By Peter Barell
Arts and Entertainment Editor
The Student Art League (SAL) is a club with over 30 members devoted to fostering the artistic community on campus. Members take part in arts events and gallery openings, as well as helping other clubs and organizations on campus with creative services. Essential to the club is its open-armed admission of all students interested in growing their creative sweet tooth, while expressing school spirit.
“I try to encourage and support the students in their goals for the club,” said Winn Rea, the faculty adviser and a professor in the Art Department. Working in tandem with co-presidents Daniele Savarese, a junior Art Education major, and Alexandra Vicidomini, a sophomore Art Therapy major, Rea and the club have set their ambitions high, branching into entrepreneurial ventures like a gallery shop to solidify the legitimacy of a club which, until recently, had shaky attendance.
“I was introduced to the idea of the Student Art League in the first semester of my freshman year. It was a club previously here on campus that had fallen through, and Professor Rea presented the idea of reinventing and restarting the club here on campus,” noted Vicidomini. This reinvention occurred more than a year ago.
Vicidomini and Savarese, who was a sophomore at the time, both ran for president, but compromised to split the position in an attempt to more fairly represent the freshmen and sophomore classes within the club.
Savarese had an immediate interest in the group when she set foot on campus. “I was first introduced to the SAL when I visited Post on Admitted Students Day, and immediately knew this was something I’d love to be a part of,” she said. “[Professor Rea] was the one who persistently encouraged me to run for a board member position – I’m really glad she did. Since I’ve [joined] SAL, I’ve made great friends and have had a lot of fun at our events.”
Now, with a more secure foundation, the club is looking to organize new and more ambitious ventures. “The most exciting project is the development of [an] art gallery store that will allow people from throughout the university – not just art students – to sell their creative wares on consignment,” Rea said. The professor noted that taking advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities on campus allows a student to get the most out of their college experience.
The Gallery Shop is currently in development, with cases and fixtures being installed to house merchandise. For the store, the SAL is looking for hand made objects such as mugs, bows, vases, and scarves. In addition, they are looking for original designs to be printed on limited edition mugs, stickers, t-shirts, posters, and iPhone cases. Work is to be displayed and sold for 30 days at a time.
“[The Gallery] is open to students, teachers and staff, and we’re planning to have weekly attractions, such as artists making their work on the spot to be sold,” said Vicidomini.
On Monday, Feb. 24, the SAL co-hosted a carnival event with CSA in which the club ran a Spin Art Table at their station. It was an activity for students to participate in during their common hour.
On March 24, the club will teach students Turkish water marbling, a method of surface design that produces marble-like patterns, during common hour. The club will also “be painting the sliding doors in Hillwood for Admitted Students Day, and painting ramps for the Medal of Honor Challenge later this semester,” added Vicidomini.
Another event is the traditional paint splatter booth during Homecoming. “We raise money by selling paint filled balloons for people to throw at our members. It’s so much fun and everyone seems to enjoy it,” said Savarese.
Contact danielle.savarese@my.liu.edu and alexandra. vicidomini@my.liu.edu for further information. The SAL meets Wednesdays in Hillwood Room 218 during common hour. Students looking to potentially sell their work in the Gallery shop can contact liustudentartleague@gmail.com.
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