Boston University plant lovers packed into the BUild Lab on Friday to paint plant pots and munch on popcorn, as well as celebrate first-generation students on campus.
The BU Arts Initiative partnered with Innovate@BU and the Newbury Center — a BU Center to support first-generation students which opened this year — to host Painting and Popcorn, where students received their own plant pots to design.
Elana Harris, a graduate student in the Metropolitan College who helped organize the event, said the event was also an opportunity for students to meet new people.
“Students can take time out of their Friday afternoon and just maybe spend an hour and a half or an hour to create something that is fun [and] decorative,” Harris said, “and also get to know other students in the BU community.”
Painting and Popcorn was a part of BU Arts Initiative’s “First Friday” series — where the organization invites students to get creative and unwind with other BU students on the first Friday of every month, Harris said.
Ty Furman, the managing director of the BU Arts Initiative, said he and a former colleague were inspired to organize the “First Friday” series in 2019 after noticing how their office staff and other students would socialize in the George Sherman Union on Friday afternoons.
Furman said Painting and Popcorn was a success, noting that every seat in the BUild Lab was filled — organizers had to set up more tables and chairs fifteen minutes into the event as students continued to show up.
“It’s low commitment, you can come and go as you please, we don’t make you sign up, you don’t have to listen to a lecture,” Furman said. “It’s meant to help you destress from your week and begin to enjoy the weekend.”
Nathaniel Heitmann-Bastoni, a senior in the College of Engineering, provided live music, strumming his guitar as students painted.
Harris said she was “pleasantly surprised” with the number of students who attended because “you never know how these events are going to turn out, it’s a Friday afternoon.”
“It’s really nice to see that what we’re doing matters,” Harris said, “and [students] actually do want to participate.”
Harris said Painting and Popcorn also aimed to celebrate first-generation students by partnering with the Newbury Center, an organization that provides support and resources for first-generation college students at BU.
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Sydney Peacock is a first-generation college student who said she learned about the event after recently attending her first meeting at the Newbury Center. Peacock was looking for inspiration online for what to paint.
Peacock said she might settle on painting “a sunset or a succulent on a succulent pot.”
Victoria Phang, a senior in the Questrom School of Business, said she heard about Friday’s event through an email from the Newbury Center. She said she planned to paint something fall-themed with leaves and orange colors.
Sarah Beaulieu, a second year master’s student in the School of Law, said she attended out of pure curiosity.
“I saw the sign outside, and I thought it would be a fun way to meet new people and also to experience a different part of BU,” Beaulieu said.
In planning her own plant pot design, Beaulieu said she would be painting something “festive for Thanksgiving.”
Harris said she hopes the “First Friday” programs allow students to relax and ease into the weekend as the end of the semester approaches.
“Especially as the semester’s gearing up toward the end, there are a lot more assignments, there are a lot more responsibilities and things really start to hit at a serious crunch time,” Harris said. “These events give them a mental break to help boost their mindfulness and then also, I would say, just have a moment to relax.”
