.
Personally, I benefitted by knowing that my wacky ideas have merit. That the things I think about at night and hope to do someday, can happen. After I won that evening, a young girl and her mother came up to me and said that they’ve been following my work and that they voted for me. They came down to Georgia Street just to hear about my project and to vote for me. That was amazing to know that the small work that I do has effected someone – that someone is listening.
As a 5×5 veteran, what would you recommend to someone participating in a 5×5 challenge?
Go with your gut. Don’t alter the idea too much to fit the crowd or what the funder would want to see or anything. Go with the idea that keeps you up at night.
It’s been about a year since our last 5×5, and we want to know what you’re working on now.
Right now I’m working on Indy’s Bicentennial Plan. I’m the Project Manager for Love Indy so I get to do what I love on a larger level. I get to encourage people to love Indy more and explore Indy more. I’m also gearing up for an event with IndyHub called Awkward Conversations as part of the Spirit and Place Festival. On Nov. 11 we’ll host an informal conversation at Phoenix Theatre on what it’s like to be different.
