Wonka Ball: WARHOL – Meet the Artists!
We couldn’t throw a Warhol-themed party without amazing art now could we?! We are flipping our silver wigs over here about the amazing artists we have lined up to create art LIVE at the event and will be sharing images and info about them here on our blog each week.
Stay tuned and make sure to grab your tickets so you can come see them do their thing in-person!
Edgewater Workbench
Edgewater Workbench is a community workshop/makerspace located on the northside of Chicago that offers affordable work space to support local artists and artisans. While they support all things handmade (selling locally made goods and offering classes in their space) one of their most unique specialties is 3D printing and laser cutting. Given his penchant for replicating everyday objects, we are sure that is Andy Warhol were alive today, he’d be all over the 3D printing trend!
Still a relatively new concept, 3D printing is one of those things that feels like it’s from the future…and if you are coming to Wonka Ball, you’ll get to see it happen in-person and even have the chance to walk away with an adorable, Warhol-inspired, 3D printed banana and/or soup can necklace like the ones pictures below! Read on to get to know the artists behind Edgewater Workbench.
Ally Brisbin, Business Development & Marketing
Ally Brisbin is a community activist and small business advocate who has lived in Edgewater since moving to Chicago in 2008. Ally started and co-owned Kitchen Sink, a specialty coffee and sandwich shop in Edgewater, for four years. During her time as a business owner, she was accepted to and graduated from the competitive Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. She was also one of 50 semi-finalists in the 2013 Scion Motivate contest for young entrepreneurs. In 2012, Ally co-founded Community Glue Workshop, a community repair collective focused on repairing, rather than replacing, broken and worn out possessions. Ally currently works at the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce as the Marketing and Events Coordinator.
Stuart Marsh, Operations & Design
Stuart Marsh is an artist and craftsperson. He grew up in a family of artists, spending much of his youth learning trades skills, including painting, carpentry, metalwork, and glassblowing.
After high school he moved to Chicago to pursue a career in animation. Stuart and his brother started a decorative finishes and painting company that allowed him to pay his way through Columbia College. After graduating with a degree in film and animation, he went on to an array of freelance jobs ranging from timelapse photography for the Discovery Channel to being the Director of Animation for an Independent Film Channel (IFC) pilot. His animation work can be found in the Rice Center at the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Field Museum’s Restoring Earth exhibit, and in D’agastino’s Pizza ads at Wrigley Field.
More recently, Stuart has delved into 3D printing. He has been a guest speaker in classes on the subject of design for 3D printing and its application to film at Columbia College and DePaul University. Stuart’s plans for a community 3D print center won ABSOLUT vodka’s “Transform Today” challenge, and Edgewater Workbench received funding from ABSOLUT for 3D printers, as well as business consultation from Wired Magazine and Makerbot Industries.