Art Department Brings Students Together with New Gatherings

It was estimated to be the largest gathering of art majors at Gordon, in one place at one time. A casual gathering earlier this semester was the first of many that will bring together all visual art majors and faculty to discuss art, events and upcoming opportunities. The catalyst behind it all is David West, associate professor of art (pictured above, center). “Getting all of us together in the same space regularly feels like an accomplishment,” West said. “As far as communicating larger departmental ideas or even simply imparting information, the best way to do it is face-to-face. More important than that, though, is having a regular community space for our majors. I jokingly refer to this as ‘forced family time.’” Forced or not, these gatherings have yielded almost 100 percent participation from art students. “It is part of being a part of the community that is the art major,” West said. He hopes students would “want to attend because the experience proves valuable and enriching.” For the future gatherings, art students can look forward to good food, conversations and guest speakers. “John Skillen is going to be discussing his new book with us this month,” West said, “and we will also be giving out the initial information about our New York trip for the spring. In December we will be having an opening of work in sketchbooks and process work from the department. In January we will have a semester kick-off with pizza to lay out the plan for the spring.” The spirit of closeness, inclusivity and discussion has been contagious throughout the Art Department—and may just set a path other departments will follow in the future. By Megan Harvey ’19, communication arts