Joshua Gruft's 'Paper Moon' Brings the Vibes | Creative Entrepreneurship with Prince UFO Catchers | ($$) UPDATE : NYS Survey Project | 1UpState Game Expo In Pics

Joshua Gruft's Paper Moon :

Diverse International Flavor and Happening Community Vibes

Joshua Gruft has shown up everywhere in my universe over the last couple of years. DJ gigs for parties and burlesque shows, bar based art magazine release events, and now...he even has an old school rare book and magazine store called Paper Moon in Troy that has a killer roster of community based music and literature happenings. I caught up with him to get the latest and man, was I out of the loop as to just how cool and diverse a programming calendar PM has going on! We talked about the above and also chatted about leaving a day gig to go full time into the entrepreneurial business, creative lifestyle.

"The shop began as a space for cool books and magazines, inspired by Gagosian Shops’ (London) high-art style and Casa Magazines’ (NYC) floor-to-ceiling setup. My goal is to maximize every inch to showcase art, host events, and foster community. ...I’m a promoter by trade, so throwing unique events is my passion—the activities also help transform the shop’s aesthetics and give local creatives a home." Joshua Gruft : Owner and Founder at Paper Moon

Corey Aldrich : Senior ACE Contributor

Image: Provided

READING IS LIFE!

Prince UFO Catchers : Young Creative Entrepreneurs Laying It on the Line

I met Danbi Yu and Bradley Alverez through a co-producer (Guinevere of the Dentist Office) of a pop up cyberpunk market that I have worked on for the Arts Center of the Capital Region. Not only do I find them to be some of the most amazingly positive and kind people, but I loved the passion they bring to share Japanese arcade culture with the region. I have worked with them on a few projects and am really excited to share their new entrepreneurial endeavor!

"We tried exploring so many loan options but quickly found that no bank would entertain a start-up business despite my fully fleshed-out 25-page business proposal and many financial projection sheets. We tried a private loan but were daunted by the idea of having 40% interest rates that we would have to pay back in less than five years. As a last resort, Bradley and I sold our one and only investment property that we had managed to buy back in 2020, and this was what helped fund us at the start of this journey." Danbi Yu : Co-Owner and Founder at Prince UFO Catchers

Corey Aldrich : Senior ACE Contributor

Images: Corey Aldrich

CATCH THIS!

SURVEY UPDATE!

Sustaining the Artist Community :

New York State Survey Project

The Sustaining the Artist Community: NYS Survey Project has been picking up speed! So far we have about 500 surveys completed! The data is starting to show some interesting patterns. That said, we are still very short on submissions from SARATOGA, SCHENECTADY and WASHINGTON counties. If you have a mailing list to share the link below or can via social media it would be much appreciated. The data from this survey will eventually be used to help legislative bodies in the state make resource decisions. Make sure your counties arts population is included in the results! If you have questions or need help, please reach out to me.

BACKGROUND

The SACNYS seeks to identify artist populations as well as the tools they need to thrive. The Survey has four sections: demographics to tell us who are artists are; professional development opportunities; artist studio and workplace needs; and finally, an assessment around housing, both rented and owned. The survey takes less than 5 minutes to complete and is a high-level assessment that will help public, private and government agencies develop the resources artists deserve to thrive.

Sustaining the Artist Community: NYS Survey Project (SACNYS) is an open-source tool. The report data, including options to construct unique queries, will be accessible to all.

SACNYS is in its pilot phase here in the Capital Region. Upon the completion of the Capital Region survey, it will enter an assessment and potential revision period. Once complete, the final survey will be administered state-wide by ArtsNYS, New York State’s arts advocacy agency.

Artists deserve opportunity! Please complete this survey and share it with other artists.

FILL OUT THE SURVEY HERE!

SACNYS was developed by The Arts Center of the Capital Region, in collaboration with ACE! (Upstate Alliance for the Creative Economy), CREATE Council on the Arts (serving Greene, Columbia and Schoharie Counties), and ArtsNYS. The survey was directed and constructed by the Siena College Research Institute.

SACNYS was made possible with funding from the New York State Legislature.

Demographic research queries were based on Creative Rebuilds New York’s Portrait of New York State Artists Survey.

INSIDE ACE! | Creating a New Path

I decided to lean into a couple of creative economy entrepreneurial start ups this month. One of the things I like about the Capital Region is the continuous bubbling up of interesting and new ideas by our creative community. Joshua Gruft of Paper Moon is just such a person. Leaving the safety of a full time gig to forge his side gigs and passions into a retails space with a heavy dose of community engagement. My second interview was with Danbi Yu. She and her partner Bradley Alverez recently took a major jump to create a Japanese themed arcade space called Prince UFO Catchers in Colonie Center Mall. This is creative economy on the front edge folks where people are investing their retirements into their passions. Check out what they are up to and specifically the hurdles they needed to overcome to make their dreams real.

I also dropped an update on the SACNYS survey that ACE! has been working on with CREATE Council on the Arts that is being spearheaded by Liz Reiss at the The Arts Center of the Capital Region and ArtsNYS. PLEASE, if your from one of the under reported counties I mentioned, help get the word out so we can have full representation from all areas of the Capital Region!

Have any cool creative job listings, open calls, industry news or grant funding opportunities? Drop me a line and get them included in our next issue.

Corey Aldrich

ACE! : Executive Director

E: hello@upstateace.org | W: upstatecreative.org | SOCIALS: @upstatecreative

BELOW: A few shots from the 2nd Annual 1UpState Game Expo held at the Albany Capital Center. Congrats to Anthony and the team for another fantastic event!