“No Vacancy” + Art Entrepreneurship at ASU

Guest Contribution By: Nichole Perlberg Arizona State University offers an Arts Entrepreneurship Program through the Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts. Within the program students are meant to explore among many things, including design thinking, entrepreneurial mindset, and collaboration within the creative arts. Herberger Arts and Design Entrepreneurship Students (HADES), a student organization, noticed a problem within untapped art industries; the lack of exposure and collaboration among the entrepreneurial community. In order to connect these worlds, HADES recognized there needed to be more opportunity to simply be in the same space. This recognition was when the seeds were planted for “No Vacancy.”  At the end of April, Elaina Espinosa, Brandon Trieu, Emily Ruff, Gabby Toman and myself, all HADES members, curated an interdisciplinary arts showcase and networking event entitled, “No Vacancy.” This interactive event allowed guests to explore local art and artists in the fields of dance, music, spoken word, contemporary fine arts, and performance. HADES values entrepreneurial thinking within the arts and we curated “No Vacancy” with the hopes of cultivating lasting opportunities for collaboration with local artists and members of the community. Through the support of our entrepreneurial forward sponsors, Blackhawk Capital Partners, Galvanize and [nueBOX], we were able to develop the environment we needed for relationship building.


HADES partnered with the FOUND:RE Hotel located in downtown Phoenix to produce “No Vacancy.” The FOUND:RE is conveniently located in the middle of Phoenix, steps away from the light rail. It served as a great host for artists, students, entrepreneurs, and community members to gather and explore the night. HADES collaborated with a series of artists to produce the artistic portion of the event:

• Dom Root (Dominique Flagg)
• H/\rvey (Meghan Harvey), Desert Rain (Rain Locker)
• YNOT (Anthony DeNaro)
• CONDER/dance (Carley Conder)
• KAYUN (Carol Wong)
• Gerald Supreme (Trey)
• AZ Beat Lab
• Felix Cruz Control Collective (Felix Cruz)

Each artist curated their own individual show within a hotel space. Guests were led on a tour in small groups through a sequence of spaces including a poolside studio, an outdoor pool area featuring performance and live music, as well as three hotel rooms. This allowed the community to experience a more comprehensive creative process that they would not typically find in a museum or art show. We invited guests to stay, ask questions and create dialogue for future collaboration with some of the astounding artistic talent that exists within the metropolitan Phoenix area. The talent was very well received, artists and community dialogue and collaboration were made. “I thought it was filled with diversity and raw truth from each individual. I felt like I was diving into their mind a bit.” –anonymous guest HADES looks forward to continue to foster community and celebrate innovation in the creative industries. As we continue our journey on the entrepreneurial path we will keep encouraging and creating opportunities all of us to come together to connect, create, and innovate.

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Nichole Perlberg studies Performance and Movement as well as Arts Entrepreneurship at Arizona State University. She approaches her present and future work through the lenses of storytelling, excellence, teamwork and core humanistic values. She is a leader within the HADES student organization, and co-creator of “No Vacancy”