Art Club at William Jewell College has had a bit of a stall the last few years, mainly due to COVID-19, but 2022-23 president Claire Henry, a senior digital media communications major, wants to increase engagement. This year she hopes to cater more to the ‘art’ aspect of the club.

“Art Club didn’t have as much of a presence on campus purely because we were coming out of a really intensive pandemic,” Henry said. “COVID-19 quarantine and social guidelines made it very hard to meet frequently, which is something I know a lot of clubs are dealing with this year.”

Although Henry has not been in the art club cabinet, she has been extensively involved with the general art community at Jewell and the creative activity as a hobby and profession over the past few years.

“I was reached out to by the previous cabinet and they asked if I’d like to run,” Henry said.  “I thought it would be a great opportunity especially in regards to what I want to go into professionally, so I said ‘yes.’”

As a digital media communications major, Henry dedicated her career to graphic design and illustration. However, it was unforeseen as she preferred sculpting in high school.

“I was very sculpture-focused when I was in high school, but I knew that I wanted to go into digital art,” Henry said. “Digital art was something I was pretty unfamiliar with at first. I started practicing graphic design in Adobe Illustrator and I just fell in love with it. Now I’m designing pretty much every day. I don’t think there’s any other career that I’d ever be interested in.“

Now comfortable with her choice in career, Henry said she wants to share her knowledge and help out others in regards to art as a whole.

“My main goal is to [better] establish Art Club on campus and try to make sure that it has more of a presence,” Henry said. “This year, we are going to focus more on the artists that work in the Stocksdale Gallery. The art club will be responsible for greeting them, helping them display their artwork and going to the exhibition openings.”

Art Club is scheduled to meet every Wednesday evening from 6 to 8 p.m., with the first open meeting being Sept. 21. Henry invites and welcomes all students to share their feedback and suggestions.

“We’re going to talk about everybody’s wants and needs with the art club,” Henry said. “Since we do have a budget, we’re going to talk about what kind of materials people want to see and what projects people want to work on. I think that we’re going to try to have some rolling projects, too, so that not every week is a new project. Hopefully, we’ll be able to reflect what our members want out of our club. I want to encourage anyone who is interested in any type of visual arts to come check out the club.”

This year’s cabinet consists of Henry, the president; Vice President Garrett Washington, a sophomore theatre major; Treasurer Sarah Coupland, a senior theatre major; and Secretary Marquis William, a musical theatre major.

After coming back to campus this fall, it is more apparent than ever that what we need right now is to be able to connect with people about our experience this summer. Students need a place to express their thoughts and feelings in a time when they can feel more disconnected than ever. The William Jewell College Art Club has been doing their best to connect people and allow people to be themselves in this scary time.

Art Club has begun holding events on campus, and many of them have had a very positive reception. The Hilltop Monitor sat down with Isabel Warden, sophomore public relations major and president of the club, to talk about what they are doing to hold events and help build connections through art even through the COVID-19 precautions.

“Art Club is a judgement free place where people can express themselves,” said Warden.

Warden made it clear that Art Club is not about being great at art but more about self-expression and connecting with others.

“I suck at art – and I’m the president!” Warden said.

She then expressed that she wants anyone, regardless of ability, to feel free to come to any events or even to become an official member.

With 22 official members, Art Club is able to plan some fun events, and they meet every other week to come up with ideas. So far, the club has held three events. During their introductory Zoom meeting, everyone decorated name tags and got to know one another. You might remember that a few weeks ago, they also held an event called “Watercolor on the Quad,” where people could come and paint anything they wanted, judgment-free. This past week, they collaborated with RepresentASIAN on a Henna Tattoo event, giving out beautiful Henna drawings to anyone who came.

At all events, the attendance included official members, and people simply wanting to join in on the fun. The Henna event welcomed over 30 people who all came to get Henna drawings. Warden also said that the club is planning two different Halloween events in October.

“We welcome everyone regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. We are a welcoming group wanting to provide a relaxing time for people to do art,” said Warden.

If you are interested in becoming a member, Art Club meets every other Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Check @jewellartclub on Instagram for more information, or contact Isabel Warden at her school email.

Photos by Catherine Dema.

Sitting down with Becca Saffier, the founder of Art Club at William Jewell College, I find there’s more warmth to the new art club than I expected. Although helped by two unnamed Oxbridge students currently studying at Oxford this year, Saffier is the one who runs the club.

“More people showed up than I expected,” Saffier said, referencing the first meeting of the club, which occurred Feb. 6.

The unexpected attention was gratifying. The Art Club, founded both as a way to enjoy art – particularly for those who do not have time in their studies to take an arts course – and to facilitate artistic endeavors on campus after college-wide budget cuts resulted in the loss of Jewell’s art department last year

“It’s pretty flexible,” Saffier adds. With students leading busy lives, there is room for the meeting times to vary according to student interest levels and communication. Currently, the club meets every other Wednesday, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

The main goal of this artistic gathering appears to be somewhat therapeutic, a space where art is practiced and pursued without the restrictions of a classroom setting.

Saffier adds that there are no intended restrictions on artistic endeavors. Whatever type of art one is personally interested in is art welcomed by the club. I’d imagine this as a space where collaborations can occur, that this is a space designed to be both relaxing and inspiring.

“I hope to feature pieces of our art in Inscape,” Saffier said, noting that the club is not limited to recreational art. She also informs me that the club hopes to host an art show. It will feature pieces made by members within the club, should they wish to participate in the show.

Saffier hopes that this club will help keep art alive on Jewell’s campus. She also hopes that there will be first-years and sophomores willing to keep it alive, as she graduates in the spring.

The next meeting is in Brown Hall Feb. 20. If you’re interested, Saffier encourages you to stop by. Through their advisor’s personal interest, the club retains items previously owned by the art department – you are not necessarily required to bring your own supplies.