Grand Valley State University’s Mary Idema Pew Library hosted its first weekly Cosplay Makers’ Circle on Sept. 3. The Makers’ Circle is a crafting activity organized by the Student Interest Group for Illustration (SIGIL), and is designed to unite students interested in costume creation and design.
Cosplay Maker’s Circle is a lead-up to Laker Con, GVSU’s annual celebration of comic literacy and the scholarly merits of sequential storytelling. This year’s convention, held Sept. 27-29 in the Mary Idema Pew Library, will feature a range of activities, including a cosplay contest with prizes.
“We thought it would be a fun event for students to work on costume projects together up until the cosplay contest at Laker Con,” said Kri Hackos, SIGIL financial officer and executive committee member for Laker Con.
Cosplay Makers’ Circle offers a creative space for students to work on their costume projects, exchange ideas and gain inspiration. On Sept. 3, attendees worked on leatherworking, chainmail, bullet journaling, beading and illustration. Crafts were created with some hands-on guidance from University Libraries Programs and Outreach Manager Stacey Burns.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own projects or take advantage of free supplies provided by the GVSU Art Gallery, Atomic Object Technology Showcase and the Digital Creator Lab. The gallery is offering free “deely bopper” headbands and resources for creating costume sketches inspired by the gallery’s collection. The University’s library is also offering supplies for fiber arts, such as crochet and knitting, along with access to sewing and embroidery machines. In terms of digital media, the Atomic Object Technology Showcase can equip artists with any technology showcasing needs, and students may also experiment with tools and technologies from the Digital Creator Lab, which provides access to podcasting, vlogging, video editing software and Adobe applications.
“Students, especially (freshmen), have so many passions and interests, and Cosplay Maker’s Circle attempta to give passionate students a space to express their creativity and make new friends,” Hackos said. “Students can benefit from each other, and from Stacey, who is so knowledgeable about sewing machines (and) headband projects.”
Laker Con will also host panels and presentations that celebrate and explore comics, as well as an artist market to showcase creations and offer items for sale. In addition, the convention will include activities and programs for making zines, screenings of comics-themed movies, portfolio reviews and discussions on the business of comics.
There will be many presenters at the Laker Con, such as acclaimed comic artist Brian Stelfreeze. Stelfreeze has worked for nearly every major U.S. comic publisher, and has created illustrations for DC Comics’ “Batman: Shadow of the Bat.” In addition, he was nominated for an Eisner award for his artwork in the 2016 revival of Marvel’s “Black Panther.”
Meanwhile, as the convention approaches, Cosplay Maker’s Circle will continue to encourage creativity, camaraderie and innovation in preparation for GVSU’s comic celebration.
