Design Stars of IUP is a mock reality-TV show featuring IUP students as contestants, a rotating group of local celebrity judges, and co-hosts Sharon Massey and Sean Derry, professors of Art and Design at IUP. During the “filming” of the show, students in ART 113 3D Design + Digital Fabrication present their original prototypes for hanging pendant lamps that they designed and fabricated in IUP’s STEAMSHOP using computer-aided design software and a large format laser cutter.
The panel of judges asks questions of each student in a series of judging rounds, and two designs are chosen by the judges as the latest Design Stars of IUP. The winning designs will be re-cut in wood veneer and sold at the upcoming Makers Market, with all proceeds being returned to the winning students.
This episode’s celebrity judges include Rachel Saul Rearick, executive director of Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh; Brian Jones, the chair of IUP’s Theatre, Dance, and Performance Department; and Samantha Muir, director of Campaign Planning and Outreach for the IUP University Advancement Division.
Design Stars of IUP is the culminating project of 3D Design + Digital Fabrication, a course with a curriculum combining design, technology, and civic engagement. The course provides students with hands-on skills in prototyping as well as experience engaging with the community, and it is an integral part of the new Digital Design + Fabrication certificate offered at IUP. This public presentation provides students with a way to showcase their designs and speak publicly about their work, while also providing a unique cultural event for IUP students and Indiana residents.