natesullivan

about | gallery

Event Programming, Talent Booking, Community Organizing, Art Direction

A sub-brand of Vega 9602K, Room 96 is an event series/community project rooted in progressive ideals, music, visual art, and subculture. Throughout my time at the University of Kansas, I curated, booked, and produced over 20 independent nightlife events in collaboration with local and national DJ’s, promoters, and venues across the Kansas City and Chicago areas. I used my pre-existing social media platforms to support alternative culture in rural areas and connect/uplift local artists.

Flyer Design (May 2023 - May 2026)

Craft Projects

These events quickly became prime opportunities for local artists to showcase their artwork. As a local artist myself, I took on the task of creating various craft projects for our larger events. Firstly, “Room 96: Volume One,” a self-printed, self-designed magazine available at our very first headliner show. This mini-magazine highlighted both the local artists and national artists, as well as helping establish Room 96’s “audio/visual” ethos.

Room 96: Jungle Compilation Volume One

For one of our bigger events, I referenced the PlayStation 2 videogame SSX Tricky and collaborated with illustrator Anne Hero to distribute a music compilation amongst party-goers. The compilation was delivered in a PS2-style videogame case, all of which were thrifted from DVD cases provided by a local antique shop. Anne has a history of working with musician Dazegxd; furthermore, Equiss/OSSX’s branding is directly referenced from the videogame SSX Tricky - the collaboration was a no-brainer. All the music was created by friends and local Kansas City artists, and all the design was done by me. Beyond the compilation cover and direct SSX reference, I included a riso-printed pamphlet that was found inside the disc case, complete with a tracklist. For this pamphlet design, I wanted to shy away from direct reference to the DJs' aesthetics - using my own language to communicate Room 96’s visual direction.

Listen to the music compilation here.

natesullivan

[email protected]