Penn’s OFF THE AIR

“OFF THE AIR’s goal is really to serve as an outlet for creative expression in a way that students don't often have at Penn.” – Joe Schwabacher, Class of 2024

March 28th, 2024 10:30pm — it’s OFF THE AIR’s fourth event. The DJ’s mixes thrum through the air, blends of art cover every corner, and visual projections color the two-story mannequin factory venue. Besides a shared reverence for art and fashion amongst the 300 attendees, every detail of the event holds a core theme — made by and for Penn students.

The Artists & Vendors

On the main floor, Penn students Mason Perry, Gabo Lopez, Dade Ogunmuyiwa, and Denis Coleman pump up the crowd with seamless mixes. Through an entrance on the side, the party scene transforms into a cozy room embellished with streetwear merch and hand-made jewelry. From the sounds to the sights, the event would not be made possible without the talent of its Penn creators and vendors.

Thalia Graeff, Class of 2026, showcased a beautiful display of hand-painted earrings made out of shrinky dinks. Using materials from her jewelry-making passions in high school and the design building’s printing resources, she laid out the curated earrings on top of stylishly arranged sheets of paper. Meanwhile, Tina Zhang, Class of 2025 and an aspiring jewelry designer, exhibited four statement necklaces on the venue’s namesake mannequins. Along with pieces from previous collections, she shared two new necklaces made especially for the event. Through thrifted pieces of metal, charms collected from antique stores, and experimental chains, each necklace’s carefully selected name alluded to a story. OFF THE AIR was a playground for musicians and artists alike to tap into their creative pursuits.

*“I didn’t have a display or earring holder… so I had to come up with a creative solution… [it] kinda became a display of my art rather than just selling jewelry.” – Thalia Graeff*

“So much of how necklaces are differentiated are how they lay on the neck. You can make anything into a loop, but can you make it sit well on the collar bone is the bigger question.” – Tina Zhang

As a whole, the event spotlighted Penn student’s unique creative pursuits. Joe Schwabacher, the last remaining co-founder studying at Penn and current Director for OFF THE AIR, remarks, “It’s cool to see everyone around you all coming from the same community. Maybe they’ve been placed around you the whole time and you never saw them before.”

So, how did OFF THE AIR begin?

“We got to throw a party with all our friends, make some art, and break even after all of that.” – Joe Schwabacher

To put it simply, the four OFF THE AIR founders sparked an idea and developed it into a vibrant spectacle. When coming into Penn’s Greek life culture, the founders felt the social norms at the parties limiting. Sanders Deutsch, Class of 2023 and former social chair at a Penn fraternity, says, “[OFF THE AIR] was sort of a push away from Greek life. I felt I was very involved [in Greek life] and I didn't really like the segmentation.” So, while looking for venues to host his fraternity, Sanders stumbled upon a pop-up shop on South Street. He along with the other founders shared an underlying idea and set out to test what could become of it. Gideon Tesfaye, another co-founder and Class of 2023, put out, “The biggest thing that me and my best friends wanted to do was throw an experience. I wouldn’t even call it a party, just an experience.”

After spontaneously contacting the pop-up shop manager, the creators worked on their own speciality to formulate, market, and execute the event. Sanders, who had taken an animation class at Penn, designed OFF THE AIR’s unique, DVD aesthetic visuals. Gideon, who played guitar on the side, organized music planning including speaker sourcing and DJs. Joe focused on logistics and accounting to actualize the event’s aesthetic and goals. Cole Fairchild, Class of 2023, created a painting side activity with laser cut tablets from the Venture Lab, originating the integration of arts and crafts into their events. Fueled by a restless determination, OFF THE AIR hosted their first event at the South Street pop-up shop in the Spring of 2022. The event carried around 65 attendees who danced to rap music, wore whatever they felt, and ventured through a display of clothing at the venue.

*A tile painting activity at OTA’s first event in 2022*

*OTA staff members preparing the canvas for the painting designated for their third event*

The Evolution of OTA

“It just got bigger and better” – Gideon

In the next three events, OFF THE AIR strived to maintain their core values of individualism, inclusivity, and artistic expression while forming ways to produce superior experience. For the most recent episode, Joe shared, “We're definitely throwing in a couple of new features. We're gonna offer some new clothing and DJs.”

However, with any popular event, exclusivity tethers the fine line between OFF THE AIR’s inclusive, un-Greek life approach and the integrity of their underground reputation. When asked about how they viewed this, Sanders states, “[OFF THE AIR is] inclusive, but also still exclusive. If you get a ticket early in advance, you’re not going to be prevented from coming. But if you’re gonna wait until it’s seen as a clout event, then you’re not necessarily gonna be able to come [as] tickets would sell out. The goal was really to make it inclusive to those who want to come — to those who resonated with the vision.” While a ticketed event places financial barriers, Joe explains how the prices’ primary purpose is to cover the cost of the event rather than a tool purposefully meant to be restrictive.

What’s next for OFF THE AIR?

“Express yourself without worrying about judgments from others because there will be people who find it interesting.” – Sanders Deutsch

As the founders take steps towards new beginnings outside of Penn, the future for OFF THE AIR remains unknown. They acknowledge the existence of similar unaffiliated events in the past and current OFF THE AIR staff members that may continue to run the event in the future.

When asked about the legacy they hope the events leave behind, the co-founders all had a shared hope that OFF THE AIR inspires more people to fearlessly embrace their true selves. Joe states, “Every opportunity to just create is a beautiful one. If anything, I hope [OFF THE AIR] encourages other people to be self starters, be brave, and be willing to just take that jump.”