Art and Commerce
Architecture students created a market to sell their creations and raise funds for stocking the students’ kitchen.
Crocheted stuffed animals, photography prints and handmade jewelry are all on display and for sale at Archi Market in Anderson Hall. First held Oct. 17, Archi Market now is a monthly market organized by the Rice Architecture Society where students can sell art, jewelry, clothes and more.
Archi Market coordinators Charlotte Cohen ’23, Valerie Elizondo ’24, Katherine Hui ’23 and Amber Wang ’24 said that they first started the marketplace as a fundraising effort to restock the architecture students’ kitchen.
“The idea of the Archi Market was partly born out of necessity because we saw the lack of access to healthy food for architecture students who might miss mealtimes because of long work periods,” said Elizondo. “It’s a good way to fundraise while also bringing people into Anderson Hall and sharing our art, hobbies and talents with the whole Rice community.”
Liliana Abramson ’24 sold tote bags, clay polymer earrings and prints at the November market. Abramson is taking a printmaking class this semester, where she found a passion for making linoleum prints. “In high school, I made and sold jewelry on Etsy. I missed the ability to create and share my creations with other people outside of my classes and immediate friends,” she said.
Joseph Hsu ’23, Peyton Chiang ’23, Theo Vadot ’23 and Jeff Xia ’23 sold custom ashtrays cast out of concrete. Their main motivation for making these trays was to use their creative side and work physically with something they cast, which is a process that they may not have the chance to do very often in school. “This was our first foray into making something that could be mass-produced and delving into the casting process,” said Hsu. “Selling them was just an added bonus, but most of it was for our own experimentation.”
In the future, the coordinators plan to continue holding Archi Markets every month and potentially expanding the market beyond the galleries to host a wider variety of sellers.
“Our main goals for the Archi Market are to connect the broader university to Anderson Hall, to showcase and support student art and talents, and to provide a space that can help elevate student entrepreneurship,” said Hui. “We hope to bring together the Rice community to share and support student creativity while also having fun meeting other vendors and attendees.”
— Mabel Tang ’23
Photos by Gustavo Raskosky