If you happened to be strolling around campus last Friday afternoon, you may have seen a cluster of students seated on the lawn in front of Buller Hall. That’s because on September 22, 2023, from 5-7 pm AULA hosted their Back-to-School Social. Similar to last year’s Colores Social, the event featured food and painting. This year, however, instead of painting tote bags, attendees had the chance to paint on canvas boards, providing another avenue for students to unleash their creativity. AULA provided the snacks, paints, paintbrushes, and sheets of stretched canvas, requiring attendees to bring only a blanket to sit on and their own creative ambitions. There were enough colors available to paint the rainbow, opening the door to limitless possibilities. Pieces produced include a variety of designs including galaxies, canyons, clip art-styled images, abstract art, and more. Some of the paint even made its way off of the canvas and onto the painters themselves as they used leftover paint to write messages or draw things on their hands or face.
Meanwhile, students could enjoy a variety of snack foods to fuel their artistic endeavors. Available refreshments included juice, chips, and candy from Hispanic countries. In addition, Latin music played in the background, offering a pleasant ambiance to inspire all those present.
This event was just one of many AULA has planned this month to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. When asked to comment on the significance of the event Arleny Aquino (senior, global studies) explained “[It is] just something to chill with your friends and relax after a busy week.” Although this event may not seem directly to inform people about Hispanic Heritage, there is something to be said about taking time to simply hang out with friends and build friendships. This helps to build community, which fits into the theme AULA set for this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration: estamos unidos (we are united). Plus, art can be used as an excellent medium to raise awareness of the experiences lived by under-represented groups. Who knows, perhaps this event will inspire a future Frida Kahlo or Judy Baca.
In the end, it appears the event accomplished AULA’s mission. Christen Li (senior, global Studies and anthropology) demonstrates that the event did indeed create a relaxing atmosphere to foster community and spend time with friends in her quote “I actually didn’t know that it was happening. A friend texted me and asked if I wanted to go and I’m so glad I agreed! It honestly turned out to be super fun and a nice way to destress. They had a lot of paints to choose from and some great snacks. I absolutely want to see them do this again. I would love for this to become a tradition. Thanks AULA!” AULA did a great job in hosting this colorful event, and perhaps in the coming years there will continue to be more artistic fun to be had with different variations in the coming years. We shall have to wait and see where future Hispanic Heritage months will lead.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.