The Otter Student Union (OSU) held the first Art All Over event on Feb. 22. Advertised as bringing in both student and local artists of all disciplines, as well as art-themed events, it delivered with a variety of artistic presentations in the main quad and Student Center.
Students were encouraged to display their art outside in a mock-gallery setting. Visual artist and second-year Lindsay Newey participated, providing a plethora of original art for passersby to view.
“I’m always looking for places to showcase my art, and this seemed like a good opportunity to,” Newey said. She describes her style as “on the edgier side,” best exemplified in her tarot card redesigns. Her art can be found on instagram under the handle @artforeasybreathing, where she sells finished pieces and takes commissions upon request.
One of the most notable attractions was a pancake art booth, from the pancake art company, Dancakes. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., students were able to request pancakes resembling anything from their pets to favorite video game characters. Pancake artist Jenny Harrison piped out her designs live, which attracted the attention of many community members. Event organizer and second-year Avalon Surrat thought it would be a fun and unique addition to the event.
“Cooking is definitely an art style, and they were really going to town with what they were doing today,” Surrat said.
From noon to 5 p.m., members of the OSU hosted an arts-and-crafts station in the student center. Those who dropped in had the opportunity to color pictures of otters, make otter sock puppets and design suncatchers. Fourth-year Lillian Gephart, who frequents arts-and-crafts events on campus, found the Art All Over crafts to be successful.
“I liked the variety of things … the middle of the semester is stressful, so having that opportunity to relax a little bit is nice,” Gephart said.
Because this is the first time OSU has hosted an Art All Over event, Surrat is looking for bigger and better things for next year, such as through utilizing the makerspace. “I feel like the crafts this year were well-received,” Surrat said.
In addition, the OSU wants to involve the music and theatre departments for live performances.
“I noticed that there hadn’t been any events so far that focused on art on campus,” Surrat said. “So I wanted to find a way to get that out there and to see how we can showcase different types of art.”
The next iteration of Art All Over is worth keeping an eye out for. “I think they should do it again,” Gephart said.