Barrett Student Services puts on DIY Art Nights twice a semester as a way to alleviate stress for overworked students.
Tuesday's DIY Art Night event was the second of the semester, at the Barrett Student Center at Vista Del Sol embraced the trend of galaxy art. Students painted groovy colors on canvases to depict far-off galaxies and chatted with fellow students, a reprieve from their usual rigorous course load.
The events are meant to help students relax and create a sense of community.
“I think it just helps as a really good de-stresser,” social media student assistant marketing and journalism student Manali Chavan said. “I think we’ve found that especially have them late at night allows for this opportunity to take a break from class or work or whatever they’re doing during the day.”
The event is free and open to Barrett students from any campus. All the supplies are provided for the students.
The average Barrett student has extra classes (like The Human Event), a certain amount of honors credits that they are required to take, and a thesis to complete by graduation. The extra work creates a more rigorous schedule for each student and can make some Barrett students feel as though they have a lot more going on than other students.
“I mean obviously there’s no way for me to know for sure but when I talk to other people it seems like they’re just coasting even though I’m like crying on the inside,” Emily Orlandini, a sophomore marketing major, said. “I definitely think Barrett students have a lot more on their plate than non-Barrett students.”
The event also gives students a chance to do things they might not try on their own.
“If it weren’t for these events I wouldn’t be doing things like this,” Orlandini said. “It takes away from all of the work we have to do and gives us an opportunity to do things that I wouldn’t do myself, like I wouldn’t buy all of this stuff and sit down and paint.”
Our upcoming DIY Art Night is out of this world! Come join us on 3/21 at 6pm for galaxy painting ✨ pic.twitter.com/FE46QPvuiH
— Barrett Honors (@barretthonors) March 15, 2017
There are about two art-focused events each semester, but there are other events across all the campuses that Barrett puts on specifically for stress relief.
“We kind of put on two per semester,” Kevin Ho, a sophomore business entrepreneurship and marketing major, said. “So my job is to come up with themes and I’ve done like line paintings and different art.”
Ho has free reign to come up with different ideas for the events which feature a multitude of different types of art activities although he admitted students seem to love working on canvas.
The events are a chance for students to have fun and develop an overall sense of community.
“We have Service Saturdays where students can come volunteer out in the community,” Chavan said. “We have some physical activities where students can go and hike A Mountain together. We have a lot of nutritional events as well.”
Reach the reporter at jaande31@asu.eduor follow @jackieanders327 on Twitter.
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