SPARKcon was founded in 2006 by Beth and Aly Khalifa and Designbox to showcase, celebrate and influence the creative momentum of the Triangle region of North Carolina. SPARKcon uses an open-source organizational approach to empower diverse creative thinkers to be inspiring community leaders.
SPARKcon’s “creative potluck” of SPARKs or creative themes such as art, music, film, fashion, etc. is put together by individuals who are deeply embedded in that specific local scene. Using a combination of networking and open calls for participants, organizers create diverse and representative events to show off local talent and connect disparate creative scenes. SPARKcon grows every time a new person gets involved with a SPARK category, creating their own event, or joining in to help an existing one. It’s an open-source, “for the people, by the people” approach with an intentionally dynamic focus.
September 2011 will be our sixth annual SPARKcon. We’re still a loose association of volunteers open to any passionate individual or group who wants to get involved. We’re still grass roots—our money comes from our pockets and the pockets of others excited to support local creativity. The ideas and showcases come from inspired people who have the ingenuity to say “What if…?” and the motivation to then help make it happen.
Each year, we have over 50 organizers, hundreds of local talents are showcased, hundreds of volunteers helping behind the scenes and thousands of attendees. All of these people equal SPARKcon.
Want to get involved? Go to SPARKcon.com to learn more. We have general meetings on the third Monday of every month and VAE staff is always happy to talk about how cool it is!
