Art Club Board Game Night builds community
Students gathered with the Art Club last week to play board games, a night aiming to give students a night to relax and build connections with others.
The event gave members a chance to step away from their schoolwork and spend time together in a more casual setting. For Art Club members, nights like this are about more than playing games. They also create opportunities for students to get to know one another.
Olivia Land, a freshman art education major from Conyers, Georgia, attended the event because she has always enjoyed board games.
Land said her interest in board games helped inspire her to attend and spend time with other students. The event gave her an opportunity to enjoy an activity she already likes while being around members of the Art Club.
Avery Pharr, a junior from Apalachicola, Florida, is the Art Club’s public relations officer. She said the close nature of Troy University’s art department inspired her to become involved with the club.
“The art department at Troy is a pretty close-knit community, and Art Club is at the heart of that,” Pharr said.
Pharr said the club offers several events throughout the year that allow students to learn from one another and strengthen their relationships. Members are planning to visit the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts for its Fall Fest, where students will have the opportunity to see different artists and vendors.
The club also holds current projects presentations where students can show their artwork to other members. Pharr said these presentations give students a chance to practice before presenting their portfolios in class.
Along with presentations and museum trips, the club holds nights where students can work on their art projects together.
Pharr said these activities are important because students can learn from each other. She appreciates the small class sizes in the art department because they allow students to get to know one another.
“The best way that you can learn in an art class is from the other students,” Pharr said.
She encourages students to find classmates who are stronger in areas they want to improve and learn by watching their techniques. Pharr said students can use what they learn from their peers to develop their own artistic skills.
While the club provides opportunities for students to develop as artists, Pharr said her favorite events are the ones that allow members to simply have fun together.
“My favorite part is the fun nights, like tonight, board game night, where we just get to sit and talk and have fun playing games,” Pharr said.
Shania Williams, a senior from Phenix City, Alabama, serves as the Art Club president. She encouraged students to attend the event and become involved with the club.
Williams said students could come “say hey to everybody, play a few games” and get to know other members.
The different perspectives from Land, Pharr and Williams show how board game night gives students a simple way to connect. While students come together to play games, the event also helps strengthen the community that Pharr described as being at the heart of the Art Club.
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