Quiet whispers slowly grew bolder as tables converged and baby friendships formed in the face of a new craft. UT San Antonio’s Student Art Society has emerged victorious from many trials to cultivate relationships through an appeal to student interest and simple crafts that provoke memories of one’s childhood.
The meeting on Feb. 3 began with President Rafaela Rohdis inviting new members to scan the QR code and add music to the playlist, already making those new to the organization feel at home. She then jumped into an introduction of the day’s activity: Perler beads. A brief explanation of the craft was followed by her invitation to the room to convene at the large tables and make friends.
The previously silent room filled with noise as chairs scraped and introductions were made, all the while Rohdis distributed the beads in a variety of containers to the tables. A lack of materials was no problem in the face of creativity, as Rohdis was able to scrounge up enough containers to meet the demand of the large turnout. Friendships began to form as the rather shy crowd began to bond over the activity.
“We want [the club] to be a very social, comfortable, low-pressure environment for people of all majors to interact,” Rohdis explained. “I’ve seen so many friendships be formed from people that came to the meeting alone, didn’t know anyone, and then made friends here. And it really makes me happy when people are socializing and laughing and having fun. That really is the aim. And I feel like this academic year, like last semester and this semester, we have really succeeded in that.”
The club’s special ability to cultivate friendships is a strong appeal to new UT San Antonio students. That is why first-timer Taylor Espinosa chose to attend a meeting.
“I was looking at [Student Art Society’s] Instagram. The vibe seemed cool. I liked it. It seemed chill. Didn’t seem like there was a lot of pressure,” Espinosa said.
The good that the club does for the UT San Antonio creative community is only possible thanks to the efforts of the current officers. The road has not been easy, with leadership and participation issues threatening the organization’s survival. Rohdis detailed struggles with officer retention, club status and student turnout. Officers from previous years did not register the club as official, so the Student Art Society was not receiving funds from the university before Rohdis and her fellow officers took over.
“We were just super ambitious. We had new ideas. We were like, we’re gonna make this club work,” Rohdis exclaimed.
The story of the Student Art Society is one of overcoming adversity, making lemonade from mere seedlings. As club-goers finished their beadwork and ironed out the designs for the final product, it was visible how much love has gone into the organization just to allow the UT San Antonio community to create.
The club meets every Tuesday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in room 3.01.18A in the Arts Building at Main Campus. Club information can be found on their Instagram, @sas_utsa.
