No art major — not even a sketchbook — is necessary to belong here. That is the idea behind Bulldog Art Club (BART), a student organization where any skill level can gather to create without pressure. The club’s mission is to provide a place that celebrates visual arts on and around campus, nurturing an imaginative culture among students.
BART meets weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Jordan College Annex. Days are often consistently split, with themed activities early in the week and open studios to ease into the weekend.
Since the club’s callout this year, events have donned a range of looks: vision boards, live “photobooth” drawings and magnet-making, to name a few. Their first event of the academic year, a Scrap and Yap, ended with over a dozen newly-designed bookmarks, posters and collages.
Junior software engineering major Heather Stutz is the current president of BART. Stutz described the visions behind meetings.
“We want an excuse to set a time aside to do art, and I know other people do too, especially because [many students] are in very demanding majors,” Stutz said. “… Having some predetermined time to be able to just go — no studying — create and hang out with friends is one of the best things about it.”
This is only BART’s second year as a student organization. Originally named Blueprint, a rebranding took place over the summer, with a number of smaller improvements following.
Maggie Phelan, a junior elementary education major and vice president of BART, spoke about these changes.
“Last year we were figuring out if people were even interested in something like this, so we didn’t push it as much as we could,” Phelan said. “This year, Block Party and advertising on Instagram brought a lot of attraction to freshmen and new students.”
Phelan emphasized social media as one of the clearest signs of this growth.
“Someone made a painting [during] open studio,” Phelan said. “The next meeting, they came back [saying], ‘I can’t believe you guys posted that [on Instagram]!’ It was funny, and they loved it.”
That kind of enthusiasm is echoed by newer members too. Jason Presnell, a first-year respiratory therapy major, has attended many BART studio nights. Despite not identifying deeply as an artist, he finds a lot of fulfillment through his involvement.
“I think I’ve been getting better just by going,” Presnell said. “… I’m not really a painter, but ever since I have been going there, I’ve done a painting. They’re hanging on my wall right now. Hopefully by the time sophomore year starts, I’ll have a whole bunch all over my walls.”
Picture a typical night of BART: some reach for ready-to-go supplies, ideas already formed, while others hang back to relax with friends. A blend of paces and conversations form the room’s ambiance. Movies or shows — this year’s “Dancing with the Stars” has become a recurring Tuesday theme — provide something else to enjoy without taking away from the works in progress.
For Phelan, the vibrant assortment of personality, craft and pace make the club distinctive. She described one art medium believed to best encapsulate BART.
“Everyone is bringing in different talents and skills and materials and vibes,” Phelan said. “Everyone is making something different, and everyone is collaborating together. So [our vibe] would have to be some huge mixed-media mural.”
Stutz echoed this collaborative identity in her own description of what art medium captures BART.
“Our [club’s vibe] is a collage,” said Stutz. “[It shows] we don’t have one true kind of identity. Everyone has space to do art.”
The club plans to expand its presence throughout the fall. An upcoming event is their Halloween gallery, where students can purchase BART member-made projects, arts and crafts. Members have the opportunity to share their passions for profit, be it jewelry, tailoring, visual art, sculptures or more.
Students interested in keeping up with BART can follow @bulldog.artclub on Instagram.