Mainframe Studios | 05/01/2023

First Friday Open Studios night at Mainframe debuts No Coast Trouble Club!

A collective of local artists working in the growing designer toy scene have come together to share their collectible creations with the public for an exhibition titled "Hello My Name Is." 

The No Coast Trouble Club includes BayKidDead (Beau Scott), Heather Hyatt (Owlberry Lane), Kyle Kirwan, and Kyle Thye. Their debut exhibition titled Hello My Name Is happens in Mainframe's 4th Floor Gallery, with its kick off during First Friday Open Studios event from 5:00-8:00 p.m. on May 5, 2023. The show will be on view through May 31st. 

Also known as art toys, designer toys are collectible figurines that are either self-produced or made by small, independent toy companies, typically in very limited editions. Artists use a variety of materials, such as ABS plastic, vinyl, wood, metal, latex, plush, and resin.

Collectors acquire toys in different styles and materials from a variety of creators. Artists of the No Coast Trouble Club each work in different realms of the larger designer toy scene. Their Hello My Name Is displays everything from original characters to customized platform toys to showcase how a well-informed designer toy collection might look like. 

About the artists:

• BayKidDead AKA Beau Scott sculpts, creates and casts original kaiju monsters in resin and designs papercraft creatures.

• Heather Hyatt is a sculptor making original fantasy creatures with handmade glass eyes under the moniker Owlberry Lane. She also customizes platform toys in her own unique style.

• Kyle Kirwan is a sculptor and painter who has had releases with KidRobot and Clutter and is currently focusing on Bloomville Town, a world occupied by his original creation: The Bloom.

• Kyle Thye designs and builds original characters and is a graphic designer and artist who designed the Phantom Outhouse for OMFG Series 1 by October Toys.

About Mainframe Studios

Mainframe Studios is located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, and is the largest nonprofit art studio building in the nation. As a financially self-sustaining organization it provides affordable workspace to advance equity and opportunities in the arts. Its monthly themed First Friday Open Studios events are free and open to the public, attracting over 1100 visitors each time. Attendees experience the extensive variety of artistic talent, local culture and forms of creative expression that exists in Central Iowa. Learn more at mainframestudios.org and on social media @mainframearts.