Thursday Night Thing Debuts Product Porch

There’s art therapy and then there’s retail therapy. Two different worlds. Both very vital to health and prosperity. Product Porch, a unique pop-up store, opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego for 6-months of experimentation in design and creative retail.

Thursday Night Thing, renowned for unveiling inspiring exhibits at MCASD to a younger and hip-with-the-art crowd, is bringing Product Porch to this month’s affairs. The upcoming TNT will be held on August 4th from 7 to 10pm, which coincides quite nicely with the grand opening of the Product Porch retail.

What sorts of eclectic and intriguing treasures will you uncover? Local and national designers are selling a little bit of everything, including hand-made accessories, functional objects, and furniture made by a new generation of creative talents. You might come home with a Pedestal Side Table by FERN, Rope Know Bracelets by Tanya Aguiñiga, or silk scarves by Sarah Crowner.

Aside from getting a first glance and opportunity to purchase the functional creations from the artists themselves, guests at TNT can come ready for some party blended into the well-established art scene. Titled TNT: Emerge, attendees can enjoy a few cocktails, art-making activities, artist talks, and live music by San Diego Music Award nominees. Yes, TNT understands your need to dance. Live music from Republic of Letters and The Nervous Wreckords on the North Plaza, and DJ Skyler Mic and DJ 88:88 spin beats in the Farrell Gallery to pump up the porch all night. More captivating art from new exhibits will also be on display, stemming from the creative minds of artists Larry Bell, Mary Corse, and James Turrell, whose work will officially be installed in Phenomenal California Light, Space, Surface on September 25th. For some personal indulgence while at TNT, hair design will be working the corners of the Jacobs Building with stylists from Bellus Academy, Bay Vista Campus.

The design and creative retail outlet is a new collaboration between MCASD and design retailers Brooks Hudson Thomas and Blaire Dessent. The “porch” will occupy a portion of the Museum, with continually rotating merchandise along with a series of interactive programs inspired by the exhibition. Brooks operates a Los Angeles-based storefront project called Specific Merchandise, a one-of-a-kind shop offering artist-made furniture, editions, antiques, and artwork. Paris-based Blaire Dessent runs an online boutique called Vitrine which presents artists’ editions, housewares, and personal accessories by artists and designers from Europe and the United States.

Among the artists and designers to be included in the shop are Jason Meadows, Brendan Ravenhill, Fern, Sarah Crowner,  Dino Sanchez,  Smockshop, Tanya Aguiñiga, todosomething, Soledad Proaño, Welcome, Workstead, Kimmel Kids, Makelike, and more. Product Porch will be open during standard Museum hours until January 22nd, from 11am to 5pm daily; closed Wednesdays. Open until 7 PM the third Thursday of every month.

TNT: Emerge brings Product Porch to fruition on August 4th, from 7-10pm at MCASD Downtown. Tickets are free for members, $8 for students and $10 general admission. Find out more online.

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