March 20-21, Bamboo Grand Rapids
2 Fulton St W, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Break It Down | Make It Better is West Michigan’s longest-running professional development conference for artists, creatives, and arts administrators. Each year, creatives come together to build skills, form connections, and find inspiration in one another’s journeys. This year’s theme, The Action of Art, explores how artists turn ideas into action through practice, collaboration, experimentation, and community-building. With over 30 speakers, this 2-day event will inspire attendees through panels, workshops, and round table discussions. Lunch is provided both days with a complimentary happy hour at AllArtWorks on Saturday. Hosted by ArtPrize, Avenue for the Arts, & AllArtWorks.
Presented by Bamboo Grand Rapids
Schedule of Events
Day 1: Friday, March 20
10:30am – Registration
11:15am – Opening Remarks + Keynote with Nafeesah Symonette
12:15pm – Session #1
• Collaboration as Resistance– Artists Merima Smajlovic and Mary Jane Pories • • • Pixels to Performance: Video Games as the New Interactive Art Form– Casey Ward
• Selling Your Work– Anna Donahue from Artist Entrepreneurs
• Let’s Collab-Shayna Velasquez, Manager of Community Engagement at the Grand Rapids Art Museum
• The Action of Joy: Building a Creative Life One Practice at a Time– Andrea Napierkowski
1:00pm – Lunch
2:00pm – Session #2
• From Pitch to Projection with Spencer Everhart, Grand Rapids Film Society & Open Projector Night
• If You Can Dream It, You Can Build It with Paulina Petkoski, Founder of PLAYGROUND DETROIT
• Foundry and Fabrication with Gabrielle Egnater, Foundry Faculty at Grand Valley State University
• Making Small things Big (and vice versa) The business of Murals with artist and muralist Dania Grevengoed
• First In, Not Pushed Out: How Artists Shape Districts, and How to Own the Outcome with Hannah Greening, Founder and Broker of Fancy Real Estate
3:00pm – Session #3
• People, Places, Process: Lessons from the City of Marquette Shoreline Cultural Trail with Amelia Pruiett, City of Marquette Office of Arts and Culture
• RSVP to IRL: What Participation Actually Changes with Derek Mohr, Host of Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
• From Idea to Action with Dorelle Brock
• Leveraging Artist Documentation: Tips and Tricks with Eric Souther
• Live Screen Printing Workshop with Carlos Rivera
3:45pm – Wrap Up
Day 2: Saturday, March 21
10:30am – Registration
11:15am – Opening Remarks + Keynote Panel with Annamarie Buller, Troy DeShano, and Rachel Winter
12:15pm – Session #4
• How Music Influences Creativity with Della Marie Levi, Owner of Della Soul Records
• Building Alternative Art Spaces with Hailey Johnson
• What I’ve Learned While Running a Wildly Successful Art Club with Chelsea Roberts
• How To Activate Under-utilized Spaces with VEIL Collective
• Concept Over Medium with Jeffrey Augustine Songco
• Art as Action: Building Community Through Creative Engagement with Pleasant Peninsula
1:00pm – Lunch
2:00pm – Session #5
• Media Management with Matt Patulski
• Vending Like A Pro with Jenny Hearns & Shyle Lyons, Merchants and Makers
• 12 Lessons From 12 Years of Daily Art with John Jurries, Painter
• Creating Community Impact with Pamela Alderman
• Paper Casting, Stencils, and Light with Sandra Haansen
3:00pm – Happy Hour at AllArtWorks and live printing with Jamie John
Break It Down | Make It Better 2025, Photo by Veronica Anderson
Break it Down | Make it Better 