The La Pittura Art and Art History Club hosted “Collage Making Day!” on Friday, Oct. 15 for any students interested in mixing and matching both pictures and peers. Students with a passion for art were invited to Wilson Hall to meet with others in the organization and create a unique piece of art to take home. The free event featured guest speaker Sally Schluter Tardella, associate professor of art at OU, to discuss the history and importance of collage-making.

La Pittura is a student-run organization that aims to create an art-loving community in which students are able to explore different art mediums and participate in various art-related activities. Collaging, in particular, was a medium chosen by the executive board because of its thought-provoking ability and overlap with careers of interest, such as graphic design.

Coral Sifre, president of La Pittura, wanted to provide the opportunity to participants as a way to broaden their creativity.

“[Collaging] opened up a world of possibility that my brain didn’t know how to put on paper…it’s a kind of freedom from the rules inside art, I think,” Sifre said. “I wanted to give this opportunity to other people…It’s a gateway for them to open their creativity and it’s not so strict.”

Rorry Gilkinson, secretary, and Darby Gilkinson, vice president, hoped the event would spark inspiration or a new interest in art for participants while offering students an outlet to connect with each other to create an art piece.

“It doesn’t matter what your experience is with art at all…You come, you hang out, you have fun, you learn a bit more about maybe a different process or time period in the art movement and we make something together,” R. Gilkinson said.

The organization suffered a hard hit when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Offering virtual activities became common but for La Pittura, it was difficult to substitute the hands-on interaction with a virtual learning experience.

“They were starting to get people, then COVID-19 hit, so it was hard to promote activities [and] was just about being there for each other, the people that wanted to,” Sifre said. “That interaction is what we’re trying to keep now but being more active, so we want to create that sense of community — and that we got each other. La Pittura is excited to dive back in with hands-on events and collages were a fun way for the members to get together while maintaining comfort for those involved.”

Guest speaker Tardella presented the history of collage making during a Zoom conference at the beginning of the event. She was excited to participate in the event and share her perspective on collages.

“Collages are fun, easy and accessible,” she said. She also expressed her appreciation for interactive learning, especially when it comes to the creative process saying, “when you have a community that works together, all learning is easier and more exciting.”

“Collage Making Day!” was held inside Wilson Hall for students able and comfortable to participate in an interactive art experience, as well as through Zoom. The La Pittura executive board encourages any students with an interest or appreciation for art to come and connect with other students who share these interests.

The club will be holding future interactive art events and invites students to check out their Instagram or GrizzOrgs for more information.