BESNxCommunity

After careful consideration and conversations with our partners, we have decided to postpone the Spring Art & Community Market to a later date.

This decision was not made lightly. Following recent events in our community and several exciting opportunities currently in development, we believe taking additional time will allow us to create a stronger event, engage more partners, and deliver a greater impact for artists, entrepreneurs, families, and residents.

Are You Supporting the Community For Real? - https://mailchi.mp/besnxc.org/from-art-to-stem-were-changing-lives-13882520

This week… was different.

Not just busy.
Not just productive.

Transformational.

We’re watching the shift happen in real time across City of Toledo and BESN X Community is right in the middle of it.

We connected with Brandon Ruiz and the Nemsys team, building pathways for real tech access and infrastructure.

We sat down with Nolan Culver at Ostrich Towne & Amanda Goldsmith with PNC Bank, locking in the space for our 2nd Annual Spring Art & Community Market a platform built for artists, creators, and vendors who have been overlooked for far too long.

And we tapped into the growing tech movement with Toledo Codes, connecting with:
• Ericca Ross (The Loft 419)
• Justin Beaudry (Founder, Toledo Codes)
• Michael Vanderpool
• Dalien Ahiekpor with Amazon Web Services

This is what people don’t understand…

These aren’t separate moments.
This is one ecosystem forming.

Art.
Tech.
Energy.
Community.

All coming together to build something Toledo hasn’t seen before.

And let’s be clear

The art and market scene needs to change.

For too long, it’s been the same cycle:
Same spaces.
Same gatekeepers.
Same limited access.

Meanwhile, the real culture, the real creators, have been building with nothing.

That ends now.

The Spring Art & Community Market is not just an event.

It’s a reset.

A new standard where:
• Artists get real visibility
• Creators get real opportunity
• Community actually benefits
• And the culture moves forward without waiting for approval

Saturday, June 13th | 1PM – 6PM
Ostrich Towne

If you’ve been waiting for a real opportunity this is it.

If you’ve been building in silence this is your moment.

If you believe Toledo deserves more stand with us.

We’re not asking for a seat at the table anymore.

We’re building our own.

From art and culture to technology and financial literacy, BXC continues to create spaces where the community doesn’t just participate—they lead, build, and grow.

We’re building something special in Toledo.

Park Quest 2.0 is leveling up into a 3D VR experience, and the latest environment build is starting to bring the vision to life. From detailed park scenes to interactive spaces, this is more than a game it’s a new way for our community to experience technology, creativity, and storytelling.

Shoutout to Jessy Wang for putting in real work on this build. This is what our Pathway Program is all about giving people the opportunity to learn, create, and contribute to something bigger.

This project is powered by collaboration. Partners, supporters, and community leaders are helping us turn this into something that creates real opportunities right here in Toledo.

Park Quest is not just about playing a game.
It’s about building skills.
It’s about creating pathways.
It’s about showing what’s possible in our city.

We’re continuing to grow and we need the community with us.