CREATE-A-THON 2023!

DESIGNCONNECT is re-launching the CREATE-A-THON community fundraising project to support our mission of empowering future designers and artists of Detroit!

At DESIGNCONNECT, we believe that YOU are essential to achieving our mission. You can help inspire and uplift our future designers and artists by participating in the campaign as a creative Team Member or by donating.

To participate as a Team Member, work on a creative project over a 30-day period and reach out to your circle of influence to raise donations.

The money we raise through this campaign will specifically fund experiential learning and college scholarships for our students!

To participate as a creative Team Member

Follow this link to join CREATE-A-THON 2023 as a Team Member. Visit our information page for step-by-step instructions. Each creator will receive a personal fundraising page to support the campaign.

To support as a donor

Click on the DONATE button, select a Team or individual Team Member to donate $23 (as in 2023) or any amount!

We want to raise not only financial support but also awareness of our mission, so please share with others!

Who can participate?
Anyone!

What counts as a creative project?
Are you updating your portfolio? Are you sketching a new concept? Are you combining multiple disciplines? Are you experimenting? Any form of creation that we can see or hear and that you can share counts as a creative project!

Check out our 2020 Create-A-Thon Gallery.

What are the benefits of participating?
Exercise your creativity through this month-long event to inspire and uplift Detroit’s creative youth. Your unique talent and expertise are vital to aiding future generations of students, showing them the diverse possibilities of a creative life. Your work and the money raised will directly benefit students in Detroit through experimental learning, mentorship, curriculum initiatives, and scholarship aid.

Our Story
Located in Southeast Michigan, DESIGNCONNECT (DC) is a nonprofit organization that invests in future generations of visual artists in Detroit. The program enhances access to creative design education, among historically marginalized students, and grows a diverse creative design workforce. In September 2018, DC was established to fill a lacuna in the visual arts ecosystem in Detroit. Within public school arts education, there were no clear pathways to financially stable careers in creative design for middle and high school students; artistically inclined students lacked the means to pursue their interests in extracurricular settings. After months of research and meetings with stakeholders throughout the city, DC founder and Executive Director, Jocelyn Chen, utilized her connections and expertise from a career in the design industry to organize an experienced and knowledgeable Board of Directors to guide the programming and impact of the non-profit. In January 2019, DC launched its programming at the Detroit School of Arts (DSA) in Midtown Detroit, and by December 2019, DC formalized its official partnership with Detroit Public School Community District (DPSCD). By September 2020, DC celebrated the culmination of its first city-wide student Design Competition. By 2025, the organization will increase the depth of its initiatives with DSA by offering a design curriculum covering multiple creative disciplines including graphic design, product design, architecture/interior, transportation design, entertainment design, and fashion design, and expand its partnership to additional Detroit public schools.

Learn more about our mission and impact through our student, mentor, and supporters:

CREATE-A-THON 2023 presented by DESIGNCONNECT