The Department of Art and Art History hosted the first annual “Art and Art History Bash” in Woods Quad on Friday to showcase the different majors, professors and organizations in the department.
The event featured demos, a scavenger hunt, snacks and a raffle for a painting by professor Tom Wegrzynowski.
“We have all four of the active student organizations in the department here, and we’re showing off the art history, studio art and graphic design majors today,” Wegrzynowski said. “I think it’s a great way to see the entirety of what our department has to offer to students.”
The main event was a scavenger hunt where students had to travel between each organization’s table, learning about their work and completing an activity at each one. Students who completed the scavenger hunt were entered into the raffle. Other activities included trivia, puzzles and a drawing demo, which had to be paused when the Alabama heat started to melt the wax being used for the drawing.
Crimson Clay held a throwing demonstration where members showed off how they make their clay and ceramic art. The Guild had a photo booth where students could stick their heads through cutout portraits of famous paintings. The Alabama Print and Book Club showed off several of its finished projects as well as a big print that the majority of the club contributed to making. The General Art Club had a table where you could draw pictures or tape an object to a board, inspired by the famous art piece “Comedian” by Maurizio Cattelan.
While all four clubs tend to attract art and art history students, they aren’t exclusive to those majors and all students are welcome to join.
“It’s our first time doing something like this,” said Doris Sung, an associate professor of art history and an organizer of the event. “We want students to get to know more about our department and that we are cool and fun.”
“Through the art and art history department, I developed relationships with professors and students alike. I was both surprised and happy to be able to experience that at UA,” said Madison Carnahan, a junior majoring in art history and Italian, as well as vice president of The Guild. “I’m forever thankful, and I know that this department will lead me to future success in my career.”
