Two years ago, Jennifer Marsh, then a Syracuse University graduate student in art, covered every square inch of an abandoned Colvin Street gas station in colorful quilts. Marsh has since founded the International Fiber Collaborative, a nonprofit working to create projects that combine art and education, in Huntsville, Ala., where she now lives.

Marsh didn't have to look far for inspiration for her next project, "The Dream Rocket," as Huntsville is home to a 37-story-tall Saturn V space rocket replica.