Find the next masterpiece before it becomes famous at the Future Cats Market, a community sale hosted by the University of Arizona featuring a selection of handmade goods from local elementary, middle and high school entrepreneurs. 

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The market runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 17, at the headquarters of the Historic Fourth Avenue Coalition, located at 311 E. Seventh Street. 

The event is hosted by Student-Made Arizona, an online marketplace that provides U of A students with a centralized storefront to promote their businesses. The program is operated by the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship within the Eller College of Management.

Leading the project is Hannah Contardi, a junior studying retailing and consumer science in the College of Life, Agriculture & Environmental Sciences and the events and partnerships manager for Student-Made Arizona. In that role, she coordinates with markets throughout the Tucson region to host pop-ups for Student-Made vendors.

"Student-Made may be targeted towards college students, but I know there are a lot of other young people out there who are creative, too," Contardi said. "I wanted to provide a catalyst for their creative energy, and this market seemed like the perfect way to do that. Art is such a wonderful thing but knowing that people think your art is good enough to pay for is a phenomenal feeling."

Contardi developed the Future Cats Market alongside Johnny Carillo, the coalition's resident artist. The duo first met ahead of last year's Made in Tucson Market, an annual outdoor event hosted by the coalition to showcase and celebrate the city's creative community.

In preparation for the Made in Tucson Market, Carillo, Contardi and other Student-Made Arizona students designed and created merchandise for the event and later showcased their own products. Contardi described the experience as invaluable "because it offered first‑hand insight into effective product merchandising and customer engagement."

Now preparing for the Future Cats Market, Contardi has vetted and approved 40 vendors, who will sell mostly prints, drawings, stickers and jewelry. The event will also feature a live DJ and food truck.

Supporting future entrepreneurs

Student-Made Arizona launched in 2024 as more than a marketplace for entrepreneurial Wildcats. The program also supports students through mentorship and networking opportunities.

Julie Barbier Bularzik, venture development education coordinator for the McGuire Center, said the upcoming Future Cats Market exemplifies how Student‑Made Arizona not only teaches participants the finer points of business but also creates opportunities for them to give back to the community.

"We are dedicated to providing opportunities for students to experiment and innovate while learning valuable leadership skills, and we strive to cultivate an environment where innovation thrives, responsible leadership flourishes, and entrepreneurship becomes a powerful force for positive change across society-at-large," Barbier Bularzik said. "I love setting students up for success and then letting them drive. When you set clear expectations and goals in partnership with students, they have the ability to make it their own."