Our Crowdfunding Groups
From all of us in the College of Design, thank you so much for your generous contribution to our Design Closet 2020 crowdfunding campaign. With the participation of 25 donors, we raised $2,560 — that's 128% of our original $2,000 goal and even surpasses our $2,500 extended goal! We are deeply grateful for the enthusiastic response to this project.
Our students will benefit immediately from your support as we will be able to purchase introductory DSN S 131 supply kits for spring semester, materials for student projects in DSN S 102 and Design Store gift cards to help students buy other specific supplies required for their courses.
We'll also have funds available to support advanced students who may be entering their work in competitions or seeking opportunities to attend (virtual) conferences or other professional development activities. Zach Frazier, a third-year graduate student in graphic design from Tulsa, Oklahoma, received Design Closet assistance to attend the Black in Design 2019 conference on "Black Futurism: Creating a More Equitable Future" at Harvard University Graduate School of Design last year.
"Seeing people from other design programs who look like me, doing the things I'm doing and caring about the same things, was really important. One of the speakers said we have to live in a Black present if we want to live in a Black future, which means we need to model it now," Zach says.
At the conference, Zach was able to network with key people doing similar research into African American under-representation in design and meet Black faculty from other institutions. He is interested in teaching at the university level and appreciates the contacts he made and the chance to discuss his own work. Thanks to your support of this year's Design Closet campaign, more students like Zach will have opportunities to participate in activities that expand their knowledge and help them gain recognition beyond the Iowa State campus.
Check back here for occasional updates on the impact of your support. We also accept in-kind donations of art and design materials and supplies any time throughout the year. Please contact Jordan Brooks, jwbrooks@iastate.edu, for more information. Thank you again!
Wow! Thanks to your generosity, we have met and exceeded our initial $2,000 goal! We are so grateful for this amazing response to the Design Closet project. Because we still have almost two weeks left in the campaign, we're hoping to boost our total to $2,500 and help even more of our students!
"Being in design, there are a lot of materials one has to purchase, and having had access to the Design Closet relieved a lot of stress about how much I was going to spend," says Kally Lara, a first-year student in our Core Design Program. Kally learned about the Design Closet while participating in the summer Academic Program for Excellence (APEX). She's thankful for the support she's received this semester, including a sketchbook, ruler and portfolio case to protect and carry her work.
"I have always had an interest in design, and Iowa State has a great program with such a welcoming community. I couldn't picture myself having gone to any other school to pursue my career in design," she says. A pre-landscape architecture major, Kally appreciates learning more about the other design majors through the Core and having access to resources like the Design Closet.
Kally shared her final drawing for her very first project in the Design Studies 102 studio this fall, and a photo of her setting up her "Place" project in the creek near the Memorial Union Parking Ramp on campus. She wants you to know how much your support means to her and her fellow students.
"I would like to thank the donors for helping us, especially during these uncertain times. It has made the transition to this new chapter in our lives easier knowing there are people who are willing to provide aid to us when we might not have anyone else to turn to," she says.
Will you share this opportunity with others in your network and help us achieve our extended goal? Thank you!
Thank you to all who have contributed to our Design Closet crowdfunding project so far! We're nearly halfway through the campaign and have reached 37% of our $2,000 goal. Can you help us get to 50%?
So far this academic year, the Design Closet has
Your support makes a huge impact on our students' ability to focus on their courses and projects by alleviating stress over how to obtain the supplies they need to succeed. Benjamin Sheckler, now a sophomore majoring in integrated studio arts, is one student who has benefited from the Design Closet:
"I learned about the Design Closet during my freshman year. It has been a great resource when I’ve needed help to complete projects. For example, I ran out of large-scale paper for Design Studies 131, and I was able to borrow a large sketchpad. I have used the Design Closet regularly since then, and I’m really grateful for the support," Benjamin says.
"I’ve been working on campus since I came to Iowa State to pay for tuition, groceries and course materials. Without help from the Design Closet, I would have had to work many more hours to be able to buy the required drawing and painting supplies I’ve needed for my classes. Instead, I’ve been able to concentrate on my studies, and I’ve been excelling in my courses. The Design Closet is important to students like me who need help to acquire the tools needed to succeed in the design programs."
We all create because we were inspired by someone or something in our lifetime. Thank you for being an inspiration!
Our students are on a journey of imagination. Your contribution will help them make their ideas a reality one collage, model, sculpture, drawing or video at a time!
When our students create, they all start with a draft – a preliminary sketch, a small-scale model, a rough outline — that serves as the foundation for that final, polished project. Sometimes they just need a few extra dollars for materials to start a project. Your $50 donation will purchase gift cards for students to buy materials at the Design Store. The Design Store is a branch of the Iowa State University Book Store on the second floor of the College of Design. They partner with us to distribute materials to students in the college.
Once they have a draft, our students learn to refine their work until it's the best reflection of their inspiration, imagination and skill. A gift at this level will provide supplies needed for the Design Studies 131: Design Representation class, which teaches methods of visual thinking and drawing as tools for creative problem solving, design development and visual communication. These supplies are essential for the first year, and students continue to use them in their degree programs.
After students have refined their projects to the best of their ability and made changes after critiques, they're ready to present their work. Donations at this level can provide a comprehensive package of needed supplies for the first-year Design Studies 102 and Design Studies 131 courses or help more advanced students prepare their professional portfolios for career fairs and interviews for jobs and internships.
As our students advance through their degree programs, they seek opportunities to participate in conferences, design competitions, internships and other professional development experiences. Financial barriers can make it difficult for some students to take advantage of these opportunities. Donations at this level will create professional development funds to help fill gaps in access to these experiences.
Our dream is to provide all College of Design students — regardless of financial need – with their required first-year supplies and access to professional development opportunities so they can focus on what matters: turning their creative ideas into reality and preparing for their future professions. Donations at this level will help us help more students and sustain the Design Closet for years to come!