Pepperdine’s Art Club is getting ready for a new year of creativity and community-building for students.
The executive board members discusses their plans for the club this year and their purpose on campus. President and sophomore Sarah Rietz, who is a staff artist on the Graphic, said the goal is to reach a broader spectrum of students compared to previous years.
“I really wanted to make art club even more impactful than it has been in the past,” Rietz said.
Rietz decided to become president of the club after enjoying the events last year. She said doing art helped her find her own voice growing up.
“I started in elementary and got really into it in high school,” Rietz said. “Art’s just really important to me.”
As secretary for the art club this year, junior Sophia Luo said she will be managing the social media and brainstorming ideas for club activities. Like Rietz, she applied to be an e-board member because of how important art is to her.
“I’ve come out to art club a couple of times last year,” Luo said. “It’s a wonderful way for people to express themselves.”
First-year Zachary Roach went to the first general meeting of year Sept. 22, which was his first time experiencing the art club.
“I like the freedom of creating art without guidelines or rubrics,” Roach said. “I don’t know anyone, so I’m hoping to get closer to everyone in the club this year.”
First-year Sadie Lovett said she loved the variety of supplies the club provided for students to use during the first meeting.
“There were canvases of every size, paints, pens, pencils, crayons and more,” Lovett said. “I loved that we walked in and immediately had the ability to create whatever we wanted.”
Sophomore Taylor Wilcox said she went to a handful of meetings last year and is looking forward to what the club has in store this year.
“Since it’s a smaller community at Pepperdine, it’s great just to hang out and do art with other people who enjoying doing the same thing,” Wilcox said.
In addition to the usual open painting and drawing sessions, Rietz and Luo said they want to broaden the art they’re doing this year by adding more activities. They’re planning a Taylor Swift listening party for the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) on Oct. 27 where members can make friendship bracelets.
A Christmas party and a grand art gala at the end of the academic year are in the works as well. They also plan to offer more volunteer opportunities, including making cards for children in hospitals and senior citizens.
“We’re really trying to broaden the art we’re doing,” Rietz said. “It can seem really intimidating, but we really want to make it clear that art’s not just that.”
Having an art club on campus allows a creative outlet for students to find community, de-stress, relax and mentally disassociate from academics and other responsibilities, Rietz and Luo said.
“Because college is such a stressful time, we want to provide a space for people to come and do art,” Luo said. “It doesn’t matter how good they are, it’s just for them to express themselves and do whatever they want in that time.”
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Email Timothy Gay: timothy.gay@pepperdine.edu
