Hasta La Ideas

The things art students do for money: While studying ID at Pratt, I had to carry ice-cream waffles festooned with sparklers and sing “Happy Birthday” to patrons at the TGIF-style restaurant I waited tables at. I’m sure many of you endured your own humiliations. Wouldn’t it have been awesome if we had been able to make money by doing what we were learning?

I wish more ID schools had organizations like SCAD’s Working Class Studio, a product development venture that combines the talents of students, faculty and alumni. The org partners up with companies like West Elm and Barnes & Noble and can draw on the talents of 8,000 involved students to produce saleable objects, available for purchase here.

Seen above are the Tucker Collection Lamps by Tucker Waugh, ceramics from the Ben Fashion Collection by Ben Morris, and Ashley Olson’s antiques-inspired Frameworks magnetic frames.

So far it seems things are working out well for WCS: Says Barnes & Noble Merchandising Veep Bill Miller, “We have been very impressed with the professional approach taken by the program. The experience has been like working with a seasoned partner yet one with an energy we cannot find anywhere else.”

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