| Name | LaSha' |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Rockymore |
| Home Address | 311 Stonewood Dr Hixson, Hamilton 37343-2741 United States |
| Organization Name | Music, Fashion, and Arts Foundation |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | I am the founder and Chief Executive Officer |
| Organization Address | 311 Stonewood Dr Hixson, TN 37343 United States |
| Website | https://www.mfafest.com |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4232555208 |
| Alternate Phone Number | |
| Email Address | mfafest@gmail.com |
| Alternate Email Address | thewoodworkagency@gmail.com |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | The 423 Project. On April 23rd in The City of Chattanooga we celebrate our city and being One Chattanooga. The project started in 2015 with the #423Booming collaboration playlist featuring underserved creatives in Chattanooga, TN. The project grew and so did the artist community. Recognizing a need, we developed a team to begin recognizing April 23rd in Chattanooga as 423 Day. Every year we would drop a mixtape and host a party featuring the artist on the tape. As years grew, so did we. In 2021, we decided to create the day into a cultural festival. Our idea was to showcase the hidden gems in our community and provide a platform to showcase their talents. In return, we birthed the 1st Music, Fashion, and Arts Festival. This uniquely designed festival featured four headlining artists, four fashion designers, and four visual artists. Each headliner was dressed in a top local brand, had opening acts and a runway showcase by local designers. In total, last year we featured over 150 creatives at our event. The city has never seen a project like this. The energy and success of this event is what birthed the idea to develop the organization into a non-profit. Shortly after the event, we received a proclaimed declaration that now in The City of Chattanooga, April 23rd is officially known as 423 Day. Fast forward eight months later, here we are growing our team, growing our mission, and inspiring our local community to keep creating. We are now planning our 2nd Annual MFA Festival on April 23, 2022. We are always looking to expand and grow new networks and partnerships. The MFA project is all about collaboration and collective responsibility. We will be taking this project on tour. We would like to partner with other cities and bring out their creative community in one space. We are super excited about growth and the direction our nonprofit is going. This year's project is a little different. Part of our non-profits goal is educating our creative community so they are equipped for the industry. Our communities have no foundation to grow from. We are creating that foundation now. 423 Day becomes the project to look forward to every year. It encourages and inspires artist to keep creating and in return helps keep the economy moving and crime low. This year we are featuring (4) Headliners (2) Designer Runways and (3) visual art exhibits. We will have over 30 creatives performing at our festival this year in total. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | The art community got drastically hit by COVID. In our communities, bars and entertainment venues were the last to reopen. In the mist of survival, no one was thinking of buying art or supporting creatives. It was the absolute last thing on the to-do-list for months. This in returned created a very dark hole for many artists who relied of project sales to pay their bills. The Music, Fashion, and Arts Festival is created to re-boost our community from such an impactful pandemic. There's no entity or building you walk in that does not encompass music, fashion, and/or arts. We literally breath it. This is an annual platform and market that Chattanooga brands and businesses can look forward to every year to come together as one. |
| Where would your project take place? | We would love to book The Signal but it is currently held at The Blur Chattanooga (great parking lot for car show) |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 50000 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | No |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | |
| If funded, when would your project start? | April 23, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 1 Day |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | Milestones would be measured by ticket sales and pre-show attendance. Each registration captures zip codes to indicate the areas of Chattanooga most impacted. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | Our organization is equipped with business leaders in our perspective fields. Each of them own and operate their individual businesses while providing direction with MFA. All registration and ticket sales are received directly through our site. This eliminates a 3rd party system and provides direct access to all data and analytic reports. Photos and Videos will also capture the say alongside podcast and news releases. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | The project benefits the community by increasing the socioeconomic system and cultural representation through arts in our community. It's an outlet, just like sports that helps reduce area crime and gives creatives a platform to work toward every year. It is one thing to just create and another to be able to create for a collective purpose. We will help elevate the creative culture in our city. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | Businesses and projects are grown from previous successful events. Our project is sold by the artist we are able to place on our platform. Those (4) selected artist leads the momentum of the festival. This year we have the top streaming artist out of Chattanooga to headline the show. In addition to headliners, we also grow buy-in by collaboration and collectively moving as one. We want as many businesses as possible participating in this project. |
| Name | LaSha Rockymore |
| Contact Information | 4232555208 |
| Name | Terrence Mitchell |
| Contact Information | 4232274148 |
| Name | Jarvis Stewart |
| Contact Information | 4233144691 |
| Name | Takema Darby |
| Contact Information | 4237770521 |
| Name | Venita Rhodes |
| Contact Information | 4234865053 |
| Name | Juanita Montgomery |
| Contact Information | 4236152096 |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | We hope to see you on April 23rd, celebrating our annual 423 Day! |