Crawling with creativity: Spiders bring art and community to Modlin lobby

The soft, dulcimer strings of Joni Mitchell’s “California” wafted through two tower speakers in the middle of the Modlin Center for the Arts courtyard, mixing with the ambient chatter of student vendors, art ambassadors and curious visitors.

On Friday, April 4, Modlin Arts Student Ambassadors (MASA) witnessed the product of all their planning: tables lined the Modlin lobby, displaying visual, written and handcrafted works from artists who chose to showcase them. The art market – entitled “Modlin Arts Crawl” – represents a collaborative creative opportunity for University Museums, student radio station WDCE, campus sustainability group Rethink Waste and Boatwright Memorial Library’s Book Arts Studio.

Organized entirely by MASAs, who support and promote Modlin’s different initiatives, this event is the first of its kind in years. Attendees perused the artists’ selections, surveying creations ranging from freeform poetry to fantasy-inspired drawings to female nude paintings. MASAs walked the lobby, ensuring attendees enjoyed their experience and could ask questions.

Annabelle Garcia, a MASA member and sophomore, highlighted the importance of this showcase.

“We have a lot of events that really highlight vocal performers,” Garcia said. “We kind of realized there was a lack of representation from visual artists on campus. So we really wanted to give them the platform to share and display their work.”

MASA Olivia George, a junior, echoed that sentiment.

“Modlin does a lot of performance events, but visual arts students don’t get as much recognition,” George said, “We recruited artists through tabling and social media. There are so many talented artists here creating amazing work, and this gives them a platform. We hope to make it an annual thing.” George said.

Senior Josie Scramlin sat behind a table displaying her artwork. All her pieces were made with watercolor and colored pencil, adding a “little bit of lighting in Procreate,” Scramlin said. She reflected on a past art event where she had the opportunity to show her creations.

“When I was a freshman, they had an event like this. So I’ve done a table before there,” Scramlin said. “And I’ve done tables at my local farmer’s market back home before.” 

Next to her sat Nicholas Daglis, co-founder of Ground Up Glassworks with his wife, Book Arts Studio Manager Caitlin Adair Daglis. His setup featured small jewelry items, each intricately crafted.

“I got my degree in glassblowing, but I always liked jewelry, so now I’m combining the two,” Daglis said.

Across the lobby stood several portraits painted by junior student artist Nina Lavelle, who is minoring in Art. Her portraits depicted intimate and detailed bodies, and Lavelle spoke on her progression through various mediums.

“All of the pieces are from one class I took last semester, Drawing Media Studio, and that's about a six-week class. And so we started working with the human figure at the beginning of that class, and then I kind of just worked my way through different materials, like different mediums until I got to what I finally ended up with,” Lavelle said.

Lavelle isn’t planning to pursue art professionally but hopes to return to it as she gets older.

“I think I mainly do it in my free time as of now. I definitely wouldn't be opposed to doing art full-time once I get older. Maybe retiring and doing art,” Lavelle said.

At the other end of the hallway stood Book Arts Program Director Jen Thomas with Adair Douglas. At their table, they offered attendees the opportunity to roll a paintbrush over a stencil and make their own Modlin print.

Thomas explained the role of Book Arts in the UR community.

“We do drop-in events like this… so we have campus events where there might be printing. We do a Valentine’s Day card printing event in the library. We also do Halloween mass printing. But we also work with campus classes, as well as campus groups, to do project-based instruction,” Thomas said.

The doors to the Modlin courtyard were left open, and visitors could wander out into the warm afternoon to see stands for WDCE, which emceed the Art Crawl, Rethink Waste and Spider Exchange, the campus’s “free store” for clothes and items.

First-year Olivia Fears is a Rethink Waste student representative and enjoys the experiences that come with her role.

“I help with all the events,” Fears said, looking at the group’s table. “And, yeah, it's so much fun. I have, like, 11 other amazing co-workers.”

Attendee Lauren Correa, a first-year, came to see Fears, but got more out of the Art Crawl than she may have expected.

“I get a sense of what Modlin does,” Correa said. “I mean, like, I haven’t seen any of this before either, so this is cool.” 

Sydney Hass, a junior, works as a Museum Attendant at the University Museums.

“It’s so nice to have people come by,” Hass said. “It’s been really interesting listening to everyone and sort of asking about what they've enjoyed from the exhibits, what they've been experiencing. I have really loved that it reminds me of being a freshman and the orientation where you have to sort of do a walkthrough of different arts activities and things.”

 Contact lifestyle writer Ella-Brooke Morgan at ellabrooke.morgan@richmond.edu