By Elise Mackanych
“It’s showtime!”
A spooktacular time was had by all during ArtU Campus Life’s Halloweek this past October. With Scary Sketch Night and the Pumpkin Carving Contest, there was no shortage of fun in the evenings leading up to Halloween.
Scary Sketch Night
This year’s “Beetlejuice”-themed Scary Sketch Night on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at Academy of Art University’s Art Café was a spirited live event equipped with a live model, Jonathan Bowling, dressed as “the ghost of the most” himself. Posed on a spooky set complete with cobwebs, bats, and skeletons, designed by Beyond the Front Row, Academy students in attendance could sketch in the format of their choice as the model changed poses and expressions throughout the evening.
“This helps the creative juices flow,” said Vera, a visual development student. “I get to meet new people and do fun stuff.
Geronimo, a 3D animation and visual effects student, said the event was his first campus event of the year and that his favorite part was the Beetlejuice costume.
“I love seeing the different levels and different talent that comes in. You see students of all levels, of all majors,” said Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Lauren Spain. “They just come to have fun. Anyone and everyone can come down and sketch.”
Scary Sketch Night is an annual event put on by ArtU Campus Life in collaboration with several departments, including the School of Fine Art, which assists with the live models.
For students, the event was a wonderful opportunity to take a break from homework, meet new people, and get into the Halloween spirit.
Pumpkin Carving Contest
Students from various creative disciplines showed up, in costume no less, to this year’s annual Pumpkin Carving Contest on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at the Art Café to show off their pumpkin carving skills and, hopefully, win some prizes for their efforts.
The Art Café was transformed into a carving studio, with plastic lining the walls and tools spread out on tables. With more than 30 pumpkins in various sizes, students had the chance to get their hands dirty as they carved their designs.
“We set up the whole Art Café–we pumpkin-proof it,” shared Spain. “We have all the supplies that we provide for the students, and they can either carve a pumpkin on their own or sometimes they do it with teams. They come up with a design and carve it.”
Chosen by a board of judges, this year’s winners of the pumpkin carving were Arshreet Bassi in first place, who carved an intricate face into their pumpkin; Harper Felch took second place with a haunted castle carved into their pumpkin, and Tong (Letty) Li in third place, whose starry-eyed jack-o-lantern had freckles and braces.
“My favorite part of the event was when everyone stood around and admired each other’s pumpkins. It’s always so inspiring to see the different creative ideas people come up with, and some of the designs were truly surprising!” said Li, a School of Jewelry & Metal Arts student. “The pumpkin carving contest was my first campus event, and I really enjoyed it. It was such a fun way to relax as well, and I’d love to attend more events like this in the future.”
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