Photo by Giancarlo Sepulveda
Although many events on campus have showcased Ramapo’s committment of thinking outside the box, no event has brought out students’ creativity quite like Extreme Crafting Night, held this past Thursday. Extreme Crafting took place in the Grove beside the Archway, and was held in concurrence with the sidewalk chalk competition postponed from Oct. 2. Both occasions allowed Ramapo students to showcase their creativity through spray paint artwork and chalk murals, respectively. Hot chocolate and cookies were also provided, and helped the students in attendance ward off the chilliness of the autumn night.
Spray painting “allows you to get your creative energy out,” said sophomore Jenny Hubert. Students let out their inner Picasso both individually and collaboratively, as representatives of Ramapo’s various on-campus clubs worked together in teams in order to show off their chalk drawing skills and compete for prizes.
Junior Nick D’Ambrosia attended the event as a member of RCTV, and was proud of his group’s creative incorporation of leaves into their chalk masterpiece. Sophomore Justice Deleshaw, a member of Pokémon club, believed their artwork to be a wonderful representation of the club’s main focuses of “Pokémon, friendship and having a good time.”
With many students feeling stressed out with tests and other pressures associated with the midpoint of the semester, it was important for the College Programming Board to create an event that brought out students’ artistic abilities while, more importantly, relieving them of the stress that they face.
Junior Kelly Mullaney said that Extreme Craft Night was indeed a “great stress reliever.” Regarding the event, Mullaney also said, “It’s fun and I like getting creative.” Junior Marc Concato also praised CPB’s event, saying that he enjoyed the night because it gave him freedom. Ramapo’s artistically talented certainly took advantage of the opportunity to have a good time creating artwork under the stars.
When she was asked about the reasoning behind the decision to host an arts and crafts based event, CPB president Alexis Duke answered, “we decided we wanted a craft night because we wanted to do something different.” Duke continued, “It turned out well. I’m very happy with the turnout.”
Duke’s satisfaction with the event was clearly shared with its many attendants. Without a doubt, both the first Extreme Crafting Event and fourth annual CPB sidewalk chalk competition were smashing successes, which showcased the distinctive talents of many a Ramapo student.
jconciat@ramapo.edu
