Newsletter 005
This year, the Indiana Arts Commission selected Marion as one of six locations to host On-Ramp, a three-day workshop for creative entrepreneurs to help grow their businesses. We are thankful to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Indiana Arts Commission to help host On-Ramp in conjunction with other leaders and sponsors: Marion Arts Commission, Marion Design Co. Clique Creative Photography, Echo Gallery, and Henrik Soderstrom Studio's, and Lark’s Song.
Artists from all around Indiana traveled to downtown Marion to participate in the workshop. As soon as everyone arrived on Thursday, they filled the space with life and connections, as every participant had the opportunity to build relationships with each other throughout the conference. As much as we loved engaging in On-Ramp, we also enjoyed observing as the participants worked together to help each other grow as they learned about their respective work. It was a joy to watch a camaraderie of artists grow before us amongst many people who had never met before.
Top to bottom: Cohort members Jaylan and Melissa discussing the course content, Wendy Puffer speaking during her panel, On-Ramp Marion group photo, On-Ramp Marion Leadership (Left to right: Eric Marshall, Tashema Davis, Anna Tragesser, Wendy Puffer, Henrik Soderstrom).
We are grateful for the opportunity, and we cherish the relationships we gained through our involvement in On-Ramp. Every artist who attended brought inspiration and encouragement to us to continue our work in
downtown Marion!
Ben Tadevich
We are excited to highlight another MDCO alumni, Benjamin Tadevich! Ben was part of the 2019 Summer Cohort at MDCO. He graduated from IWU in 2020 with a B.A in Graphic Design and is currently located in Gas City.
Ben shared with us that the most valuable thing he learned during his time at Marion Design Co. was learning the value of working as a team. He said that, though his school projects allowed experience in teams, they did not compare to his time at Marion Design Co., as he worked with the same team for months, and he felt like that reflected a more honest experience of working in a design team than his classes provided.
One of his favorite memories, besides “the whole summer,” was a night he had spent with one of his cohort members, as they had stayed at the bank building until two or three in the morning working on a 3D model of the space they had ideated over the summer. The model they finished reflected a majority of the work they had done throughout the summer and finishing it brought an indescribable sense of fulfillment he had not experienced before.
Currently, Ben works as an in-house Graphic Designer. He shared with us that Marion Design Co. impacts his work today by teaching him how to communicate to a more realistic, or modest, audience, who are not always willing to try new things.
Come and see us and our neighbors tonight for Christmas in July downtown! We are showing It’s a Wonderful Life and hosting a design-thinking gift exchange! We will have treats and gifts to share - we hope to see you there!
Show times: 5-7pm,
7-9pm; 401 S Washington St.
Wendy Puffer
What does it mean to be a Korean American female leader? To be honest, I hadn’t really asked myself the question until recently--I mean, really asked the question as if it made a difference. I’ve spent my whole life trying to blend in and to be like everyone else. As a Korean daughter, adopted by Caucasian American parents (who adopted four more Korean and Bi-racial children), I didn’t like being different. During my formative years, I worked hard at being the same as my friends. It’s hard work to see the world through this lens. Rather than embracing the natural intuition that makes life joyful when a person is working from their own human-centered design, my focus was outward, figuring out what I had to do next to “blend in.”
If we approached our design process for our clients or the community in this manner, we would miss the mark. Why would we create a design proposal for the purpose of making their brand identity, urban or interior space, or city look like someone else’s? We would create confusion and ultimately lose their trust—quite a foolish strategy.
So, as a Korean female leader, it’s critical to design with an embrace, first, for the attributes that define what is true. I’m carrying into this new chapter of Marion Design Co. a sense of joy as I embrace passions, intuitions, and methods from 61 years of rejecting and accepting my uniqueness. As a Korean, I’m birthed out of a culture of beautiful design. As a woman, I carry a holistic and relational way of seeing people. As a leader, I empower and accelerate potential. Thank you to the smart, innovative, and “a bit crazy influencers” who started Marion Design Co. with me (Herb and Luke). Your voices speak into every decision we’re making for our bright future!
Grateful for you,
Wendy
