Center for Entrepreneurship and College of Fine Arts Host Inaugural Arts Launch
The OHIO Center for Entrepreneurship coordinated the inaugural Arts Launch pitch competition on January 26th in collaboration with the ARTrepreneurship Summit and the Bobcat Seed Fund. The Bobcat Seed Fund aims to eliminate monetary barriers for students with entrepreneurial ideas by providing up to $3,000 in grants to turn those ideas into reality. Students from all educational backgrounds are encouraged to apply at any point in the academic year.
The Arts Launch competition provided a similar experience to the Bobcat Seed Fund Application, but in a niche environment directed toward artists. The top applicants were invited to present to a student-led Investment Committee where they had two to three minutes to present their arts-based businesses. Hannah Rutowski, Michelle Carmargo, Christopher St. John, Tyler Thenikl, Rebecca Shelley, Alyssa Keil, Kailey Klimkowski, and Alexis Nagel were the eight students who successfully demonstrated their artistic entrepreneurial ideas. Each student was awarded $500 grants to use for design purposes, materials, or certificates needed to be successful in their entrepreneurial endeavors.
These enthusiastic students created new ventures that they believe would positively impact their community and allow themselves to grow their business and learn more about entrepreneurship. Recipient Alexis Nagel hopes that by receiving her grant, she will be able to fund her art business and expand her name and brand.
“Whether it be using one of my wheel thrown crystals, mushroom mugs for their morning coffee, or remembering a fluffy friend who passed, I hope people just truly enjoy and appreciate the hard work I put into every piece,” Nagel said. With the $500 grant, Nagel will purchase new materials and experiment with new types of art to continue to bring joy to her customers and do what she loves.
Each student’s creativity shone through their passion for different areas within the arts. While some focused on their physical art skills, others pitched ideas hoping to appeal to the musical arts. As a second-year graduate music student, Michelle Carmargo is working toward releasing a six-track music album that highlights Latin American instruments and sounds. With her grant, she plans to focus on advertising the album and gain a name for herself as a musical artist.
“This project is a result of 15 years of artistic career where I want to share my version of emblematic pieces from [Latin American] countries,” Carmargo said.
Other students pitched ideas to bring light to the musical theatre industry, fashion creation, and photography projects. Each student expressed their passion for their projects and how it will not only impact their career, but the community around them. With the success of the inaugural 2023 Arts Launch, the Center for Entrepreneurship hopes to continue to provide opportunities to artists with a drive to change the arts with innovative ideas.
The Center for Entrepreneurship exists to serve students from all programs of study and has a suite of services and programs to support entrepreneurial thinking and activity. Check out some of the previously funded projects and consider applying for the Bobcat Seed Fund if you need help taking your business – arts-based or not! – to the next level. For more information, contact Krystal at krystal@ohio.edu.