Every other Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30 PM at the Duck Den, University of Oregon Portland students are able to express their creativity at Craft Club. With free supplies provided, the space can be used to unwind and make new connections.
Crafts are chosen for students, making each week a unique opportunity to create art. On Nov. 20, Manasvi Raiyani, the host, provided the students with blank and pre-drawn canvases to paint, with the previous crafts being painting tote bags and making pins.
Raiyani is a third year child behavioral health student at the UO Portland campus, she and two of her other friends, recently took over the club and hope to aid connections around the campus.
“I like meeting everyone from different majors and people that you don’t really interact with,” Rayani said. “It’s really fun to meet up and do something that everyone likes.”
Ali Young, a first year multimedia storytelling student, has been attending the meetings regularly, sharing that the peaceful environment is what attracted her to the events.
“It’s just a very chill vibe of random chats with people you don’t interact with a lot,” Young said. “My favorite (craft) was the tote bag painting, it’s fun to have a tote bag you can use.”
No future projects are currently planned; however, students are encouraged to submit their ideas for future projects on the club’s Instagram page @uopdx_craftclub.
“We’re gonna ask on Instagram… asking what people would actually like to see. It would be more like what people want to do rather than us deciding for them. “ Raiyani said.
The next session of the craft club will be hosted at the start of the winter term. The weekly meeting time is subject to change. Students can follow the club on Instagram for updates on future meetings.
