Hand-cut paper flowers, floating ghosts and glowing decorations bring this year’s Dark Market to life at Shop Columbia, where Columbia students are turning their interpretations of Halloween into artwork and storefront displays.
This year, Shop Columbia received more than 60 submissions and is featuring about 50 artists, whose work ranges from gothic imagery to colorful, creepy and cute designs.
The annual fall market features student-made illustrations, jewelry and other spooky season creations available for purchase.
For Chris Eliopoulos, an associate professor of instruction in the School of Visual Arts, Dark Market gives students the opportunity to create work for an audience beyond the classroom.
“It’s a great introduction to the idea that illustration isn’t just about making something you love, it’s also about communicating with an audience,” Eliopoulos said.
Dark Market began in 2019 and has grown into an annual showcase for student artists. Each year, the market takes on a different aesthetic, allowing artists to interpret the Halloween theme through their own staples rather than follow one specific look.
This year’s market leans into a brighter, cozier atmosphere. Colorful decorations and playful illustrations bring a softer side to the spooky season, while ghosts, mysterious buildings and gothic influences keep the Halloween theme present through the store.
Senior illustration student Lilly Sundsbak created this year’s shop image, featuring a character approaching a mysterious building surrounded by ghosts and pumpkins. Her illustration appears on promotional material and in the store’s front window.
Tracey Drobot Brouwer, Shop Columbia’s operations coordinator, said Sundsbak’s illustration stood out for its versatility, with individual elements that could be incorporated throughout the store.
The team translated details from the illustration into physical decorations, using hand cut paper flowers and twinkling lights to recreate the glowing flowers in Sundsbak’s artwork. Cutouts of a witch and floating ghosts hang from the ceiling, bringing the illustrated characters into the storefront.
Sundsbak designed her illustration with the market in mind, creating elements that could be incorporated into the displays and merchandise.
“I feel like I’ve never had my work as, like, a storefront,” Sundsbak said. “And so getting that outside view to people . . . is the coolest thing ever.”
Junior illustration major Ava Darnell also returned to Dark Market with artwork influenced by comic book artists, gothic styles and Monster High. Her work combines creepy imagery with cute characters, fitting the seasonal theme while maintaining her own artistic style.
“It’xs a really neat way that everyone can highlight their work that already is in line with Halloween and gothic art,” Darnell said. “I think it makes us easier to spot. As for those that don’t fit into that category, it’s cool that artists can work in their style that fits into that category.”
Senior illustration major Tiana Bass, who has worked at Shop Columbia since her sophomore year, helped prepare the market by tagging artwork, organizing consignment items and setting up decorations.
Bass said previous markets leaned more heavily into skeletons, bones and ghosts, while this year’s display uses bright colors and a more playful approach.
“Last year was very much more on the spookier side,” Bass said. “This year, it still is kind of the same, but it’s a little more cutesy.”
The Dark Market will be open through Nov. 5 at 619 S. Wabash Ave.
For Eliopoulos, the opportunity to see students’ work move beyond an assignment is one of the most rewarding parts of the showcase.
“There’s something so special about seeing a student realize that their work can exist beyond the classroom and connect with people they may never meet,” Eliopoulos said.
Editor’s Note: Lily Sundsbak, a senior illustration major, who designed the Dark Market shop logo, is an illustrator for the Chronicle.
Copy Edited by Mia Smith
