By Amy E. Pittman, DVI Intern
It’s been six months since Downtown Jacksonville was flooded with hundreds of excited Creators presenting more than 600 projects during One Spark. The spark has grown, the energy has continued, and the 2014 One Spark winners have been busy. DVI caught up the 2014 winners to see where they are now and how their projects are progressing:
Art: Project Atrium
“I’m Downtown right now doing figure drawing with some friends and a great model. When we are finished we will head to [The] Volstead and grab a drink before going back to Riverside and hanging out at Corey Kolb‘s house to talk about sites for an installation he’s planning.” (Shaun was also voted Best Local Artist 2014 by the readers of Folio Weekly!)
–Shaun Thurston, artist
“The museum was thrilled with Shaun’s performance at One Spark. He graciously donated half of the money back to MOCA and that will support other artists who contribute to Project Atrium. This project and Downtown are important to MOCA because we believe in revitalization and One Spark is a big part of that.”
-Denise M. Reagan, Director of Communications for MOCA Jacksonville
Innovation: The Meatrix System Meat Analyzer
“We’re in the process of developing a small handheld version of our device to
present to consumers. We’re actually using another creator that we connected with
through One Spark to move forward with our technology.”
-Robert Samples, president of Imagitronix, Inc.
Music: Sidereal 2014 Takeover
“This past July, Sidereal sold over 600 tickets at Freebird Live to kick off their Endless Summer Tour around Florida. Recently, they were contacted by the U.S. government to be an opener for 3OH!3 at the GTMO Palooza music concert on the naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Nov. 15. Sidereal is planning on completing their One Spark 2014 project later this year or early next year and they will be touring through Central and South America to bring less fortunate children and their families instruments as a means to provide them with a musical outlet.”
-Drew Lynch, Sidereal media relations
Science: Neuroinitiative – Inside the Neuron!
“Things have been progressing really well for Neuroinitiative. Dr. Behrouz had
the great opportunity to share our message on the TEDxJacksonville stage last week.
We’ve been working closely with PS27 Ventures to develop our business plan, and will be
moving our team into their office next month. Also up next month, we’ll be presenting our
neurosimulation platform at the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington DC.”
-Andy Lee, Neuroinitiative Technology Advisory Committee member
Technology: Partpic-Visual Recognition for Replacement Parts
Partpic’s mission is to seamlessly facilitate the search and purchase of parts using visual technology. They are currently fundraising to grow their team and to speed up product development. A few things they’ve done since One Spark include: a launch at TechCrunch Disrupt, winning the Accenture Best Enterprise Disruptor award, partnering with Accenture, starring in the first Small Empires episode.
-Information compiled by DVI from Jewel Burks and Jason Crain, co-founders of Partpic.
MOCA Jacksonville hosted a “One Spark: Project Pitch” event where One Spark Executive Director Joe Sampson announced the opening of the Creator Academy along with dates for when the workshops will be held at CoWork Jax. How can you get involved in One Spark 2015? Here are a few ways:
- Host a Creator! Downtown venues can register until Nov. 15 to host 2015 One Spark Creators.
- Be on the jury! If you or someone you know has incredible expertise in art, education, health and science, music, social good, or technology, One Spark Juror applications will be accepted until Jan. 2.
- Be a Creator! Registration begins Dec. 1 and ends Feb. 14. To help you prepare for the festival, be sure to learn from the experts and attend a Creator Academy workshop.
- Attend One Spark, and be a Voter! Come Downtown April 7-12 to help decide which Creator Projects receive funding.
- Intern with the One Spark team! If you’re a college student looking to get in on the action, apply now to help with client/public relations, event management, or graphic design.
- Follow One Spark on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
While we’re all anxiously awaiting One Spark 2015, there is always something to check out Downtown. Keep up with all the excitement on DVI’s website, and sign up for our “Things To Do Downtown” e-newsletter so you don’t miss out on the fun!