Scott Cook, artist and Assistant Professor of Visual Communication at UT Arlington, is a proud papa. Again.
A year ago, Scott and his wife Adrienne Cook, also an artist and entrepreneur, welcomed their first child. Last month, the couple and several other UTA-affiliated artists brought to life a long-held brainchild that almost defies description. Together with Nancy Palmeri, David Diaz, Kacey Slone, and Temple Owen, Scott and Adrienne have launched Make Good, an interactive design studio and creator space in Downtown Arlington.
In addition to serving as studio space for its founders, Scott envisions Make Good filling a very important need: community-building.
“I grew up in a very small town, the kind of place where you have to make your own fun,” Scott said. “My family gave me all the tools I’d ever need. For as long as I can remember, I helped my dad build things, repair things, and re-purpose things.”
This homegrown combination of ingenuity and confidence became the foundation of Scott’s career as an internationally-shown studio artist, designer and educator. His artistic practice ranges broadly and includes printmaking, drawing, audio recording/performance, emerging technologies like digital fabrication, and beyond.
Scott also credits his upbringing with another important life lesson. “Not only did these experiences empower me with a set of skills,” he said, “but it taught me the power of broken-ness and reconstruction as a forum for community and place-building.”
Throughout his life and professional career, Scott has been drawn to create hubs for creative exploration where established and emerging artists can come and explore new ideas and media. Make Good is the capstone of them all.
Visit its membership-based Patreon website and you’ll see that the Make Good team describes itself as a “pseudo-private pseudo-public pseudo-sane DIY ‘venture.” Huh?
When you visit the studio, you’ll instantly get it. Within its four walls, Make Good is a hip, real-life SimCity, a small space packed (but not crowded) with nearly infinite functionality and resources to be whatever it needs to be for the people within it.
At times, Make Good serves as a private studio for the artist partners. At other times, Make Good is the global headquarters for Adrienne’s business ventures, including online shops Double Blind Surprise and Lookit. Because of Make Good’s incredibly flexible set-up, artists offer workshops in all kinds of media and aspiring makers can request special topics. There’s a peg-board wall that can serve as a gallery wall or pop-up retail shop. There’s a cozy, slightly elevated seating area that easily doubles as a stage. And whatever you do, ask to see the back room. Scott really outdid himself on that secret door.
Because whatever it is, Make Good is a place for discovery, and not just hidden rooms. It’s an authentic, organic place to discover talent, ideas and new ways to build connections, right here in Downtown Arlington.
About Downtown Arlington
Designated by the State of Texas as the Arlington Cultural District, Downtown Arlington is where creativity, authenticity, and hometown pride thrive and drive what’s next. Within its less than a two-mile radius, Downtown is home to a top tier public research university, prolific visual and performing artists and arts institutions, live entertainment, exciting NCAA and professional athletics, one-of-a-kind dining and retail, and a supportive business climate. Stay in the know by subscribing to our e-newsletter and by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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