Aggregated Arts New website covers events in southeastern Michigan. I Suzanne Chessler Contributing Writer L ooking to find out about enter- tainment options beyond the Jewish-connected people and events featured in your weekly Jewish $100 Purchase of $10.00 • or more oll II II II 1I I Not valid with any other offer. Not valid on breakfast specials.' 1 I I With coupon. Exp 9/4/14 News? That became easier this year with the creation of IXITI.com , a new website that lists schedules of performance and view- ing options offered in the seven counties that make up southeastern Michigan. Whether an exhibit at the Ann Arbor Art Center or a concert at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe or some other event, particulars get presented along with volunteer oppor- tunities in the arts and profiles of people affiliated with programs. Lynne Friman has been the project manager in developing IXITI, one of many names invented or suggested by people working on marketing for the website. "In the top 10 markets across the United States, Detroit was the only one that did not have an aggregated website with one place where the public could go to find out what was going on:' says Friman, direc- tor of strategic projects at CultureSource, where IXITI was developed. "CultureSource, based in Detroit and serving 120 nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in the region, [responded to interest in setting up] a place where they could all share information about what was happening and cross-promote what everyone was doing" IXITI, with no specific meaning, has three I's to capture the first letters of the words for which it stands: innovation, inspiration and information. CultureSource, founded in 2005 as the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan, started with the larger arts orga- nizations that wanted to provide a forum for communication. The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan helped with seed money. As more organizations joined, not-for- profit organizations were allowed to post events. "Every week, we try to bring forward the key things that are happening:' says Friman, 55, who lives in Saline and is active with Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor. "We want the public to know that arts and cultural events are alive and thriv- ing:, Friman, a working watercolorist and encaustic artist, earned a degree in illus- tration from the University of Illinois and moved to New York, where she found work designing museum exhibitions. I I Purchase of $20.00 or more Not valid with any other offer. Not valid on breakfast specials. With coupon. Exp 9/4/14 a I L Party Catering Open 7 days a week for breakfast lunch and dinner www.leosconeyisland.com Lynne Friman Career opportunities brought her to Michigan. She has overseen exhibits at the Detroit Historical Museum, construc- tion of the Henry Ford IMAX Theatre, reinstallation of the Detroit Institute of Arts, as well as facility development at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. While maintaining her own firm, Envisions Design, and serving as a consul- tant to arts and cultural organizations, she joined CultureSource in 2009. "I currently am the publisher and over- see the business side of IXITI," Friman says. "I coordinated the brand identity. The idea for a Web portal started in 2010, and we began working in earnest in 2012. We went live on Feb. 1:' Besides going through lists of specific events, site users can direct searches with terms like "loud and fun," "quiet and reflective" and "date night" Jewish organizations represented on IXITI include the Jewish Community Center along with the Berman Center for the Performing Arts, the Holocaust Memorial Center and the Jewish Radio Hour "Organizations notify us about which listings they want on the website, and we work with each one to devise the best ways to share their information and the kinds of stories they want to tell," Friman says. "They are responsible for putting up their information" August postings will be focusing on the outdoor festivals. After that, the site will be promoting the upcoming arts season. The ultimate goal is for people to look over the sight and come away with wish- ing they had more time to go to all the events that attract them. "We don't want to replace what anyone else is doing; Friman says. 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