Students from 16 area middle and high schools convened at the Troy Campus on Friday, Feb. 21 for Troy University’s seventh annual Trojan Art Day.
Trojan Art Day offers workshops and demonstrations led by students and faculty in the University’s Department of Art and Design.
“I’ve always been interested in art, and I like working in multiple media — pencil sketches, watercolor, acrylics — so I wanted to come out here with my friends and have fun competing in some things that are of interest,” said London Van Every, a freshman from Smiths Station Freshman Center. “I’m hoping to take a lot that I’ve learned, take some inspiration from what everyone else is doing. I want to study art in college and be a background painter, maybe for animation, or be a storyboard artist.”
Van Every and her friends competed in the sidewalk chalk competition, in which they drew a “Starry Night” parody featuring popular “Star Wars” characters Yoda and Baby Yoda.
The event also marked an opportunity for future TROY students to experience campus life.
“TROY is my dream college,” said Arianna Scott, a Dothan High School senior. “I’ve been wanting to go here since forever to major in nursing, and when I heard about Trojan Art Day, I thought it might be fun and cool. People that come to TROY, they’re always successful. You never hear anything bad about it.”
Scott’s fellow Dothan High senior, Elizabeth Perez, learned new art techniques she can use in her hobby.
“I do some painting here and there, [so] I wanted to see how [other artists] use their techniques, how they create new things and how I can learn from them,” said Perez, who also plans to become a TROY student.
Some students took the most pleasure from watching other skilled artists at work.
“It’s fun to come out here and see all this magnificent work that other people are doing,” said Anthony Hicks, a Smiths Station freshman. “It’s really interesting.”
Van Every’s experience has left her viewing TROY as a good option for her to pursue her artistic dreams.
“The campus is really pretty, and everybody I’ve talked to has been very nice,” she said. “If this is something I can experience in the future, I would want to.”
The day ended with the District II Visual Arts Achievement Program awards ceremony, the conclusion to an art competition sponsored by the Alabama State Council on the Arts.
