About

CreativesDC

CreativesDC is a social network of those in the creative industries that want to make a cultural and economic impact in DC... as a creative community. It is sponsored by the Center for the Creative Economy, as described below.

Center for the Creative Economy

Overview (work in progress)

The Center for the Creative Economy is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting communication between the creative economic clusters in the city of Washington, DC (as defined by the Creative Capital report published by the WDCEP and DC Planning Dept.) Through this effort to unify the creative economic clusters, this organization will form a stronger voice for artists in the city, create strong bonds between the varying artistic groups in the city, and produce a reformed and more powerful asset to the economy of the city.

Mission Statement (work in progress):

The mission of the Center for the Creative Economy is to promote community and interaction between the various creative economic clusters in the District of Columbia, thereby offering the city a more vibrant art scene. Although Washington, DC, has numerous participants in the fields of museums and heritage, building arts, culinary arts, performing arts, media and communications, and arts/crafts and design projects, these differing clusters have only a vague sense of community, both in their respective fields and outside of them. It is therefore the goal of the Center for the Creative Economy to foster a sense of community between the creative clusters in the District in the effort of creating a more cohesive, better funded, and more profitable creative economy.

Goals (work in progress):

Foster communication in the creative clusters via weekly meetings (Brown Bag Lunches) in which members of the cluster present and DC government officials can exchange ideas, thoughts, and proposals

1. Organize conferences for the creative economy where representatives and speakers from other parts of the nation can come and present their work (TEDx)
2. Streamline relations between the creative clusters and the DC government, allowing for artistic programs to gain permits for land or space use in a more timely manner (eliminate as much red tape as possible)
3. Promote cross-relations between different creative clusters
4. Work with the District government and the creative clusters to secure funding for projects

Finances (work in progress):

The startup costs of the Center for the Creative Economy would be extremely minimal, since it is a non-profit and organizing entity—expenses pertaining only to the cost of soda and sandwiches as the Brown Bag Lunches. Later, greater sums of money will be involved as the Center works with creative clusters and the government to secure funding for events and projects.