The Gannon University Art Club has been established for three years and is looking to boost its enrollment with the start of the new semester.
The club currently has over 70 members on its Engage U page, but has around 15-20 dedicated members that attend weekly meetings and events.
Members gather together from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. every Friday for Art Happy Hour to participate in making a number of different crafts and projects.
Projects have included and will include canvas quote paintings, scrapbooking, glass work with mosaics and fused glass, sun prints and photo lab photography, jewelry making, papermaking, sculpture and clay ceramics, digital art workshops and screen printing.
For some of the past projects there have been guest artists who come in to assist the club members with the work.
Rachel Cunkleman was a guest artist who assisted the club with a jewelry master class.
For many Art Club members, Art Club is seen as a calm club and a place to create great art.
“It’s a nice way to relax and release stress at the end of the week,” freshman occupational therapy major Jessica Gaffney said.
Freshman physician assistant major Lydia Fennessy agrees that Art Club is a relaxing club.
“I just really like that it’s not stressful and you can just come and make art and have fun,” she said.
In addition to Art Happy Hour, Art Club provides other artsy opportunities through different travel trips.
The next trip is scheduled for Feb. 13 and is a trip to Buffalo to see the Blue Man Group at Shea’s Performing Arts Center.
The group attending the show will also stop at Albright Knox Museum before the performance.
The next trip that is being planed is for a visit to Falling Water, a house designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
One thing that Art Club is doing differently this semester is by incorporating community service.
The Art Club is working with Club Fit, a Gannon organization that is reaching out to help at risk adolescent girls at two local Erie high schools: Strong Vincent and East High.
The members will be working with the girls to make different crafts in hopes to inspire their creativity and artistry.
In addition to Club Fit, the Art Club is also promoting an art supply drive for refugee children who lack any sort of art or craft supplies.
New or gently used art supplies can be dropped off at the Schuster Gallery, Art Club meetings or at the Art Club table set up in the Waldron Campus Center during lunch hours.
Art Club President Colleen Cummings said her main goal is to provide a great environment for art creation and use art to serve the Erie area.
“I hope to not only get the Gannon Art Club name out into the Erie community, but also to show people that art can be very therapeutic and beneficial in everyday life,” Cummings said.
“Art helps people with the nature of experimenting, self-expression, relaxation, and potentially feeling a sense of accomplishment.”
“I hope the volunteer opportunities we have planned for this semester will help Art Club take off and be able to serve to more places in the community.”
Art Club Adviser Lori Steadman believes that Art Club is a great way to share new creative experiences with students.
“Art Club gives me an opportunity to engage my community in my passion for art,” she said.
“I look forward to encouraging aspiring young artists and art enthusiasts in their artistic interests.”
OLIVIA BURGER
[email protected]
