The University of Minnesota’s Art and Drawing Club brings student artists together to build a strong artistic community on campus.

This is their first semester as a club as they aim to help students achieve their artistic goals and have fun with like-minded students. 

Fleur Buchholtz, a second-year student and the club’s president, said the club meets every Monday, and members have time to pursue whatever art they want. However, there is a prompt every week for those in need of some inspiration. 

“We have a lot of people who draw with colored pencils or markers, and we have a few students who paint,” Buchholtz said. “We have also had some people bring their crochet stuff and other fun mediums that are pretty traditional when you think of art.” 

Chase Grivna, a second-year student and the club’s marketing officer, said the club provides a casual space for students to hang out, do art and take a load of stress off their day. 

Buchholtz said some members also work on digital art and animation. 

Both Grivna and Buchholtz helped create the club last year, though the group did not become an official club until this semester. 

“Last year I was a biology major, and I felt like I was not able to connect with other artistic students like myself,” Buchholtz said. “I really wanted to create a space where artistic students can meet, find each other and really build this community.” 

Grivna said the club provides a space for students who pursue art as a hobby to express themselves creatively, especially if they do not have an opportunity to do that in their classes. 

The club is currently trying to get grants from the University so members can take part in additional activities such as field trips to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. 

Buchholtz said the club’s most rewarding aspect is watching people make friends and become closer. 

“It has been really nice to see because I think there is a theme within the artistic community where a lot of artists have struggles socially connecting with other people,” Buchholtz said. “So, it has been nice to have this space for these people to feel comfortable and safe, opening up to others like them and seeing them shine.” 

Since the beginning of the year, Grivna said he has noticed the differences in some members’ personalities and how they have opened up more. He added how nice it is to see they have created something that can bring people together.

The club is open to people of all skill levels, according to Buchholtz. Though it is still in its beginning stages, she wants to grow membership through more events and opportunities for people to meet each other and network with other artists. 

“We have several people who have never drawn before when they first came to the club,” Buchholtz said. “Some of them are not artists, but they still try, and I think it is really incredible we are inspiring them to delve into that if they are interested in it and want to improve that skill.”