Visionaries Ink: Inside the Art Club

ABOUT VISIONARIES INK

Every other Thursday at 12:30pm, a dozen students around Gulf Coast State College meet to share their passion of art through the club, Visionaries Ink. Here, these students can connect with fellow artists and enjoy a space where they are free to hone their artistic abilities. Lead by advisors Tammy Marinuzzi and Pavel Amromin, the art club’s goal is “to promote the arts and artistic growth at GCSC and in the surrounding community.” – Visionaries Ink Mission Statement

CLUB EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Visionaries Ink’s secretary, Taylor Johnson, has been a member of Gulf Coast State College’s art club since 2018. Taylor says she joined the club “to get more involved in the school community… I thought it would be a good way to be creative and share my love of art.” The art club hosts many art-based events and workshops to give its members more hands-on experience to learn about the world of fine arts. She explains that during the workshops, professional artists from the community come to the college to teach an artistic skill. For example, a favorite amongst the members club was the stained-glass workshop that took place in the Amelia Art Center on November 14th, 2019. “We got to cut our own glass and solder it together, it was really fun,” Taylor exclaims.

Another member of Visionaries Ink since the fall semester of 2018, art major Easul Mims, agrees. “The most enjoyable workshop to me was the stained glass one we had last semester, where we learned how to cut the glass and solder them.” They also mention that as a club member, Easul “is able to coordinate with fellow artists and become more active within the local art community.” In the future, the club plans to explore more of this when they sell member-maid artworks at the St. Andrews Farmer’s Market in March. This year, almost all the money the club earned has been funded toward a trip to the Salvador Dali Museum at St. Petersburg in May. Most recently, members of Visionaries Ink held a hand-made Valentine’s Day card sale in the GCSC cafeteria on Tuesday, February 11th. Club members individually created their own Valentine’s Day cards to sell before arriving to the smaller event.

MORE INFO

The Visionaries Ink club has an Instagram run by Taylor Johnson and Facebook page for more information on the club activities. Easul closes with a supportive comment to anyone who is interested in joining: “Stay for a meeting! Even if you aren’t an artist, being a member of our college’s art club teaches you how to be a part of a close-knit team.”

Interview with Taylor about her experiences being a part of Visionaries Ink. Audio edited and recorded by Maggie Spring.

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