The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville is pleased to announce the winners of the 7th annual Periscope Pitch, hosted virtually for the first time in 2020.
Periscope Pitch is the culmination of the Arts & Business Council’s Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training program, presented in partnership with the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Metro Arts, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. After eight weeks of intensive training and nearly six months of one-on-one mentorship, the 2020 cohort of Periscope artist entrepreneurs showcased their creative businesses via the Arts & Business Council’s YouTube Channel.
Awards were given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place Pitches based on scores submitted by the 2020 Periscope Pitch Judges — Richard Upchurch, owner of BrandNewNoise; Monchiere’ Holmes-Jones, owner of MoJo Marketing + PR, and Sondra Noble, owner of Hip Hues. The Arts & Business Council celebrates the Pitch winners and the entire 2020 class of Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training.
Rachel Bartek
1st Place ($1,500 prize) Rachel Bartek for her public glass art center for Nashville – Watch her Pitch video.
Rachel Bartek is passionate about the product and performance of glassblowing. She plans to open a center for glass art in Nashville where a team of artists will engage the public through workshops, demonstrations and other glass experiences. Discover how you can get involved and experience the “fire magic” of glassblowing for yourself! Learn more at https://rachelbartek.carbonmade.com.
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- Mel Ferrer
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- Ayumi Fukuda Bennett
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- Emma Levitz
2nd Place (3-way tie, $1,000 prize each) Ayumi Fukuda Bennett for her information illustration business – Watch her Pitch video.
Ayumi Fukuda Bennett is an information illustrator who turns your knowledge into art on the spot. She believes, “Your wisdom is too important to this world to evaporate with the rest of the noise.” Learn more at http://ayumibennett.com.
Mel Ferrer for his artistic cremation urns business, Homage Urns – Watch his Pitch video.
Mel Ferrer, founder and designer of Homage Urns, creates cremation urns designed to be contemporary works of art allowing us to “honor with art.” He is looking for a partner to help with fabrication and someone to help him with marketing to the funeral and end-of-life industry. Learn more about Homage Urns at http://www.homageurns.com
Emma Levitz for her stoneworks studio, Little Mountain Stoneworks – Watch her Pitch video.
Stone carver and visual artist Emma Levitz is the founder of Little Mountain Stoneworks, the banner under which she creates sculptural and functional pieces for the home using locally sources limestone and marble. Learn more at https://www.littlemountainstoneworks.com.
Kayla Jenkins
Third Place ($500 prize) Kayla Jenkins for her vision for Genesis Community Arts Center – Watch her Pitch video.
Kayla Jenkins creates loud, colorful and expressive multimedia paintings. She wants to create an afterschool arts program for income-qualified students in a space she’s dubbed “Genesis Community Arts Center.” Learn more about Kayla at https://www.kaylajenkinsart.work.
Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training provides a cohort of artists with the tools to see their artistic vision through an entrepreneurial lens including training, exchange, mentorship, and exposure opportunities like the Periscope Pitch + Artist Entrepreneur Showcase. Periscope is supported by the Tennessee Arts Commission, Metro Arts, Piedmont Natural Gas, and Southwest Airlines, as well as Frothy Monkey and OZ Arts Nashville.
Applications for the Class of 2021 open in early January at abcnashville.org. For more information, visit www.abcnashville.org/periscope or contact 615-460-8274.