Harris Wright, a senior at Westminster College, re-established Westminster’s Art Crowd (WAC): An art club she originally started two years ago before taking a semester-long leave of absence.
Wright said she wanted to start an art club that reached students at Westminster beyond the art major.
“I started it because I didn’t know people in the major as much as I wanted to,” Wright said. “The original intention is to get people in and outside of the major, but also get people in the major to make art together outside of their classwork.”
As Wright works on getting the club back up and running, she said there are a couple of new things she’s trying to establish this time around.
Harris said she eventually wants WAC to be used as a resource for other clubs and students on campus.
“For instance, if a club needs a poster made or a mural done, they can basically contact the club,” Wright said.
As of now, WAC is a virtual gallery operating primarily on Instagram as a way for students, both current and alumni, to display their artwork.
“We don’t really have a physical space right now,” Wright said. “And we definitely don’t have a physical space just because of COVID.”
Harris said art shows usually go up in the Jewett Center for the Performing Arts. However, it’s typically only one show a year.
She said she’s currently in the process of getting a full-time student gallery established on campus.
“We’re like 90% there of getting a student gallery established, we have the sights set up,” Wright said.
Last year, Wright made plans to sell art on and off campus. Now, she has teamed up with ASW to host an art festival Nov. 19.
A painting made by Harris Wright submitted for the clubs ‘Muffled’ gallery theme in early October. Anyone can suggest a theme for the virtual gallery — so far WAC has had three shows. (Photo Courtesy: Harris Wright)
“It will actually be an art festival,” Wright said. “So it’s going to be like selling art, part showing art, part making art for people walking by.”
Currently, WAC meets every other week for what the club calls ‘workdays.’ Every two weeks they have an online show posted on Instagram, with the workday usually following the week in between.
Wright said the workdays give people a chance to come together for an hour to make something following the week’s theme or to work on individual projects.
“I want it [WAC] to be an open space where even if you feel like you’re not very well-versed in any art, and you just have the desire to create,” Wright said. “I want you to be able to come, show up and make work.”
Mya Kirke, a first-year student and club member of WAC, said she was thrilled to discover an art club on campus.
Kirke said it was her first week of school when she and her friend thought about creating an art club, finding there were none on campus at the time.
“We filled out the paperwork to start a club,” Kirke said. “Then I got an email from Harris suggesting that we join forces and make one together.”
Wright, who graduates in December, said she plans to give Kirke the club’s lead position.
Kirke said she hopes in the future WAC can continue to be a place for people to get together and make art and looks forward to having more art festivals.
