Let’s face it – there aren’t that many clubs dedicated to community-based art on Main Campus.
This scarcity is what inspired junior art education major Samantha Davis to create a club that appeals to students interested in the arts.
Founded in the Fall 2008, the Art Education Club focuses on advocating for community arts, building awareness and assisting education and art majors who want to pursue art-related professions. Although the club targets art majors, students concentrating in any field are welcome to join.
“Art is a way to connect people,” Davis said.
She said the club is also a way “to build confidence and teach other disciplines like reading, writing and math.” As an education-based club, members aim to work with Philadelphia students.
Members said they want to inform and engage the Temple and Philadelphia communities about the importance of art.
“Philadelphia has so much to offer in art,” Davis said.
Since the Art Education Club is new, members are making themselves known through the events they host.
The club is involved in “Just Cause” month, a community service initiative that began March 18. Just Cause activities are designed to connect Temple students to the community. The Art Education Club will focus on community arts.
The club will be involved with COSACOSA art at large, Inc., a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization that funds community arts projects. On April 26, the Art Education Club plans to hold a Just Cause Silent Benefit Auction. The event’s proceeds will benefit COSACOSA. The club plans to raise money by auctioning artwork made by some of its members.
The city’s murals show how significant art is in Philadelphia, but the current budget crisis is forcing some schools to cut their art programs in order to reduce expenses.
Like any subject, art helps to structure a student through engagement and education, and students’ involvement in programs like the Art Education Club allows them to be productive in positive activities.
Earlier this month, the organization took part in a community arts day with 18 sixth graders from Visitation BVM Elementary. Club members were able to engage students in a dialogue about the significance of art.
The group also held a program on springtime and recycling, giving the elementary school students a chance to take junk and recreate it into artwork. Elementary students were also able to work on a clay artwork project, in which they molded clay to form leaves and decorated them. A teacher from Visitation BVM brought her students to the event because she said she wanted her students to participate in art projects outside of school.
The Art Education Club will make an appearance at Spring Fling tomorrow, where they will host a face-painting table.
Esther Akintoye can be reached at esther.akintoye@temple.edu.
I knew you could do it Sam. Congratulations.