By Alyssa Gautieri
Staff Writer
Students and faculty looking for creative ways to decorate their homes or alter their styles had the opportunity to buy original artwork, crafts, T-shirts, music and more at the College’s Arters Market, held on Green Lawn on Wednesday, April 27.
Hosted by Rebel Art Movement (RAM), the College’s second annual Arters Market showcased work by various artists, each with their own individual styles across differing mediums, including watercolor, screen printing, painting and charcoal.
Sophomore fine arts major Brigid Barber was one of the many students who participated, selling T-shirts, photos and other homemade items at the event.
“I think (the Arters Market) is a great way to show people how artists can essentially be entrepreneurs,” Barber said. “I didn’t realize how diverse the artists were going to be or that we would have so many tables.”
The current RAM co-Presidents Molly Revie, Kelly King and Owen Lynskey, who are all sophomore fine arts majors, collectively developed the Arters Market in Fall 2015. According to Revie, the three thought the art community on campus was not apparent enough.
“We were thinking of ways to make our presence more known on campus and we thought art markets are great,” Revie said. “What better way (for students) to make money by selling their artwork and getting their name out there?”
The market featured approximately 30 distinct artists. Although many artists created pieces specifically to sell to students and faculty, some artists chose to repurpose old school projects and transform them into affordable artwork. Meanwhile, some created artwork differently than others.
Junior English and interactive multimedia double major Gin Allcock could easily create a new drawing in 10 minutes. For a fast-working artist like Allcock, it made sense that they created work specifically for the market.
“It is cool because in the style I have developed for myself, if I mess up, I can fix it just by thickening the lines in the drawing,” Allcock said. “I just go with it and if I mess up, then I just work it in.”
For Allcock, not much planning goes into their art, which was great for earning a profit at the Arters Market.
While Allcock can produce their artwork quickly, they have been developing their own style for over one year now.
“I think I improve with everything I make,” Allcock said.
Sophomore fine arts major Nina Mitarotondo also developed work specifically for the Arters Market.
“My work is normally less commercial-based,” she said. “But I wanted to make something affordable for college students for their dorms, so (I made) dorm decorations and prints for them to put on their walls and just little trinkets for them.”
The Arters Market challenged art students to produce work targeted to their peers. Sophomore art education major Marisal Finamore thought every student could use a little more inspiration, so she sold watercolor paintings with inspirational quotes on them that were written in fonts she taught herself how to create.
According to Finamore, her artwork was done out of pure fun and enjoyment, but it was a plus that she was able to sell it to her peers.
Finamore also talked about her creative process when producing her work for the market.
“I definitely need to have some kind of idea of where I am going and then it’s kind of letting it happen,” Finamore said.
However, for sophomore graphic design major Rob Birnbohm, the process was a little different because he chose to sell prints of his original works rather than develop all new artwork for the market.
“These are pieces I have used before,” said RAM member Birnbohm, who also showcases his artistic abilities as a cartoonist for The Signal. “I decided to use a program to make them an appropriate size for prints.”
Birnbohm repurposed his artwork to be useful for students because his original artwork would have been larger and, therefore, more expensive. By creating prints, Birnbohm gave students a more affordable opportunity to showcase his art in their dorm rooms, apartments or off-campus homes.
These were only a select few of the many talented artists that participated at the Arters Market. Despite the different processes, styles and mediums of each artist, they all shared one thing is common — their love for art.
