UT’s Graphic Design Program Creates Exhibit for IKEA Tampa To Promote Sustainability

Published: April 18, 2024

In honor of Earth Month, graphic design students and faculty at The University of Tampa are collaborating with IKEA Tampa to create the first-ever art exhibition at the IKEA Tampa location (1103 N. 22nd Street) to highlight sustainability efforts. The exhibition opens tonight, April 18, and runs through Friday, May 3, 2024.

In honor of Earth Month, graphic design students and faculty at The University of Tampa are collaborating with IKEA Tampa to create the first-ever art exhibition at the IKEA Tampa location to highlight sustainability efforts. Photo by Maria Blokhina

The exhibition will be shown in two areas of the store: the Bayside Community Room on the second floor and the As-Is Department on the first floor.

The second-floor gallery is a project for the graphic design capstone course, which is taken by graduating seniors in the Department of Art and Design and taught by Assistant Professor Luciana Gassett. Participants were challenged with using the art forms of storytelling, illustration, information design and pattern design to express the importance of sustainability.

The first-floor gallery was created by Assistant Professor Maria Blokhina, who researches sustainability in design through the lens of fashion.

"It's a testament to the power of design to not only inspire but also to repurpose, granting unused materials a chance to shine anew on the canvas of art," said Gassett. "Maria Blokhina's project breathes new life into discarded fabrics, elevating them into captivating symbols of nature's splendor."

For more information, contact Gassett at [email protected] or (813) 257-3708.