Creative Arts Club on Campus

As many know, Colorado School of Mines is home to people who spend a lot of time on their studies.  Studying engineering can often be stressful and time consuming, leaving less room for other external passions than most students would like.

To combat this, the campus features many great outlets to showcase and encourage student talents that reach beyond the scope of math and science.  One such outlet is the Creative Arts Club, which meets once a week on Thursdays from 6-8 pm in the EPICS shop behind the Engineering Annex.  Anyone can come, be it a new or regular member, regardless of his or her level of artistic talent.  Students can drop in for a few minutes, or can spend the whole time working on a masterpiece.

The club is led by its student co-presidents, Cohen Turner and Becky Reeve.  It has been around for at least seventeen years and was originally founded when LAIS stopped offering art as a subject.

The function of the club, according to Turner, is “to keep art on campus, to allow students to de-stress, and to let people use a different side of their brains.”

Reeve adds, “Mines often needs a creative escape for its students because school is so focused on science.”

The club offers many amenities to its members, including a wide range of two-dimensional art supplies.  Turner listed a few:  “We have pencils, pens, paper, canvas, pastels, charcoals, acrylic and tempura paint, brushes, wood burners, spray paint, and crafting supplies.”

The club also provides a large, private working space in the EPICS shop and opportunities to showcase works to the public.  This fall, the club is working with the Mines Foundation and the Welcome Center to set up a rotating gallery to feature artwork created by students.  In addition, the club is working in conjunction with Mines and the City of Golden to create two murals; one will be in the EPICS shop, and one will be in downtown Golden.  Students will be able to submit design ideas and participate in the process.

Upcoming events that students can look forward to in include face and body painting at the Homecoming Tailgate, and finger-painting and tea on Kafadar during Finals Week.  In the spring, there may be some professional artist-led workshops as well.

The club welcomes new faces each week and encourages them to unleash their creativity.  Turner calls it “a relaxing environment where you can think creatively and take a break from all the analytical things people do at Mines.”