Community arts specialist Jennifer Drinkwater has created a new guide that walks communities through planning and executing a “pop-up” event.
Pop-up events are temporary, unexpected public events that bring people together for a variety of purposes, such as highlighting a local asset, addressing or bringing attention to an issue, testing a new project or simply celebrating. In addition, pop-ups provide opportunities to build connections and enhance the quality of life in your community, noted Drinkwater, who also is an associate professor in art and visual culture in Iowa State University’s College of Design.
The guide, titled “Pop-up! A Toolkit for (fun, invigorating, life-affirming) Temporary Experiences,” is the fourth in a series of community engagement toolkits from Drinkwater, all of which are available as free downloads from the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach online store.
“Pop-up!” guides users step by step from start to finish and includes the benefits of pop-up events, an overview of material and space needs, community engagement and funding strategies, evaluation methods and many thought-provoking project examples.
The underlying theme of Drinkwater’s work is that there is more to creative community collaborations than the final product itself.
“The point of it in disguise is to encourage community bridging among diverse folks,” said Drinkwater, who is also the curator of the What’s Good Project, a website where she shares “meaningful stories from where we live” through painting.
While Drinkwater’s three earlier publications are geared toward art projects, “Pop-up!” takes a more general approach.
“I tried to write this [toolkit] in a more inclusive way that’s not so art focused. So really, it’s applicable for any kind of one-off, fun gathering,” Drinkwater said. “It doesn’t have to be art related; it could be cultural.”
Drinkwater’s other publications are also available for free download through ISU Extension and Outreach. “POW: A Plan of Work Template for Creative Community Projects” offers guidelines for planning goals, tasks and budgets for a project, and tracking project success. The “Community Mural Toolkit” and “Yarn Bomb! A Toolkit for Community Fiber Projects” are sources for sparking ideas for a pop-up event.
