Art-school cool

^{Photo: NICOLAUS CZARNECKI}

On-campus stores aren't usually epicenters of cutting-edge style. (Unless lanyards, sweatpants, and hoodies are your idea of haute couture.) But then, the Massachusetts College of Art and Design isn't your average institution of higher learning. Its new retail concept, MassArt Made (625 Huntington Avenue, Boston, 617.879.7407), is the first college-affiliated boutique in the Bay State to exclusively feature products made by students, faculty, alumni, and staff. "We want to be the place to find the latest thing, and really it's about showcasing the breadth of what MassArt has to offer," says Ginger Russell, creative director and manager of MassArt Made, which had its grand opening on April 12.

The store's shelves are already filled with jury-selected creations from more than 50 artists, and while MassArt Made stocks plenty of paintings, prints, and ceramics, we were especially impressed by its ample offerings for fashion fans. Picture elaborate rings made from repurposed electrical materials, bold tees that translate artists' works into street-wear staples, colorful handbags crafted from salvaged tarp, and eye-catching statement necklaces clasped with old dog leashes. They're all found in a sleek, modern space equipped for truly high-tech browsing: each artist's work is accompanied by a card with a QR code that, when scanned, triggers the store's audio system to play a short clip from an interview with the artist. "Customers really like to have a tangible connection to artists and their products, and the store really gives them that," says Russell. And that innovative set-up isn't the only tangible connection between artists and shoppers: 10 percent of the store's gross income goes directly to MassArt scholarships. But students benefit in other ways, too. As Russell explains, "The students are learning how to market themselves and what it's going to be like out in the real world."

In the coming months, expect the boutique to debut an online store at massartmade.com and continue to expand its already eclectic mix of media, jewelry, and art (we hear some cool home-décor pieces are on the way). "We want this art to become a part of people's everyday lives," says Russell. With stylish finds like these, that won't be a tough assignment at all.