MANHATTAN (KSNT) – Kansas State University students got their hands dirty bringing functional art to life in the Little Apple.
The K-State Interior Architecture Department began a project in the fall, after being commissioned by the Manhattan Arts Center, that aimed to transform a once plain outdoor space at the center into a space filled with art made by the department’s students. The Greater Manhattan Community Foundation awarded an arts grant for the project, which helped bring it to life.
“Without that funding, we wouldn’t have been able to get the supplies to make this all happen, and especially involving students to have let them have the opportunity to do a real project,” Executive Director of Manhattan Arts Center Kendra Kuhlman said.
K-State professors Richard Thompson and Frank Hammond made a plan for their students to help upgrade the patio into a designated community space — spending hours in the department’s shop designing functional art pieces.
“We spent a lot of time working on this. So for us, we have a normal design studio on top of a furniture studio,” Interior Architecture Graduate Student Kate Jepsen said. “So, we had multiple long nights for our design one. But there are also long nights designing these pieces.”
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Students sawed their own wood, welded their own metals and even sewed pieces of fabric to create the art in a traditional fashion.
“This is like my first time seeing it today all together and with the paint on as well. And like all the pieces coming together,” Interior Architecture Graduate Student Sydney Lystad said. “It’s really exciting to see it on the site and in real life and get excited for people to be able to use it when they come to the art center.”
The professors and students working on the project felt excited knowing that the art they made can now be enjoyed by those in the Manhattan community.
“As a student, you can be very involved in campus and forget that you have a community that’s right here as well,” Kuhlman said. “So, I do think it’s great to bridge that between K-State and the community whenever possible, especially with a project like this that has a lasting impact.”
The Manhattan Arts Center is hosting its annual fundraiser called the “MAC & Cheese Arts & Music Festival,” on Saturday, March 28 to help fund local organizations and where visitors can see the new installation.
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