Post Date: 01/17/2018 4:30 PM

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki is pleased to share the following news release concerning the new partnership between the Delaware College of Art and Design (DCAD) NexFab makerspace, which will further enhance the City’s Downtown Creative District.

WILMINGTON, Del. (Jan. 17, 2018) – Mayor Michael Purzycki and officials from the Wilmington Renaissance Corp./Creative District Wilmington, the Delaware College of Art and Design and NextFab makerspaces celebrated the launch of a partnership between DCAD and NextFab during a brief event at NextFab’s Tatnall Street headquarters on Wednesday.

DCAD (dcad.edu) is Delaware’s first and only independent professional art and design college, currently offering the associate of fine arts degree in animation, fine arts, graphic design, illustration, interior design and photography, as well as an anchor institution in the revitalization of downtown Wilmington. NextFab makerspaces (nextfab.com), with three locations in the Mid-Atlantic Region, provide access to tools, technology, education, events, consulting and capital for makers of any skill level.

The DCAD/NextFab collaboration aims to enhance DCAD’s programs of study, increase NextFab’s footprint on the city’s Creative District and further the redevelopment of Wilmington’s downtown. The first phase provides NextFab memberships to all DCAD faculty to help them develop ways of integrating the latest in technology and artistic innovation into DCAD’s curricula while furthering their own development as artists. Subsequent phases will include field trips to NextFab for students to use the state‐of‐the‐art equipment, software and instruction to complete class projects and provision of NextFab memberships to all degree-program students.

Remarks by Mayor Purzycki and Carrie Gray of the Wilmington Renaissance Corp./Creative District Wilmington focused on the strength that such collaborations bring to the city’s revitalization efforts. They also emphasized how partnerships such as these attract new audiences to Wilmington.

John Hawkins, president of DCAD, noted the impact that activity involving NextFab will have on both the curriculum and the academic experience of DCAD students. This impact includes the chance to work an environment characteristic of a contemporary art and design practice; exposure to new and evolving technologies that can be applied to visual arts and design work; and involvement with a wider network of professional artists and designers.

Eric Kaplan, NextFab’s director of sales and marketing, agreed. “With this partnership, we'll be able to provide students of DCAD each year with increased access to advanced tools such as CNC machines and 3D printers, as well as expert training from our technical staff,” Kaplan said. “We're hopeful that we can continue to play a role in exploring ways of integrating technology and innovation with DCAD’s creative curriculum in the future.”

Following the speaker remarks, attendees toured the makerspace and watched demonstrations of its artistic and technological amenities in action. They also received a custom picture frame created by NextFab and containing prints of DCAD student works.

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News and information from the Office of Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki

John Rago

Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Communications

Mobile: (302) 420-7928

Email: jrago@WilmingtonDE.gov



Paul Ford Jr.

Communications Specialist

Mobile: (302) 530-2171

Email: plford@WilmingtonDE.gov



Dan Sanchez

Digital & Social Media Manager

Mobile: (302) 605-0026

Email: dsanchez@WilmingtonDE.gov