Artist Bryce McCloud calls his pop-up installation Experimart “the only experimental retail store and museum this side of the Earth’s crust.” And since we can’t think of anything remotely analogous to this family-friendly attraction, which invites visitors to try new things, invest in kindness, see the world and make it better, we’re inclined to agree with the designation. Admission is free into the painstakingly hand-crafted emporium — part carnival fun house, part philosopher’s den — where guests can explore the manufacturing history of pencils, purchase curiosities from repurposed vending machines and design bespoke hand-pressed T-shirts with elements from the woodblock archive of McCloud’s letterpress print studio, Isle of Printing. For a suggested $5 donation, a guest can follow the interactive initiation and earn an experimenter’s ID badge by completing playful tasks, such as writing and mailing a postcard and building a tower of stuffed animals. Just go with it. This one-of-a-kind landmark may be hard to explain, but early data would suggest the experiment is a success. Follow @experi.mart on Instagram for pop-up hours and future plans.
Fridays and Saturdays through August at Building 10 in The Factory at Franklin
230 Franklin Road, Franklin
