By Riddhi Dhingra

New media students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) organized an art market at the Sheldon and Tracy Levy Student Learning Centre on Oct. 27, where creativity evolved into entrepreneurship. Designed to showcase makers across programs, the popMatrix(); art market elevates the rising talent of students which are often overlooked in professional spaces.

Raven Zhang Liu, a fourth-year new media student and co-president of popMatrix(); said the market began in 2019 as a way to showcase the creativity of students in new media and turn their ideas into a profitable business. Over time, they received interest from students outside their program, so now it’s open to all programs in The Creative School.

The main goal, she said, is to give “an easy starting point to sell your creations,” because “it’s such a hard scene to get into.”

With a supportive environment, low table fees and workshops to help vendors navigate the vending scene, organizers aim to eliminate common barriers that first-time vendors face, said Zhang Liu.

“Normally, tables outside are $100 for a day whereas we have a very low starting fee. Depending on the venue, we usually [charge] free to $5,” she said.

The supportive culture is felt by participants who are taking their first steps to selling their handmade work at TMU. Emily Reign, a second-year professional communication student, is a vendor who specializes in handcrafted greeting cards. She began creating personal cards for her friends and family before she got the confidence to display them at a market.

Through selling greeting cards, she gets to feel like she’s part of people’s special occasions. “It makes me feel really nice when [customers] are like, ‘I’m getting this for my grandma’ or ‘my girlfriend’s really going to love this’,” she said.

While some vendors have just started selling their products, others have used popMatrix(); as a way to get by until they reach larger creative spaces. Trisha Anne Parco, a fourth-year new media student, is a vendor coordinator for popMatrix();. She is also the owner of kkaisu_ and was a vendor at popMatrix();. At kkaisu_, she creates fan-inspired trinkets such as keychains, stickers and prints.

“As an artist, I wanted to share my art with others…and popMatrix(); was the first time I was able to get the opportunity to do that,” said Parco.

She explained that vending can be very expensive, “especially for new artists, so popMatrix(); allowed me to do it with pretty low risk.”

A shared theme at popMatrix(); is that student creatives want to brighten people’s day and create a sense of community through their work.

Parco said, “I just want people to come by and look at my booth and feel a sense of joy and whimsy because I feel like that’s gone in the current state of the world.”

The collaborative team behind the market—combined with roles in marketing, finance, volunteer coordination, design and more—aims to help achieve those goals with guidance rather than pressure.

Zhang Liu said, “It’s so scary when you’re first starting to sell your art. You’re so afraid. We want to make sure it’s a welcoming space.”