Supply Drop | 2023

Key Points

• A pop-up series centered on supplying artists with curated collections of art supplies, at no cost to the artist.
• In addition to materials each pop-up had a make-n-take activity: oragami Qubes from Eliza Redmann and a cyanotype workshop lead by Faith Reagin.
• Hosted at Art on the Fridge Festival, The Hayti Heritage Center's Juneteenth Celebration, and Pop Box Gallery's East Driver Street Residency.
• Delivered $2,000 of supplies to over 400 people.

Description

Supply Drop was a summer 2023 engagement by Constellation Collective (then DurmPAC) to broaden access to creative materials for young and emerging artists across Durham. The project took shape as a series of pop-up art supply giveaways at community cultural events, distributing over two hundred tote bags filled with curated art supplies and reaching more than four hundred people through direct engagement.

Each tote was assembled with materials provided at cost from local art supply store ArtPost, as well as materials purchased with support from the Durham Office on Youth. Constellation Collective prioritized supplies that invited open-ended creation like sketchbooks, illustrative tools, paints, sculptural materials, and textiles, encouraging recipients to explore new forms and methods.

Supply Drop appeared throughout the early summer at the Hayti Heritage Center’s Juneteenth Celebration, Art on the Fridge, and Pop Box Gallery’s Driver Street Residency. At each stop, the Collective’s table became a site of connection and curiosity, with hands on activities through Eliza Redmann's "Qube" make-n-take activity.

Through Supply Drop, Constellation Collective continued its commitment to accessibility and youth engagement within Durham’s creative ecosystem—bringing art supplies, conversation, and exploration directly into the spaces where culture was already thriving.

– Jett Pavlica

Acknowledgements

• City of Durham Office on Youth
• ArtPost Supplies and Studios
• Pop Box Gallery
• Eliza Redmann
• Faith Reagin