Stockpiled with student art, the Department of Visual Studies Student Society’s annual art sale took place on campus each afternoon last week. Migrating from IB to the Davis Building, the DVSSS set up a table full of photos, abstract pieces, and watercolour paintings to raise money for the society.
When I arrived on Friday, I was the only one taking a look through the portfolio on the table. The first few pages were full of smaller photographs and abstract pieces that looked like tacos, as far as I could make out—though that could just be the Spanish in me talking.
Towards the end of the portfolio, I started to see larger watercolour paintings, like a giant pink flower and a nice painting of an owl. Some of my favourites were from a collection called “Anxiety” that featured only text that read, “You know me better than that”, “You’re just like everyone else”, “You don’t mean that”, and “I don’t know how to respond to you”. I’m not sure what I loved about them so much, but if I wasn’t stuck with a student budget, I might have purchased one.
The table was also full of larger prints in little piles as well as a tiny box full of at least 100 cut-out photos selling for $2. Behind the two students manning the table—one of whom was selling some of his own art—were poster-sized pieces of the same artwork featured in the portfolio. The majority of the pieces were selling for $2 to $10.
I wound up leaving empty-handed, but before I left, two more students arrived and were sifting through the art. Regardless of how many pieces were sold in the end, it was pretty great to see students supporting students.
