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Collective State

Jon Brown’s local arts boutique has a unique mission

By Rebecca Stockert

Fort Wayne Reader

2018-01-20


Collective State is a new local arts boutique that has taken up residence at 1321 East State Boulevard in Fort Wayne. It is located in a lovely brick building between Simply Socks and the Tecumseh branch public library in the East State Village area. Collective State sells locally sourced arts and handmade goods, hosts live music, and offers a selection of pop-up events, adding a bit of homegrown commerce and entertainment to the already-attractive Northside neighborhood. The boutique also has rotating artists featured in the front windows.

Like the bee colony or the mycelium of the mushroom, Collective State’s namesake comes from owner Jon Brown’s (also of Fort Wayne Free Art Collective) desire to create a supportive interconnected network for local creatives to flourish. Brown believes that art can “overcome barriers and roadblocks, and convey a powerful message to the world, that words can't always communicate.” By supporting local artists and makers, he supports a much larger movement toward interconnectedness and understanding. He wants to do more than merely make a living.

Because of Brown’s mission, Collective State falls into the category of ‘Social Entrepreneurship,’ an increasingly popular way of doing business. Social entrepreneurs are business owners who are concerned with more than just the bottom dollar: they also want to have a positive impact on the world. Popular national and international social enterprises include Teach for America, Terracycle, Mad Agriculture, and Seventh Generation. Collective State is interested in serving the local community, as well as operating a viable business, awarding them the honorific title of social entrepreneurs.

Brown explains: “The point of Collective State is to offer not only a retail space, but also a place for people to grow their talents and engage with the neighborhood and others in the community.” His motivation for launching the business came from his own passion for the talent that lies in our local arts community. He feels that some artists have wide followings, and he wants to support them, but he also wants to support those artists who might be lesser known, and give them the opportunity to create sustainable lives here in Fort Wayne. This desire to do right by the community puts Collective State in line with many other great social entrepreneurs.

The idea of the “collective” has a long history with creative folks. Art collectives have been an integral part of culture, knitting together the hearts and minds of artists throughout the last couple centuries (though they date back to ancient Greece). The Guerrilla Girls are one of the most well-known art collectives of the 20th century. Many of the loose-knit groups of Modern Art (with an uppercase “M”), such as the Dadas, Surrealists, and Abstract Expressionists, can be considered art collectives, to which contemporary art in the western world owes its life.

Brown sees art as the biggest asset we have in our community today, hence his support of the local arts scene and its members. Brown believes “artists have the ability to create new worlds for us to wander in, visually, and through sound and touch. When so many things in our world are harsh and uncertain, these creators are more necessary and valuable than ever.” He sees artists as capable of creating new modes of communication, not only for themselves, but for everyone their work comes in contact with.

The boutique has just under 50 different contributors, currently, featuring a variety of our local favorite artists: Jared Andrews, Lissa Brown, Cheyenne Gonzales, Dria Iris, Nick Ferran, Matt Plett, Chris Schein, Jerrod Tobias, and Leigha VandeZande. We know Lissa Brown as the artist behind Tiny Clementine; Leigha VandeZande is responsible for the screen printed “Keep Fort Wayne Weird” merch; both Lissa and Leigha along with Dria Iris are the makers of the intergalactic mural in the garden of Wunderkammer, 3402 Fairfield Ave. Many know Jerrod Tobias’s murals on Columbia Ave., North Anthony Blvd., on the side of the Brass Rail, and at Whitney Young Early Childhood Education Center. Merchandise from local musical talent can also be found: March On Comrade, The Meat Flowers, Sankofa, The Snarks, and more.

Remaining workshops in January are closed (they sold out in a matter of hours). Cowls + Coffee: Knitting 101 Workshop on Saturday, January 20, presented by Knotoday, and Stitch It: Embroidery 101 Workshop on Saturday, January 28, also presented by Knotoday. Past events have included Evening Art School w/ Jerrod Tobias, Yellow Cup and Zinnia’s Bakery pop-up, and events featuring installation of artwork. More workshops, educational events, and pop-ups will be offered in the future, but be sure to like their Facebook page and get your tickets fast.

Collective State is located at 1321 East State Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN. They can also be found online at https://www.collectivestatefw.com/ and on Facebook @CollectiveStateFW. The shop is open Tuesday through Friday: 2pm-8pm and Saturday: 12pm-6pm. Brown invites everyone to come be part of the Collective State.


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