Art Guild is returning to contribute more of their talents to The Nest. The club, advised by art teacher Mr. Jason Blevins, meets after school on Tuesdays to create projects for the community to observe and enjoy.
The latest effort from the students included painting gourds from Benjamin’s Landing for a bingo. The ticket sales for the event were to benefit North Harford’s art department after funding was cut. Students in the club, dubbed ‘Art Guildians,’ hand-painted special gourds, which were the prizes of the event. In total, combined with the efforts of other event-organizers, over 200 gourds were designed and given out to the first 200 people who bought tickets.
The main theme for the gourds, according to Blevins, was anything related to snowmen. This gave the club members a bit of room to be creative with their ideas; for example, junior Lee Kress created a “SNASA” gourd (“SNASA” being short for “Snowman NASA,” according to the junior), featuring a snowman in space. Similarly, freshman Abigail Tejada created a snowcone-inspired snowman with a Kona Ice cup on its head. These gourds were specifically for winners; as a token of appreciation, there were smaller, more simple gourds with less elaborate designs.
According to Blevins, the bingo was very successful, especially considering that it was “the first time [Art Guild] did that.” Overall, the bingo totalled to around $1,500 for the art department, meaning that studio fees may be eliminated next year for students who take advanced art courses, including advanced drawing, advanced painting, advanced studio drawing, and advanced studio painting.
Of course, as this was the first year of such a big event, there could always be improvements made for next year. One in particular, Blevins notes, is the timing of the event. Due to the combination of yearbook and journalism staff, the Talent Show was moved closer to the beginning of the year, on Dec. 6 – the same date as the bingo – to make more time for Mr. North Harford.
The club has a multitude of other projects in store for the year, including slate-painting, mural work, commissions for charity, and more. Updates are given on the Art Guild Instagram page (@art_guildians) every other meeting, and the club meets every Tuesday in Blevins’ room.
