UCA students put paintbrushes — and broccoli — to canvases during a Bob Ross Paint Night on Tuesday, February 24.
Central Baptist Church’s College and Young Adult Ministry, 1825 Central, hosted the event in the hopes that students would find a community amongst themselves and with Central Baptist.
“Community is so important for all people,” Central Baptist pastor and the event’s host Michael Treat said. “Especially for college students and young adults coming from all over the world … creating opportunities to build community is really important.”
Senior math education major Slate Edelmann said the turnout for the event was “amazing.”
“It was the great community aspect of a lot of people enjoying each other, enjoying the company, [and] enjoying the experience,” Edelmann said. “And that’s what I think we ultimately wanted.”
Edelmann said he became an official member of the Central Baptist Church over a year ago, and he credits the church community with guiding him out of the lowest point of his life.
“I found a true family at the church,” Edelmann said.
Edelmann’s goal for the night was to “[get] the gospel out there” and “[build] that church family.”
Senior Micah Castleberry, a double major in political science and public administration, shared a similar sentiment.
“I want people to know that Christ cares about them. Christ loves them, and we are just an extension of that,” Castleberry said. “Everything we do is because of what he did for us, and that’s why we’re so adamant about spreading love [and] outreaching.”
The ministry is made up of members aged 18 to 25, many of whom are UCA, Hendrix College and Central Baptist College students.
“Anyone in that age range is welcome, whether they’re in college [or] out of college,” Castleberry said. “Doesn’t matter their stage of life.”
The Bob Ross Paint Night was the RSO’s first official event.
“We have done this event at our church multiple times,” Treat said. “At this point, we kind of knew how to do it.”
RSO members propped fresh canvases onto easels, filled palettes with dollops of acrylic paints, and laid out various paintbrushes so participants could follow the Bob Ross tutorial with ease.
During the event, Treat, dressed in a Bob Ross costume complete with a curly wig and stuffed squirrel, toted a bag full of broccoli — not as a snack, but as an artistic utensil.
“School can be stressful, and Bob Ross is so chill with his voice and everything,” Treat said. “We’re just going to paint some happy little trees and help everybody kind of chill out and finish the year strong.”
For freshman Hayden Burrows, a history major, this event helped him reconnect with his past self.
“I haven’t painted a picture like that … since 2021,” Burrows said.
Burrows attended the event with a friend, both of whom were fans of Bob Ross’ work.
Growing up, Bob Ross’ YouTube videos were a shared interest between Burrows and his friend, so the two were eager to participate, according to Burrows.
“This brought back a lot of good memories,” Burrows said. “Not only do I get to watch Bob Ross, but [I] also get to [paint] and stuff like that.”
“Bob Ross is the painting legend,” Burrows said. “He’s pretty awesome. And just, man, I just had a really fun time tonight.”
Burrows, along with several other students, took home their recreations of “The Grandeur of Summer,” and some won Bob Ross-themed prizes for their artistic endeavors.
The event concluded with a group picture, students showing their completed canvases to the camera.
“Whether they ever come to the church or not, we’re glad they’re here tonight for the Bob Ross Paint Night,” Treat said. “We try to help any way that we can because there’s a lot of folks that are hurting, and [a] good community can be a big part of helping.”
“I’m the father of two college-age girls, and so that’s the heart that I bring to it, is that of a dad,” Treat said. “We’re just very, very glad, very thankful to be an RSO now and to join the other organizations and together [try] to build a better community for UCA.”
