Love was definitely in the air as the Texas A&M International University’s (TAMIU) Artisan’s Art Society showcased their talents in the form of custom made Valentine’s Day cards on Thursday, February 13th. Setting up at the Pellegrino and Canseco Courtyard, the event (named “The Art of Love”) was put together by the Art Society as a fundraiser to boost the group’s budget to support their upcoming events. Artisan Vice-President, Morganlafay Tomaschow mentioned that, “We sold handmade Valentines Day cards that all the Artisans made together. Basically, we sold them as a fundraiser.”
With each Artisan member drawing and painting their own cards, the student organization was able to make a very eclectic mix of Valentine’s Day cards. Prices were determined by the amount of detail on the cards, (though none of them ever exceeded more than five dollars) making them inexpensive for students. With each purchase, students were also given free candy as well. The majority of the postcard-sized imagery ranged from humorous references to internet and geek culture, while many others spawned from popular franchises such as: Pokemon, Doctor Who, Flappy Bird, Breaking Bad, and Marvel’s Deadpool. Artisan member Michael Flores stated, ” I worked on stuff that is very familiar,” he continued, “I was inspired to create the card from Finding Nemo, cartoons, and internet memes, stuff I thought people would recognize.” When explaining the direction the Artisan’s took on the love-themed cards, Tomaschow further stated, “In reality, it’s mostly internet memes like ‘Doge’ and such. A lot of us also made funny and perverted cards to attract the younger crowd because everybody is into those kinds of things.”
As the event continued throughout the early afternoon, The Art of Love proved to be a success for the Art Society with many students responding positively to their work. For instance, TAMIU DustDevil and art major, Cristina Yancey, exclaimed that she thought the cards were, “really cute” proclaiming that, “I loved them a lot. I loved the candy too because I loved indulging in sugar.” Tomaschow also revealed that students would, “start laughing and say how awesome they are…everyone typically likes one card, but we’ve actually had some people buy three cards.” Michael Flores further illustrated how, “a lot of people are coming by and enjoying the humor behind it. They’re also appreciating the work behind it also because everything is handmade.” In closing, Flores clarified, “I would say that it was pretty successful and that students have also been very supportive. More people are donating, so thats always good.”
As the Art of Love Valentine’s Day card fundraiser came to an end, Tomaschow concluded that “everybody really just enjoys them.” She was also adamant in informing that the group’s next event will be held on February 25th. The group will be hosting multiple Chalk Arts celebrating the many black artists that aren’t well known, in honor of Black History Month. The group emphasized that if fellow students are interested in joining the art society, they have meetings every Friday from 10:45a.m. to about 1:30p.m. at the Student Center. But for other DustDevils inquiring information about their upcoming events and projects, Morganlafay advises, “go to our Facebook page [www.facebook.com/tamiu.artisans] for all the latest information on our events.”
(Jorge A. Gonzalez Jr. may be reached at jorge.gonzalez@dusty.tamiu.edu)