USMARTASS. Don’t be offended by the logo for the new name of the student group, the Art Student Society (ASS). Look closely and you’ll find multiple acronyms present, all relevant to the subject. Michael Shaughnessy, chair of the Art Department, created the clever t-shirt logo, “USMARTASS.” “He’s so proud of it,” said Danielle Despins, treasurer of ASS.
The Art Student Society, formerly known as the Association of Visual Artists, had been defunct for the past two years but recently rallied enough members to gain recognition and funding once more by the Board of Student Organizations (BSO). Minimum requirements must be met to guarantee continued recogniton by the BSO. In order for any student group to stay afloat, they must maintain a minimum of three members. ASS currently stands 10 members strong, but Despins fears a loss of funding, saying that only a few members are committed to the organization.
According to their flier, ASS’s mission is “to find new innovative ways of getting students work viewed as well as give more opportunities to gain knowledge pertaining to the visual arts.” In accordance with its mission statement, ASS set up a booth at last week’s “Teach In For Peace.” They provided blank panels for painting to encourage people to get creative with their hopes for peace. Showing up with 96 canvases, ASS left the teach-in with 76 panels filled with vibrant messages of peace. USM Counseling Services has offered space to exhibit some of these panels, and ASS members are asking other campus offices to donate space as well.
Despins is also meeting with a potential donor of gallery space early this week. If the space is acquired, it would need remodeling. “This might be a project that lasts a year,” Despin said. ASS hopes the project results in obtaining its own gallery to exhibit student work.
Christy McKinnon can be contacted at [email protected]