With around 200 clubs and organizations, Stevens has many different areas of interest for students to explore. One club remaining active is the Art Installations Club where students can express their creativity, immerse themselves with their peers, and take a break from their homework to sit back and have fun. Students of any art level can join the club which is less focused on creating perfect art, and more focused on having fun, de-stressing, and being with peers. The club is run by President Amanda Schmitt, along with Vice President Zuting Chen, Treasurer Ian Pulver, and Secretary Usakarn Anantasub.
On September 9, the club held a welcome back General Body Meeting for a creative event and to reintroduce having in-person meetings to students. According to Schmitt, “Art Club has never seen attendance like that before and it proved to be an exciting start to the semester,” when they purchased 48 mason jars for a project and ran out of supplies immediately.
On September 22, the club hosted a new event called “Random Outdoor Paint Day,” which Schmitt claimed was a joke name at first, but then it stuck. They prepared mason jars, flower pots, rubber ducks, tote bags, various sizes of canvases, and wooden slabs for students to paint. Due to inclimate weather conditions, they moved the event into the Babbio Atrium and the students had the option to paint on table cloths as well. Schmitt said, “It was a great success and it looked like everyone had a ton of fun.” Isabela Allen, a freshman who attended the event, said, “I had so much fun at the painting event! I painted a tote bag and a tiny flower pot. It was a really nice way to relax and just be creative. I loved it!”
On October 6, the club held their first in-person “Art Therapy Night,” an event they originally created during the pandemic. Schmitt explained, “Art Therapy Night was an initiative created in 2020 to bring a new educational and de-stressing event to campus. A practice was taught by a professional from the New York Creative Art Therapists. It focused on stress management and embracing the creative process. The event was added to the schedule of #StigmaFreeStevens events and had over 80 attendees in total.”
Furthermore, a Mask Tie-Dyeing event occurred on October 13 in Babbio, where students had the opportunity to create their own colorful masks. The goal of the event was to encourage mask wearing around campus while also making masks visually appealing and fun to wear.
Upcoming events for the Art Installations Club include “Vision Board Crafting” which was rescheduled for October 21 and is being hosted by both the Art Installations Club and Stevens Women in Business, along with “Bob Ross Night” on November 19. They will also be hosting a polymer clay event at some time in between these events.
Art Installations Club has been a way for students to decompress in a creative, amusing, and immersive way. Schmitt claims, “My goal as president of Art Installations Club is to bring events to campus that allow students to unwind and play around with art supplies. We spend all day learning new things in school and need time to express ourselves and simply create something. It’s not about being the best artist in the room, it’s about taking an hour or two for yourself to have fun. I have a fantastic e-board and we all have great ideas for our future. Keep an eye out for digital art classes, a return to museum trips, new art club stickers, and more items to paint on.”
For more information and to stay up to date on any of their events, students can check DuckLink and follow their Instagram @stevens.artclub. They can additionally be reached by directing any questions to their email, artclub@stevens.edu or by contacting any of their board members.
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