Posts tagged kickstarter

Feminine Mystique: Nails, Baking + Beauty Queens

If you have been checking out our curated page on Kickstarter recently, you may have noticed a few projects that wander into the territory of the traditionally feminine. In true RISD fashion, the four alums working on these three projects tackle their subjects in entirely new ways.

The aptly named (and now fully funded) Nails in the Key of Life will beautify your digits AND bring you into the wonderful world of experiential art. Using a canned ham trailer as a mobile nail salon, Breanne Trammell MFA 08 PR plans to “create an intimate platform to exchange ideas and conversation.” All this, and a letter pressed certificate of authenticity to commemorate the experience. And fear not, in addition to holding an MFA she is a licensed nail technician. 

Sweet & Bitters Quarterly is the brainchild of Hannah Kirshner 06 PT, a self-described “baker, bartender and farmgirl turned Brooklynite.”  Addressing mainly cocktails and sweets with a smattering of “everyday foods,” the seasonal printed quarterly will focus on local (while still affordable) foodstuffs and approachable yet interesting recipes, all buttoned up in a beautifully designed novella sized package, with lots of photo spreads to satiate multiple appetites. She has enlisted the sizable talents of Isaac Gertman MFA 06 GD, a principal at Paperwhite Studio in Manhattan, to ensure that the design is as tasty as the recipes. Pledge $145 and you can even get a box of cookies.

Fiona Gardner 99 PT has been garnering some press attention, most recently from Etsy and the Huffington Post, for her Meet Miss Subways project. Between 1941 and 1976 the New York Subways advertising committee crowned more than 200 women – and adorned subway cars throughout the city with their photos, along with their aspirations, jobs and hobbies. The advertising gambit was well ahead of its time, featuring a diverse array of women from different classes, races and educational backgrounds long before it was widespread practice to celebrate – or even advertise – such things. In their book and upcoming show at the New York Transit Museum, Fiona and journalist Amy Zimmer will examine not just issues of aging and life in the wake of the extraordinary advertising campaign, but also the social history of the contest, including changing women’s roles, civil rights and even the subway system itself.

Foundation Student Kickstarts a Table

Part of the fun of supporting creative projects on Kickstarter is the tokens of thanks from creators when the project is complete – postcards, photos, even a free lunch from the Radish food truck (who says there’s no such thing?).

But imagine if your thank you gift was a unique piece of handmade furniture. That’s the offer Colin Wiencek 15 FD is making with his Honeycomb table, a project he designed in one of his Foundation studios.

There are only three more days to go on his campaign, but starting at just $300 you can get one of his nine-layered side tables, which are inspired by the geometric form of honeycombs, Middle Eastern patterns and the materiality of the Arts and Crafts movement.

The funding from Kickstarter will enable Colin to equip a production shop with precision tools and high-quality materials, so he can continue making furniture that is both beautiful and sustainable.

Follow his progress on Twitter » 

Where (and what) is Radish?

If you’re wondering about the iconic stickers popping up all over RISD’s campus, they’re part of a great advertising campaign for Providence’s new gourmet organic food truck. Called Radish, it’s a collaboration between RISD students Alec Babala 14 ID and Otis Gray 14 SC and Johnson & Wales University students Tim Silva and Danny Do.

Last September, the JWU pair presented their idea to Alec and Otis, who now manage a creative team of RISD students responsible for doing the graphics, creative advertising and fabrication of the Radish truck itself.

The idea and business plan for Radish is not only to make it a successful food truck, but to creatively promote Providence, too. Besides serving organic, farm-fresh food, the Radish team also plans to promote an artist, musician, cook and adventurer every month via its truck and website.

The enthusiastic team is currently creating relationships with artists and designers, testing a variety of foods for its seasonal menus and continuing its guerrilla advertising campaign.

Watch for the Radish truck to hit the street the first week of May. And find out more here: whereisradish.com.