Middle School Students Turn Casual Art Into Merchandise At Crate & Barrel
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Some young, local art students have landed a spot in the "home" section of Crate & Barrel. Their line launches Monday and will be on display in East Falls.
The local non-profit "Fresh Artists" selected a group of 11 talented 5th through 9th graders from schools in Philadelphia, Camden and Norristown about a year and a half ago to work on a bedding line with designers from Crate and Barrel.
"It's called Crate and Kids," said Fresh Artists Founder Barbara Allen.
Allen says the idea was to show kids how doing fun stuff like art can turn into a job. On Monday night, they and their families will see the finished product.
"We've got the whole setup of the bedding, the rugs, the comforter," she said, "and we will honor those 11 young people that spent three days designing, many months ago, a collection of children's bedding."
The event will be held at 6 p.m. at Moulin on Scotts Lane in East Falls.
The launch will be part of Fresh Artists preview of its Cool Jobs program, which links hundreds of 7th graders with successful professionals in the creative economy; chefs, artists, furniture and game designers, etc.
Allen says that by introducing young teens to jobs they never knew existed they might stay in school and go on to pursue their dreams.
"If you are wired as a creative person, and you can't unwire yourself, if you're wired that way, you are best to look in the creative sector for long-term happiness," she said. "What we want to do is expose these kids to people who simply adore what they do, that they have purpose and passion."