Photography by Elonte Davis and Monjoa Likine

A NOTE FROM OUR DIRECTOR, DANYA ENSING – Why artist support matters and what's next:

I am truly overwhelmed by the response to Art Crawl: we had 20 arts organizations come together to welcome over 700 visitors in a single afternoon. I think back to 2014, when I moved to Detroit without knowing a soul, cold-walking into every gallery I could find with my printed resume in hand, hoping to land a job to stay for the summer. A decade of summers later, producing Art Crawl was the realization of that young Danya's dream—an event for all artists and neighbors whose curiosity simply needs an open door.

Lots of lovely folks are asking if we'll keep this good thing going and do Art Crawl again, perhaps next year. But before we talk future, I'd like to have a transparent conversation about money.

I know money can complicate things. But as a Producer and Arts Organizer, I also know how imperative it is to pay people—and pay them on time—in our economic system that runs on dollars and cents (though not sense). 

So, in the spirit of transparency: Art Crawl: Grand Blvd & Beyond was made entirely possible by the Flourish Fund—a CultureSource program supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts—which awarded me $10,000 as an individual grant recipient. I paid about 10% in taxes on that income.

After taxes, my budget awarded $300 stipends to partner spaces and community advisors. Photographers and creators got $500. Project assistants $500. Printing, craft services, and supplies $500.

I tapped into my personal July rent budget to cover upfront expenses like event insurance. I am blessed to hold a full-time job (in addition to running Art Detroit Now) that supports my arts-organizing passion—and I used that job's Paid Time Off to rest for a week after Art Crawl. 

But I can't work myself this hard again. Many arts organizers I know are exhausting ourselves from the very work that also gives us life. It's a double-edged sword, and it's unsustainable.

I need support. I need a team. A handful of people, working a handful of hours each week, for real money. To help fund the car repairs that keep us road steady. To pay the highest-in-the-nation auto insurance in a city full of hostile pedestrian infrastructure. To order takeout when we've been on our feet all day and just need a break. To be able to take a leave-of-absence from my day job, so I can fully do this job.

I daydream of an Art Crawl with shuttles running every few minutes. Of closing off the street for a sidewalk chalk gallery. Of bicycling tour guides. Of galleries serving an abundance of food from neighboring cafes. Of proper accessibility infrastructure at every location (a must). Of people getting paid to work in community arts organizing. 

Art Detroit Now is a small business, growing rapidly. I'm applying for grants. I'm building a fundraising plan. I'm mapping out growth milestones and how to get there. Our weekly publication will always keep turning with support from eager hands and willing hearts. But to imagine future events like Art Crawl, we also need cash in pockets.

Stay tuned as we–and every arts org you know and love–navigate funding, resources, and value.

With gratitude,

Danya Ensing

Managing Director, Art Detroit Now

Photography by Elonte Davis and Monjoa Likine