Release your inner Rembrandt and Van Gogh to the studio

The Undergraduate Art Association (UAA) is hosting open studios every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Hanes Art Center. All supplies will be free, and all skill levels are welcome. 

“The ultimate goal of the open studio is to provide a stress-free environment for the students to experiment in art,” said Lily Cui, president of the UAA. “We hope that these events help people develop confidence through artistic expression, and ultimately guide the community to value art and creativity as much as we do.” 

The UAA is UNC’s only art club for undergraduates. Their mission is to bring together artists on campus and to enhance the impact of visual arts in the UNC community. 

“The UAA is an open, free organization to all students that aims to support and develop undergraduate visual artists at UNC regardless of their enrollment in art classes,” Cui said. 

She said that rigorous academics and coursework keeps people from having the time to express their artistic side. 

The UAA is a frequent collaborator with Arts Everywhere, which works to increase the role of the arts in student life. 

“In the upcoming arts festival with Arts Everywhere, the UAA is gonna have a spot where we’ll have an open canvas, and people can come up and make their own art,” said Alex Moore, vice president of the UAA. “We hope to make it known that we are a resource for students on campus and to add more art to the daily experiences of students here by joining up with Arts Everywhere.” 

Cui thinks that UNC’s student body definitely has an artistic side, but lacks the space to express it. 

“Open studios are the UAA’s solution to this,” said Cui. “We provide the student community with an opportunity to try something new in art, allowing them to experiment and have fun in a non-committal way.” 

Moore said that open studios are as much a social event as an arts event. 

“The mission the open studios is also to bring together a lot of people,” he said. “It can be hard on a day-to-day basis to meet other artists, especially when you’re just sitting in class. It’s not really a topic of conversation that comes up. Being in that room and the same environment, I think open studios fosters not only creativity in art, but camaraderie in the art community.” 

Cui agrees with Moore's sentiment.

“Open studios are the primary ways that we create this environment,” Cui said. “Our purpose is to provide a space for students to not worry about buying expensive supplies or doing work for a class, but instead allow for them to explore art on their own. As a college student, we don’t often have the time or space to provide ourselves a way to be creative and have fun with art.”

@willshrop

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