Student artists to showcase creativity, entrepreneurship at annual Spring Into Art Sale

Students in Art 422: Entrepreneurship for Creators are busily preparing for their fifth annual art sale on campus.

Starting on Tuesday, April 28 — and coinciding with Spring Into Art — there will be approximately 25 student vendors who will be showcasing and selling items like posters, prints, blind boxes, jewelry, bags, candles, soaps, stickers and more. Their work is carefully hand-crafted and developed over the course of the semester, featuring novel, unique objects that aren’t found anywhere else.

Building on the success of previous years, Art 422 continues to provide essential experiences for art students in the world of creative entrepreneurship.

“The majority of participating artists are students enrolled in my Art 422 class, which challenges creators to think entrepreneurially and develop their skills within today’s evolving creative economy,” says Kelly Myers-Chunco, lecturer in the Department of Art, College of Arts and Sciences.

The course centers on identifying opportunities, developing ideas and turning them into real-world creative ventures. Throughout the semester, students explore how art and design influence culture, while engaging with topics such as sustainability, emerging technologies, public space and DIY practices.

“After developing business strategies, creating marketing materials and promotions, students bring their ideas to life at the end of the course during our pop-up shops,” Myers-Chunco says.

The event continues to draw crowds and enthusiasm from campus and community members and enhances UB’s annual Spring Into Art (SIA) event.

Spring into Art — taking place April 28 from 5-7 p.m. in the Center for the Arts on the North Campus — brings together and showcases the diverse talents of the artists and creators across the arts at UB.

“Spring Into Art provides a natural platform to highlight the work of student artist-entrepreneurs,” says Jamie Enser, executive director of the Center for the Arts. “Bringing Spring Into Art and the Student Arts Sale together is a wonderful way to celebrate creativity, discovery and community at UB.”

This year’s programming also includes a free screen-printing station, the Art Senior Thesis opening exhibition, and a variety of gallery events, offering visitors multiple ways to engage with the creative community.

Students will be selling their creative works during Spring Into Art in the CFA atrium, as well as at two pop-up shops outside the Student Union on April 28 and April 30, both from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Visitors can browse and purchase student-created work through card payments via QR codes at each vendor station.

Myers-Chunco says that her students consistently describe the experience as both energizing and memorable, and that it gives them a new perspective and appreciation for all the different kinds of art happening across campus.

For more information, visit the links for the Student Art Sale or Spring Into Art.