Free costume-making sessions at Spark Innovation Studio elevated the creativity of Kent’s Halloween costumes.

Spark Innovation Studio helped students by providing access to advanced art tools like a 3D printer. The studio created the sessions to support students attending the Haunted Library costume party.

The sessions gave students and the general public knowledge of using art tools to create desirable costumes. The sessions started with a brief demonstration of costume fabrication techniques and followed with time to work. The studio staff encouraged attendees to bring their own supplies while Spark offered its tools and tips.

Hillary Kennedy, manager of Spark Innovation Studio, said this was the first year of implementing the sessions. She said the student staff came up with the idea to help people bring life to their creative costume ideas.

“Our students came up with the idea and I promoted it. They did all the prep work, decided what to create and what materials were needed,” she said.

Kennedy said students don’t think they have the means and space to work and create a costume. The Spark Innovation staff designed their costume-making sessions to do just that.

Brynn Cullings, a senior art education major, said the studio provided the sessions every Friday this month and she has attended every one. A new technique Cullings said she gained was using a heat gun on the foam.

The studio sessions offered assistance with costume making and props. Cullings said the Spark Innovation Studio offers a special advantage other studios don’t.

“Most of them are not entire costumes, but elements to a costume. We do have 3D printing which is something we can offer students that other places cannot, ” she said.

Ray Yang, a senior engineering major, graduated from University of North Carolina School of the Arts before attending Kent State. Yang weathered a foam Lifesaver prop as he helped make costumes at the session.

Yang said he enjoys working at Spark Innovation Studio to make people’s ideas become a reality.

“A lot of people come in here with ideas. I really like the process of making those ideas into an actual product.”

Contact Celetre Jones at [email protected].