Artoberfest encourages students to connect with creative side

Artoberfest brought the TSC lounges to life with several forms of art on Oct. 23.   

The event was hosted by the Utah State University Caine College of the Arts and featured a variety of activities and performances to get students crafting. 

Olivia Frye is the director of events for the USU Arts Council. 

“We had record painting for students so they could paint a record if they wanted, as well as root beer and pumpkin bread,” Frye said. “We also had live performances by students. Students did monologues, their own music and music covers.” 

There were student vendors selling pieces of art and other items they had made.  

Lauren Tougas is the college’s senator on USUSA Academic Senate. 

“All of the vendors were from the Caine College of the Arts, and they are students who put up different art pieces they had done,” Tougas said. 

Bailey Amelia Oleson is the president of the Arts Council.  

“It was more interactive because the artists were sitting at the table, and so most of the booths were selling, but some were just showcasing their work,” Oleson said. “There were a few artists that did live drawings for people and had illustrated examples. They would do a mini figure for a certain amount of money.” 

Frye said Artoberfest was a great opportunity for the college to showcase its talents. 

“It’s a great way to show off what the College of the Arts and its students do,” Frye said. “The College of the Arts is not well known in terms of our talents, so it’s a great way to show off students, specifically what they’re studying and what their favorite forms of art are.” 

Tougas said it was a great opportunity for people to experience what the college has to offer. 

“We want students to experience all the things that happen over at the Caine College of the Arts on a broader scale so that it becomes applicable to them,” Tougas said. “They get to participate in their own bout of creativity.”  

Tougas said around 1,000 people came to the event.  

“We ended up having to set up even more chairs than we had originally planned for because we had just so many people come,” Tougas said. 

Oleson said that it was exciting to see how big of a turnout they had and how many people really enjoyed it.  

The event has been held annually since 2014, and Tougas said she hopes the college continues to host it for years to come. 

“I hope it’s a tradition that never goes away,” Tougas said. “For freshmen all the way up to seniors and graduate students, it’s a great opportunity for them to learn more about what kinds of things happen in a college outside of their own to maybe open their ideas and their minds to a greater sense of creativity that maybe they don’t find within their everyday classroom.”