As the semester comes to an end and finals approach, students often find themselves caught between a thin line of stress and the anticipation of heading home for the holidays.
To help ease those stressful moments, the students of the arts club hosted a cookie-decorating event that became much more than icing and sprinkles; it became a space for connection, creativity and peace.
Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at UCA, said the event highlights the deeper role art can play in students’ lives.
“It’s just a little handful of cookies, a little bit of icing, that has made an opportunity for us to talk to each other tonight,” Seymour said. “Look how the arts bring people together who otherwise would have never had a reason to even come into contact with each other.”
Seymour said activities like this support both mental and physical health by encouraging communication, helping students shift their mindset and helping them reconnect with the act of creating something of their own.
“I think everybody has an inner artist; there’s not really such a thing as wrong art, especially if it comes from the soul,” Seymour said.
Students from all majors gathered at a table filled with cookies and colorful icing.
They experienced talking, laughing and finding common interests with other students, stepping out of their comfort zone, met new people and slowed down after long days of studying.
Bonnie Kessler, president of the Students of Arts, said the organization aims to build bridges across majors and create spaces where creativity serves as a stress reliever.
“These kinds of events are a good stress reliever,” Kessler said. “It gives an outlet for all of the tension that’s building up, especially around this part of the year. I just think it makes people happy.”
Kessler, a biology major, said she hopes events like this show students that the art world is open to everyone, regardless of their field of study.
“I think that anyone at any major can find an outlet through art,” Kessler said. “I’m a biology major, and I’ve somehow found myself in the position of president of this club.”
Seymour’s perspective reinforced that message, showing how art surrounds people daily, even when they don’t always recognize it.
“Sometimes people are afraid to engage with the arts, so you kind of have to trick them, with activities like this one where they are having fun,” Seymour said.
Freshman Sydney Lewis said the event offered the space of leaving school aside and a much-needed break during one of the busiest points of the semester.
“Coming to this event is a way to relax after having a long day of studying and have something to do that doesn’t really use a lot of brain power,” Lewis said.
The cookie-decorating event gave students a moment to relax, find community and lightly engage with art. Seymour said its impact reflects the club’s purpose.
“The real impact of this club is to look around and see how the arts bring people together, in this case, students from all majors, who otherwise would never have had a reason to even come into contact with each other,” Seymour said. “And this happens all the time in the arts.”
