CCA Presents Super Pop-Up Shop at Alameda Towne Centre

CCA MFA student artists will present the special storefront project Super Pop-Up Shop at the newly remodeled Alameda Towne Center November 22 through December 6, 2009. The grand opening will take place Sunday, November 22, from noon–5 p.m.

The artists are painters, sculptors, photographers, filmmakers, writers, designers, and conceptual artists from CCA's graduate programs in Fine Arts, Design, and Writing. They will present an array of entertaining, interactive artworks, many of them created specifically for the store in which the project appears. Some of the projects will generate donations to the Alameda Food Bank and other local charities.

"It's exciting to create a buzz in the Alameda community," says student artist Hannah Ireland. "Shoppers and merchants are genuinely curious about what's going to pop up in these spaces. Many people have approached us and told us it's refreshing to have us working here."

The premise is based on the recent phenomenon of the pop-up shop, a deliberately short-lived retail space that appears unannounced, quickly draws in crowds, and then disappears or morphs into something else.

At Super Pop-Up Shop, the public can:

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Test drive prototype kid-size shopping carts assembled from recycled materials
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Give a can to the Alameda Food Bank in exchange for a unique handmade porcelain cup
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Learn a new step in a dance swap, in which experts and participants from the community share their favorite moves
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Download the latest tracks by new dance music sensation Chu Cha Santamaria y Usted
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Participate in a scavenger hunt through Alameda Towne Centre’s diverse merchants and landscaped grounds
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Make a sugar-frosted holiday yule log out of a real log
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Tell stories of memorable shopping experiences from yesterday and today
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Help tell the tale of the mysterious, mythical zombie spotted in the mall

The participating artists are Zarouhie Abdalian, Alex Beckman, Sofia Cordova, Adeleine Daysor, Jay Dion, Hannah Ireland, Dorathy Lye, Brad Menninga, Rebecca Ora, George Pfau, Alex Vikmanis, and Jana Willinger. They developed their works under CCA faculty project leaders Rebeca Bollinger and Glen Helfand.

For images, interview requests, and further information, please contact Glen Helfand (ghelfand [at] cca.edu) or George Pfau (gpfauiii [at] cca.edu).