Taubman College faculty will participate in a conference addressing the topic, “Cultivating talent and innovation to transform post-industrial cities,” at the RUST BELT TO ARTIST BELT III Conference, April 6-7, 2011, in Detroit at Taubman Center for Design Education. Detroit and its "rust belt" peers have the people, resources and ideas to emerge as global centers for the design, artistic and creative power necessary to invigorate communities suffering from a down-turned era of manufacturing.
 
The Rust Belt to Artist Belt Conference explores the ways these cities are being shaped and reinvented by the diverse skill sets of artists, designers and other creative entrepreneurs. The conference will create the foundation for a sustained dialogue connecting these creative practitioners to creative sector business owners, advanced manufacturers and prototypers.
 
Faculty members speaking include:
- Assistant Professor John Marshall: Lab Culture: Hands On Think Tanks For Cities, Wednesday, April 6. 4 p.m.
- Associate Professor Geoffrey Thun: Rethinking Sustainability: Artist And Designer-Led Approaches, Wednesday, April 6, 4 p.m.
-Lecturer Catie Newell: Moderator of Alt Development: Feral & Viual Spaces to Fuel Creativity, Thursday, April 7, 10:30 a.m.
- Dean Monica Ponce de Leon: Catalysts For The Creative Economy: Universities, Colleges And The Post-Industrial City, Thursday, April 7, 1 p.m.
- Associate Professor Karl Daubmann: Edgy Practices: Creatives Making Their Mark, Thursday, April 7, 2 p.m.
 
The conference was conceived in 2007 by the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC) in Cleveland. In 2010, CPAC awarded the conference to Detroit. The initial development of the conference series was made possible through the generous support and guidance of Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC) and the Ford Foundation. For more on the conference: www.rustbelttoartistbelt.com.