Art is power.  

I came across this message printed in bold, black lettering on a plain backdrop (the irony of that), framed and hung on an otherwise blank wall in a building on campus. I smiled to myself, and I couldn’t help but to snap a photo of such a basic, yet brilliantly reflective message. Art is power. It is the power of expression, self-exploration, and communication. Whether through music, illustration, writing, language, dance, cooking, acting (the list goes on), the power of art is what you make it to be. 

If I take, for example, the place I am happy to call home on campus, the Artist Guild, I notice this notion to be true. For one, the house itself can be considered art. Murals and paintings, sculptures and photographs decorate our home in the history of past Guild members and the spirit of creativity. Like a museum or a gallery, our house is a collection of human expression, of ideas brought to life. I sit in the living room and gaze at various works of art, perplexed by the fact that I cannot choose my favorite art on the wall. For each time I let my focus wander to the rainbow on the wall, I find a new color, texture, or feeling. That is the power in art. And then there is the power of the artist. I don’t think one needs to be particularly talented in the arts to be an artist. I, myself, am no Picasso, nor do I even take art classes at SLU, yet drawing, painting, and poetry fill my cup with passion.  

My housemates illustrate that art is different to everyone. I see it in the way that we each have our own unique, artistic abilities and activities. Jason enjoys photography and I love to see his personal painting style in all the different creations on his bedroom walls. Bennett can take a piece of leather and some paper and transform it into a handmade journal or turn a flat block of wood into a charming wood carving. Fallon and her love for writing are evident in the magazine clippings stuck to the wall in our upstairs common room. Sounds of the guitar reverberate through the house when Quinn is struck with musical inspiration. My roommate, Bailey, drawing in her bed brings me comfort, and Toby’s felting creations are never short of creative. We may not relate in the forms of art we enjoy, but our imagination to transform the mundane connects us all as artists.  

We aim to share this tool of self-expression with others on campus through our weekly Artist Hours events, where we do activities such as record painting, vision boards, journaling, and paper mache. Our events are open to all who wish to engage in their creative side. And of course, the art is fun, but the connections we make with others through our shared excitement for creativity is what the Artist Guild hopes to offer at St. Lawrence.