Attendees filled the George Sherman Union basement Friday night for the first “First Friday” event of the Spring semester. Students were full of creativity as they created collages while conversing with other students and snacking on a variety of sweet treats.
The BU Arts Initiative, in collaboration with the Community Service Center, organized its monthly “First Friday” event for February called “Candy & Collage Making.”
The event gave students the opportunity to create collages from magazine clippings by providing them with notebooks, magazines, other decorating supplies and candy to take home.
Elana Harris, the administrative coordinator for BU Arts Initiative, said “First Friday” aimed to help increase community engagement on campus and introduce students to creating their own art.
She said she believed art allows people to “express [themselves] in a way that may not be in the traditional sense,” and “transcribe their own emotions.”
“We really work hard to help people who may be reluctant towards art,” Harris said. “This is a great gateway or avenue for them to be creative, to express themselves and they even also make something that’s personal to them.”
Adeola Akinyemi, a first year graduate student in the School of Social Work, said she enjoyed the event because she likes “any opportunity to be involved” on campus.
Akinyemi said she appreciated the community engagement aspect of “First Friday” as it helped to make interacting with the University’s large undergraduate population feel less overwhelming.
“I like small knit stuff like this [since] I used to go to a small undergrad so BU is a little [bit of a] shocker with the huge campus and big events,” Akinyemi said. “I like that this is more intimate, a little bit more manageable.”
Aditi Kohli, a graduate student in BU Metropolitan College, said she came to the event because it looked like something “unique” to try out.
“In India, I have never done this collage making,” she said. “ I want to explore all the facets of life and meet new people.”
Even though the next “First Friday” event will not be held until April, Kohli said she is eager to attend the event again.
“I’m always looking forward to it because I don’t have [Friday] classes so I have time to explore,” said Kohli. “I loved everybody, people are so friendly and I feel welcomed.”
BU Arts Initiative program administrator Ivy Buena said she hopes the monthly creative events can help to support students by giving them opportunities to expand their community building and give them a moment to take care of their mental wellness.
“I want them to feel excited, I want them to hopefully be more involved and come back to our future events,” she said.
