Down the road, if your shirts are looking plain or in need of a little upcycling, the guidance from Keene State Art Collective’s collaboration with the Eco-Reps provided the perfect opportunity with their Bleach Dye event for students to use their creative innovation skills and enhance their apparel with a design of anything they wanted.
Bleach dying a shirt is a hands-on craft where participants use bleach dye to remove color from the dark fabric, creating unique, tie-dyed patterns. This took place on a bright, sunny Saturday, Sept. 27, on the Student Center Lawn.
Eco-Reps, a club with a focus on working towards a more sustainable and just future for all, pitched in with setting up, bringing supplies and bringing people in.
Jasper Conwill, a first-year attendee, said, “My experience was good. I showed up early because I didn’t want to miss the chance to get a shirt. The highlight of the event was making a funny shirt alongside my friend. It was a really good self-led activity.”
This event will be followed by a sketch night on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 6 p.m., room 175 in the Science Center, where folks can bring their sketchbook, relax and win some prizes.
According to junior and Art Collective Vice President Tyler Vose, Art Collective is a club where different kinds of people all come together with a shared interest in creating and experimenting in the arts.
“We hold new events and media that we introduce to people weekly as a way to express creativity. It’s open to everybody, not just art majors,” said Vose. “It’s a nice way to relax from so much scholarly work.“
When asking senior and Art Collective President Grayce Wucik what planning ahead for events looks like, she said, “It’s a lot of thinking about, first, the events that were successful last year and also events that people want to see in the future. Then we talk as an e-board about what materials we need, how we want to do it and where we want to do it. And from there, it’s always weather-dependent, so we always aim for nice weather if we’re planning on being outside.”
Wucik said she believes hosting creative events like Bleach Dye is a good way to give back to the community.
“We try to advertise bringing your clothes to upcycle and create your own, but we always provide shirts for everyone. It’s an efficient way to draw in different students, and even some locals who walk by ask about it. It’s also a good way to get the word out and bring some creativity to us.”
Art Collective holds meetings every Wednesday at 6 p.m. The club initially held them in the Media Arts Center, but the location now updates weekly to a bigger room because of an increase in participants and members.
Zoey Spirito can be contacted at
zspirito@kscequinox.com
