World Art Day event brings campus together
Students, faculty and staff stepped away from their routines and picked up their crayons and tapped into their inner artist April 15.
Lamar University’s Gray Library held a banner coloring event in the Setzer Student Center Atrium to commemorate World Art Day. From noon to 2 p.m., members of the Cardinal community gathered around a long paper banner, adding doodles, affirmations and creative designs in a relaxed, come-and-go atmosphere.
The event, open to all students, faculty and staff, provided a refreshing moment of creativity and connection, Jeri Wolfe, Gray Library graduate assistant, said.
“Some students like to thank us. It’s like, ‘Thank you for allowing me to step away from everything for a moment just to, like, draw something,’” Wolfe said.
The Port Arthur native said she has seen firsthand the impact small creative events can have.
“We’ve got some really cute doodles where they’ll sit the entire time and start drawing,” Wolfe said. “It’s just that they can take a break.”
In previous World Art Day events, the banner has been displayed inside the library. But with ongoing construction, the team looked for new ways to showcase the finished work.
“We usually hang it up somewhere in the library,” Wolfe said. “But we’ll have to compromise where we put it this year.”
Wolfe said the library has several more events scheduled before the end of the semester.
“Soon, we have our ‘De-stress Before the Test’ event where you can grab a coloring sheet and some snacks, which is kind of art-related,” she said.
Ameona Carey, graphic design technology major at Lamar Institute of Technology, said the event offered a perfect outlet for self-expression.
“It’s the way I express myself,” Carey said. “I can use captivating images to bring a message that I’m trying to convey. A picture is a thousand words — a drawing, to me, is a thousand words.”
Campbell Fuller, Lumberton biology pre-med major with minors in chemistry and business, echoed Carey’s sentiment.
“I love a good de-stress event,” he said. “I’m a big art guy. I’m not formally trained in art, but (I take) any chance I get to do it for fun.”
Fuller emphasized the community aspect of the event.
“It’s cool to see all the different interests that students put on last year’s banner, then come together to do it for a new one,” he said. “Just a banner might not seem so important, but the act of having something to look back on and de-stressing together as a student body — that is important.”
Fuller said seeing events like the banner event helps create a sense of connection.
“I think having events going on in the Setzer Center, whether it’s this or anything else, is a good thing — just to see friendly faces and get to know people,” he said. “Like, I wouldn’t have seen you out here today if y’all weren’t doing this.”
As colorful sketches and affirming words filled the banner, the spirit of World Art Day was felt in every crayon stroke — reminding everyone that creativity, in any form, is a powerful way to connect, reflect and recharge.
The “De-stress Before the Test” event is scheduled for noon to 2 p.m., May 13 in the Setzer Student Center.
