Arts and culture leader launches consulting business

PeopleArt

Mar 8

After 15 years of arts and culture work and nonprofit leadership, Marcel "Fable" Price has founded The RE: GROUP, a boutique consulting business. The RE: GROUP offers branding, creative, and evaluation services, community outreach and placemaking strategies, and nonprofit and for-profit guidance and problem-solving.

"My previous experiences taught me not to be scared to take chances, regardless of the outcomes, especially when the intent is pure," said Price. "Over the years, I found myself sitting on multiple committees and being involved with various strategy sessions with groups. I was honored to see them utilize ideas that I came up with to take their ideas to new heights. I want to assemble innovative minds to respond to today's problems."

Price was the Grand Rapids Poet Laureate from 2017 to 2020, serving as an ambassador for poetry and the literary arts in Grand Rapids. As the youngest, first person without a college degree, and first person of color to hold the title, Price conducted outreach programs to promote literature appreciation.

In 2013, Price co-founded The Diatribe, a nonprofit arts and culture organization where he served as executive director for a decade. Under his leadership, Price helped raise millions of dollars in state and regional funding and led "The 49507 Project," which installed 17 murals created by Black and Brown artists in the 49507 zip code. He was placed on leave in July 2023 and voluntarily departed in December 2023.

Reflecting on his career journey thus far, Price acknowledges his accomplishments and the challenges that came with them. He recalls the toll that intense work while caregiving and struggling with his mental health took on his well-being and relationships. His experiences have led him to value the importance of rest.

"There were moments when I was mentally unwell while trying to hold more than most humans should or can. In doing that, I wasn't present enough with the people who meant the most to me and I will never get that time back," said Price. "If people would like to learn from my experiences, please reach out. I would be honored to share the wisdom I gained from my successes and the lessons from where I fell short so that others can hopefully learn and not repeat the same mistakes."

For more information, visit https://theregroup.co/.