By: Stefany Olivas, Staff Reporter
The members of the Art Club are developing many projects to expand membership and further strengthen the group, said Fine Arts Studio major and Art Club President Alexander Casper.
The group offers workshops and instructional videos for painting with water colors and book making, he said.
“We want to let people know we’re here. We have a lot of resources to offer and we’re available for the members to utilize. We have the resources and you have the imagination. Let’s work together,” said Casper.
Students don’t have to be artists to join, and he said he wants to give all the members the opportunity to succeed.
The Art Club meets every Friday at noon. To join, students fill out a simple application and pay a fee of $5 for access to all activities and services for a lifelong membership, said Casper.
There are resources such as an art supply closet for members to use in the studio and a paper closet where they sell different kinds of paper at wholesale prices. These are available anytime during studio hours, said Casper.
“We want students to get their hands in the material and experience it,” he said.
Members can also bring in their own materials to work in the studio during studio hours, said Casper.
He said there are also life art drawing classes for members, where a nude model sits for about three hours every Sunday.
“Life drawing is good for any artist no matter what field they’re going into to understand anatomy,” he said.
Casper said he is planning summer activities such as raffles, art contests and street chalking around campus to raise awareness for the club.
Next year club members plan to get more involved with Galleries to host showings and have a stand at ComicCon to provide members the opportunity to showcase their art, said Casper.
Treasurer Debbie Foster envisions sub-committee chairs to help plan and run workshops presented by the club or individual members and she said anyone can come up with a workshop and plan it.
“There are openings and the sky is the limit. Someone was interested, we had the time and resources to plan it and order everything and it worked out,” Foster said.
The Art Club works with the school’s art department frequently and they share supplies, contributing to the success of the students and members, she said.
“We have the materials for people to use. That’s why it’s there — to use. I hate to see stuff get old then you can’t use it anymore,” said Foster.
Eventually an album of all the artists in the club will be created and he said some of their work will be published in the book which will be updated every year.
“I’m pretty jazzed about the whole thing. There is a new generation coming in who is hungry for these kinds of opportunities. I’m going where the community is telling me, and I feel like I can get it in the right direction,” he said.
There is a lot of support from the community and many companies already work with students and teachers in the art program, said Casper.
“We give them the framework and they can go for it. There is so much we can do. Art club should just be an extension of the growing community here and there is huge talent out there,” said Foster.
Students can submit two-dimensional artwork to be a part of a showcase catalog. The works may be displayed at the upcoming Albuquerque Comic Expo June 8 – 10. To submit files or for questions concerning the upcoming event email expo4cnm@yahoo.com
For more information about the Art Club, students can contact Casper at alexandercasper@gmail.com
