One of Louisville's most well-attended monthly events for the creative community is coming back later this month with a new leader as its host.
CreativeMornings is picking back up where it left off during the pandemic with a hybrid virtual and in-person schedule starting Sept. 24. Ben Terry, Access Venture's chief creative officer who started the Louisville event in 2014, is passing on leadership of the organization to Natalia Bishop, founder of Story Louisville and director of innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Louisville.
Over the past seven years, the local chapter of the worldwide creative organization has helped strengthen Louisville’s creative economy, and now, with more than 10,000 people involved locally, Terry said the time has come for a new leader to take his vision to the next level.
“Early on, CreativeMornings was an integral part of our creative economy strategy at Access Ventures. I knew I wanted to help start a program to bring together local creatives in the Louisville area, and eventually, we would turn it over to someone with fresh ideas and interests to keep the momentum going,” Terry said in a news release. “CreativeMornings is more than just breakfast and a short talk each month. It’s a community, a place where everyone is welcome and everyone is creative.
"This chapter has become the front door to our city where people come to meet the culture makers and creatives that make Louisville so attractive. I’m excited to see CreativeMornings continue to grow and celebrate our city’s creative expression under new leadership.”
CreativeMornings has events, free of charge, in 198 cities across the world. Louisville was approved to become the 101st chapter in 2014, and its first event was held on Jan. 16, 2015, at 21c Museum with Alice Gray Stites, the Museum's director and chief curator. Since then, there have been more than 60 national and local leaders to speak at a CreativeMornings Louisville event, more than 15 host venues across the city, and dozens of supporters and volunteers that have helped make the local chapter a success with an average of 300 attendees at each event.
CreativeMornings was made possible through the continual support of Access Ventures, Kertis Creative, Community Foundation of Louisville and others that believed in the importance of investing in the creative community, the release continued.
“As the host of CreativeMornings Louisville, Ben Terry exemplified what true leadership is, whether it was through growing and nurturing an incredible team of volunteers, to hosting wonderful events for Louisville’s creative community every month,” said Tina Roth Eisenberg, founder of CreativeMornings. “He brought a certain magic sauce to his chapter and our global community learned so much from him throughout the years.”
CreativeMornings' new host, Bishop, stepped down from her position as the top executive of Story Louisville to take on a new role as the director of innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Louisville earlier this year. She is also the founder and CEO of Level Up and an entrepreneur in residence at Amplify Louisville.
“I’m so excited to jump in and start leading CreativeMornings with the help of our volunteers and the Story team, and to continue the great work that has been done over the years to strengthen creative conversations in our city,” Bishop said. “While we took a break from our monthly meetings to work on the transition, we will return to in-person events again on September 24th, and I’m excited to welcome our community back! I look forward to the same great community, welcoming new faces, new ideas, and continuing to foster growth for this amazing chapter.”
You can find more information about upcoming CreativeMornings events here.
