Watercolour paintings, intricate prints and stickers decorated the fourth floor of Carleton University’s Nideyinàn building as Visual Arts Carleton held its inaugural Student Art Market on Nov. 1.
The market provided student artists with the opportunity to gain exposure and experience through sales and lively, art-focused conversation.
Being the first of its kind for the club, co-president and first-year industrial design student Melvin Qu said the market will serve as a learning experience.
“In the past, we’d just book a room and have people walk through,” Qu said in reference to the club’s past events. “We want to start hosting bigger events so people can see more of what Carleton students have to offer.”
He said the club’s mission is to further establish Carleton’s visual arts community, adding that the visual arts club encouraged the participation of student artists by deciding not to charge vendor fees or take royalties from sales.
“Even if they don’t sell anything, just engaging with and meeting similar people is helpful,” Qu said.
Experienced vendor and second-year Carleton architectural conservation and sustainability student Lilian Cheng sold watercolour prints she created in Carleton’s Architecture Building.
She said her art is inspired by abandoned structures and conveys their decay and mystery through purple hues — a common theme in her work.
Among her favourite parts of art markets, Cheng said she enjoys the atmosphere and connecting with other artists.
“It’s fun to see people walk by. Different people are drawn to different things,” she said. “I love how the art world is so diverse, and I love learning a bit more about [a] person based on what stands out to them.”
Like Cheng, first-year Carleton art history student Laura Fuentes has prior experience as a vendor. She sold artwork at St. Lawrence College while earning a degree in fine arts.
Fuentes said the pieces she brought to this market were created in her spare time. From meticulous paintings to monochromatic prints, she said her work highlights interests and values from across her life.
“I like to say that I’m very self-centred because I can only understand myself,” Fuentes said. “A lot of [my work] is either things I just really like or just digging into my past.”
Fuentes said she hopes to share her art with like-minded individuals by participating in the market. She also said Carleton’s large student population motivates her to form connections with other artists.
For fourth-year Carleton computer science student Elsa Faisal, the art market was her first time as a vendor. Faisal teamed up with Arshia Chandel, an experienced vendor and third-year Carleton student, to bring a henna tattoo booth to the market.
Chandel’s mother introduced her to henna at an early age and she now runs her own henna business through social media. While Faisal said she has been doing henna as a creative outlet since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both Faisal and Chandel said that increased advertising would help draw a larger crowd to future Visual Arts Club events.
Art market attendee Jessica Jagodics said she hadn’t seen much promotion for the market online and decided to attend at the last minute. She said she enjoyed the market’s atmosphere and the vendors’ unique displays.
“I love supporting small businesses and I like to see the different things that the artists bring to the table,” Jagodics said. “It’s really beneficial for the students to host their own market because it can be hard to get into other ones as a vendor.”
Chandel agrees and said she’s happy that this market gave her the opportunity to display her artistic work.
“There’s not too many places where vendors can show off their art, so it’s nice that students get the opportunity to do that here,” Chandel said.
Featured image by Mya Pasparakis/ The Charlatan.
