Amidst the stress of exams and upcoming due dates, Hawk-Art Therapy combined painting with advice, providing ULM students some much-needed creative relief last Wednesday.

Hands and clothes full of paint, students were able to create their own masterpieces. Fortunately, you do not need to be the next Picasso or Michelangelo to attend. Instead, you just have to loosen up and let your creativity flow. 

Hosted monthly, each session of Hawk-Art Therapy covers a different art style. This month, the group focused on painting Louisiana landscapes. 

Overlooking Bayou DeSiard, the ULM seventh floor terrace was the perfect choice for this class. Feeling inspired by the surrounding nature, amateur artists painted this beautiful view. 

Hawk-Art Therapy helps students not only notice these details but also appreciate them. That is what art truly is: appreciation of the world around you. 

During the painting session, students were given easy-to-follow instructions by Hawk-Art Therapy Director Pamela Jackson.

“I want students, who haven’t experienced exercising their creativity, to have an opportunity to paint without worry of judgement and to feel the joy of creating something from within themselves,” Jackson said.

Besides fulfilling student’s creative needs, Hawk-Art Therapy is an opportunity to meet students of all ages. The library terrace became a hub of social activity full of laughter and chatter. 

Creating art is never an individual experience but a communal one. 

Mixing paints and sharing supplies, strangers with seemingly nothing in common were able to form friendships. From spilling paint to discussing cloud shapes, there is always a conversation to be had.

“I really wanted to try new things, meet new people and relax in a safe space”, freshmen elementary education major Kendra Alcorn said.

Hawk-Art Therapy checks each of those boxes.  

In October, Hawk-Art Therapy will give students the opportunity to paint self-portraits. To attend the next Hawk-Art Therapy event, you can register via the ULM online calendar.