A dark room with paint, low music, free food, and new friends isn’t a typical Wednesday night for Penn State Berks students. But that is exactly what one got at the “Late Nite Art” interactive workshop last week.
Late Nite Art is advertised as an alternative way to have a “Paint Party”, a creative trend that is sweeping college campuses across the U.S. The activities are set up in such a way that allows students to move around a big table with a white posterboard-like material so that they can talk to new people and add to their drawings.
The event not only supplied art supplies such as paintbrushes, markers, and pastels but also supplied free food in the back that the participants were encouraged to eat. “The easiest way to get college kids to go anywhere: free food,” said Habida Popal, Interim Co-Curricular Manager of Student Affairs.
Adam Rosendahl, a Seattle native, runs the Late Nite Art program, and explained he started it out of a high school art class he used to teach. He devised an alternative way to get his students more excited about creativity and being yourself.
“I’ve seen people come out of Late Nite Art that haven’t drawn in fifteen years saying they want to go out and buy art supplies,” Rosendahl said. “This kind of environment and vibe we try to give off really awakens feelings in people that have been in hibernation for so long.”
This semester, Penn State Berks has had a series of events organized by the Campus Activities Board for students. Late Nite Art is just one of the many.
“I came here on a whim, and I’m really glad I did,” said Maddy, a first-year DUS student. “This turned out to be such a cool experience, and I met a lot of new people. My art was bad, but my night was great.”