Artists, musicians, technology gurus and entrepreneurs are about to join forces.
The Open Source Project, a “networking” business self-described as an “epicenter of creation in Tempe,” will open in about two weeks near University Drive and Dorsey Lane.
“What I wanted to do was try to collect all those people and put them in one room and see what happens,” said Michael Witham, the owner and a December 2010 management graduate from ASU.
From live art to hip-hop nights to puppet shows, Witham hopes to create a place where local artists and performers can integrate and network in both the physical and digital realms.
The physical business will function as both a space and office where freelance artists and other creative entrepreneurs can have open conversations and share ideas. The business offers several spaces for creative output, including a lounge with couches and a TV, a stage made out of milk cartons and a giant beanbag chair that seats eight people.
Coffee will also be available for purchase during brainstorming sessions and other art and music events.
Most events will be free to the public and all will be welcome to collaborate and contribute to what Witham calls a budding city.
“Here’s a space for you, do your thing,” Witham said.
In addition to the physical location, a website for the Open Source Project will allow interested customers to learn about local artists and purchase their work.
The website is already open and available to any interested artist or entrepreneur who would like to buy an Open Source Project membership. The membership puts them in the network to market themselves to the public through the website and offers access to exclusive events, Witham said.
Witham is also working with Ryan Gentry, a local clothing designer, musician and street artist, who he met at a coffee shop in Tempe.
From this meeting, Gentry learned more about the Open Source Project. He connected Witham with other Valley artists and imparted his knowledge as a self-made artist.
Witham said inspiration for the business came from a love for his community and the novel “The Rise of the Creative Class” by Richard Florida. Witham said the book discusses how creativity will soon run the economy and overtake the traditional workplace.
After applying and being denied grants through the Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative and the ASU Innovation Challenge — two programs that provide funding to students for business or project ideas — Witham received money from his family and friends to start his own business.
Witham said artists and musicians who attend ASU or start out in the Tempe community often leave for cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York. Many perceive these cities to be the only places where one can be successful, Witham explained.
Through the Open Source Project’s networking opportunities, Witham said he hopes to keep those people here because the business will provide an “incubator” for their creativity, a place to nourish and succeed.
“There is no cool place for people to hang out in Tempe. I think [the Open Source Project] is filling that gap and [is] giving youngsters a platform to share ideas with like-minded people,” said computer science graduate Koustubha Deshpande, a friend of Witham.
“Whatever we can do to help the community is what we’re here for … wherever we see a need we want to be able to help that need,” Gentry said.
Reach the reporter at hhuskins@asu.edu
