SU art community embraces holiday sale

SU holiday art sale reopens

Student artists displayed their work to peers at the annual event.
Published: December 1, 2021
SU Holiday Art Sale 2021
A vibrant array of student-made ceramic work was on display at Wednesday's holiday sale in Shaffer Art Building.

Syracuse University’s art community was out in full swing today as students and faculty attended the holiday sale at Shaffer Art Building, hoping to buy holiday presents for family and friends.

The Holiday Sale, a campus mainstay for 40 years, returned as a live event after its virtual format last year. The sale featured multiple items such as ceramics, jewelry, pins and prints, all designed by SU art students and various art clubs on campus.

“It started off as a Clay Club run event. We really expanded and invited the rest of the art programs to join us,” said Katie Stone, a graduate student and president of the Clay Club. “We’ve got jewelry, we’ve got printmaking and we have ceramics, all selling the holiday sale. It’s a really great way to work together and kind of bridge the gap between different departments.”

When Clay Club started the sale, the proceeds helped fund students attending a ceramic conference out of state. SU Ceramic Arts Professor Margie Hughto said the meaning behind the event remains the same. The event continues to help campus art clubs raise money for upcoming trips.

“Half the people today I noticed when I talked with them are buying presents for their mother, for their best friend and so on,” Hughto said. “This has become a very nice annual affair. And it gives the students a chance also to see how people respond to their artwork.”

With the sale continuing through Friday, artists have the opportunity to sell a variety of objects and promote the clubs where many students made their work. And, Hughto said, students of any major or background, arts or otherwise, can join campus art clubs and participate in the event. After the past year experiencing the pandemic, everyone at the event was ecstatic to see the in-person event this year.

For the first time in over a year, art students were able to display their hard work for peers and professors to enjoy.
For the first time since 2019, student artists displayed their work for peers and professors to peruse and purchase.

“It’s so much nicer doing it in person and seeing everyone’s faces,” said Bridey McGlynn, president of Command Print Club. “So many more students can come and see everyone’s work and know about the sale, which is really great. I’m really glad we got to do it in person this year.”

When COVID-19 hit last year, the holiday sale took to Etsy, selling items online as opposed to in-person. Students could still buy handmade artwork, but the enjoyment of a live sale experience could not be replicated. One of the elements of the in-person event that attracts students is the opportunity to connect with the artists behind the work. Public relations freshman and art collector Paige Filipan stopped by to buy art and get to know the arts community here on campus.

Holiday Sale 2021
Handmade earrings decorated with colorful beads, each representing different parts of the LGBTQ community, were available for purchase at the sale.

“I just saw a whole bunch of little items that I identified with and these little pins,” Filipan said. “Like, there’s these cute little cowboy boots and a little cow and some eggs. I’m always looking to fill my space on my backpack. I came from an arts high school, and as I’m going around, a lot of the mediums are the same, but the creativity is nevertheless very different.”