This pumpkin playfully emulates the world-famous Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture by artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen that is part of the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis. MURPHY NEWS PHOTO BY MCKAYL BARROWS.

U College of Design uses Halloween as way to challenge student creativity

By MCKAYL BARROWS/Murphy News Service

More than 40 pumpkins were put on display in front of Northrop Theater Thursday night for the first-annual “Not Jack” event hosted by the UMN College of Design.

Pairs of “interdisciplinary” students were asked to create and carve a pumpkin design that is unique to the design of a typical Jack-O-Lantern.

Students, parents and children gathered Thursday to view the creations and cast a vote for their favorite pumpkin design.

The contenders whose designs received the highest number of votes, will move on to the next round where their pumpkin creations will be presented at President Kaler’s annual Eastcliff Halloween Party on Friday Oct. 30. There, the final awards will be presented, one for “People’s Choice” and one for “Best of Show,” said an event organizer.

The participants selected to move on to the Eastcliff Halloween party received award medallions created by the UMN College of Design. The prize medallions serve as the remaining contenders’ “tickets” into the event.

University of Minnesota CSOM student and medallion winner, Tess Tourville, says she remembers carving pumpkins as a child and thought that this event would be fun and a chance to try something new. Tourville and her pumpkin-carving teammate came up with the Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture design for their pumpkin by brainstorming ideas that were local, fun and seasonal.

Reporter McKayl Barrows is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.