By Gabriel Oliveros Jr.
For college students living on campus, the dorm is where the heart is, and on Wednesday over a hundred attendees gathered in the Otter Student Union (OSU) Ballroom to craft home goods at Room Sweet Room.
Due to unfortunate circumstances, the live performance from Chicano soul rock band Mystic Soul was canceled at the last minute.
“Compared to a lot of other events that I have seen and been to so far, I think this one is definitely our most chill and relaxing event,” said Outreach and Social Media specialist Yvonne Bantum. “It’s just kind of nice to see people come here to just sit, paint and make keychains, and just like enjoy each other’s company.”
Hosted by Student Housing and Residential Life, people of all ages were present in the OSU Ballroom, which included mostly students but also children, a few elders and even a dog. Three professional artists were also in attendance, teaching mini arts and crafts sessions to those present.
Activities included do-it-yourself decorations, painting, making fake stained glass, jellyfish keychains, suncatchers and more.
“My favorite part of the event was the painting … I made a flower with the Romanian flag on it,” said
second-year student Anthony Jackson. He mentioned he hasn’t been into arts and crafts since elementary school, as he is a communication design major with a concentration in gaming design. “Usually I wouldn’t be comfortable going to these events … but I figured let’s give it a try. So don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone brothers and sisters!”
Different photographers and other associates circulated the event assisting with questions and individual workshops. Fifteen large circular tables were laid out for people to get creative and work on something unique that they could take back to their rooms.
People were laughing, getting in the zone and overall contributing to the positive vibes that were in the air: a safe space for good music, a good crowd of people and creative minds all coming together.
Photos taken by Yvonne Bantum and Gabriel Oliveros Jr