Punks, Geeks and Lovers: A MIAD Zine Exhibition

Culture Starters

Emerging from Quarantine

March 28, 2024 – June 22, 2024

What happens to the creative practice when forced to incubate, grow, and mature in close quarters? “Culture Starters” asks to consider culture, from sourdough starter to new social cues grown from the emergence of virtual meetings, and creative ideas that bubbled and grew inside of the lock down through the pandemic, inspiring new ways that creatives adapted to approach making.

Reception: Thursday, April 4, 2024 | 5 – 8 p.m.

The Culture Starters opening reception overlaps with our One Year Anniversary event. RSVPs are optional but encouraged!

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The pandemic dramatically halted the world as we knew it, and creatives within the art, design, and cultural production field were no exception to this phenomena. During the lockdown, the talents and gifts that creatives bring to the world were pushed in new ways that both strained and flourished under such intense conditions. For many, this period of time had a profound effect on our relationship between new technologies and an emergence or return to homesteading. And for creatives, this period of time had a profound effect on the development of their talents: using technology and the digital world and a return to analogue practices with a focus on the handmade. Challenges can create complex opportunities to make something new or unimagined, and for creatives, the pandemic has been a time of ingenuity in a time of chaos. 

What happens to the creative practice when forced to incubate, grow, and mature in close quarters? “Culture Starters” asks to consider culture, from sourdough starter to new social cues grown from the emergence of virtual meetings, and creative ideas that bubbled and grew inside of the lock down through the pandemic, inspiring new ways that creatives adapted to approach making.

Grown from Quarantine: Emerging Creatives Survey

A special consideration was given to show work by those who were MIAD students during the pandemic, whose work and learning environments were additionally challenged by living through the quarantine period of the pandemic. This small survey features work by those emerging creatives who responded and connected to the theme of the Culture Starters exhibition. Exhibiting creatives include Sindie Ho, Lily Johnson, Diego Loyo, Lauren Martin, Caesar Nguyen, Alivia Rapp, Grace Umek, Madison Weglarz, and Kierstin Wohlgemuth.

Culture Starters Participating Artists

Megan Cunningham
Paul Druecke
Sarah Eichhorn
Liz Geoffrey
Griffin Gilreath
Vedale Hill
Adam Porter
Nirmal Raja
Stacey Steinberg
Maggie Szpot