IUP 3D Art Students Continuing Common Goods Project with Pop-Up Store
IUP 3D ART STUDENTS CONTINUING COMMON GOODS PROJECT WITH POP-UP STORE AT DOWNTOWN INDIANA THEATER
Distribution Date: Oct. 27, 2023
INDIANA, Pa. — Students in Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s 3D Design and Digital Fabrication classes taught by art faculty Sharon Massey and Sean Derry will be continuing the tradition of the “Common Goods” pop-up store, featuring laser-cut paper packages of items, “things we need but cannot buy, like empathy, rest, and rainbows.”
This year, Common Goods will be located in the ticket booth of the Indiana Theater (637 Philadelphia St.). The store’s grand opening celebration is Nov. 8 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Additional store hours are Nov. 9, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m.; Nov. 10 from 4 to 6 p.m.; Nov. 11, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Nov. 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Common Goods items begin as hand-cut paper prototypes which were then translated into digital files for reproduction. Students use a laser cutter in STEAMSHOP, IUP’s interdisciplinary makerspace, to create precision cut multiples of their designs. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics.
Each package is for sale, and all proceeds benefit the Future Makers Fund, a catalytic funding stream for emerging makers.
This multi-faceted project is a result of Massey and Derry’s interest in the development and implementation of effective strategies for integrating undergraduate research experiences into interdisciplinary curriculum.
Students participating in Common Goods each make an original creative contribution to the project and are provided a real-world presentation for their work, giving students an experience that extends beyond the classroom.
Although each participant creates their own artwork, the project requires collaboration with their peers as well as their professors and the community. Common Goods engages students in real-world professional development opportunities such as grant writing, proposal development, and public outreach.
The first “Common Goods” project in 2020 raised $1,555 for the IUP Student Assistance Fund, which provided support for students facing financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the 2021 project raised $1,100 for the Indiana Free Library.
The Common Goods project continues Massey and Derry’s efforts to make art more accessible by involving community members in the production and exhibition of public projects.
In 2019, the pair collaborated to create Sculpture Support System, designed to provide a more in-depth professional experience for highly motivated students through social practice projects that engage community members in a range of art-making processes.
As part of the Sculpture Support System, in September 2020, Massey and Derry and their students presented “Traffic Island Oasis,” transforming a traffic island on Oakland Avenue in Indiana into an island oasis.
In March 2020, the two professors and their students were commissioned by Pittsburgh’s Office of Public Art to create a participatory art project called “The Quarantine Companion.” The project consisted of kits containing a needle, thread, googly eyes, and instructions for how to create a “companion” while staying at home. After the companions were completed, pictures of the final artworks were hosted in a virtual exhibition on the Sculpture Support System website.
Additional projects in the Sculpture Support System include “The Community Quilt” and “The Monument Project.”
IUP is a member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education
Photo is from a Common Goods pop up store in the Indiana Mall in 2022
