Taking place on the second Tuesday of each month, the Southern Utah Museum of Art hosted their first SUMA Sidekicks event of the semester on Tuesday, Jan. 14. The program invited Southern Utah University and Southwest Technical College students to participate in bracelet and bookmark creation.
The event featured paints, stickers and yarn in a variety of colors. Participants were able to let their imaginations run wild while enjoying the sun setting through the windows.
“I come here when I can, but I really enjoy it because it’s a nice little break from school,” said attendee Adrin Partridg. “It’s a nice way to relax and relieve stress.”
Around large tables, students were able to share their different ideas. While some found inspiration on Pinterest, others were inspired by day-to-day items, resulting in a variety of colorful creations.
“I liked how there were different options for craft. It wasn’t only friendship bracelet making or painting bookmarks. It was just what you wanted to do, which was nice,” said attendee Lizzy Ensign. “Plus, I like meeting new people at these kinds of activities.”
Developed as a way to incentivize students to come and visit the museum, SUMA Sidekicks is a free membership program hosting creative activities inspired by the theme of their permanent exhibition. With a focus on psychedelic art from the ’60s and ’70s for the 2024-2025 year, posters of these art pieces are offered to every student enrolling in the program.
“Every event we take works from our permanent collection that students never get to see and we pull them around. I got to do a lot of research on these pieces and it was pretty fun,” said SUMA Sidekicks’ learning and engagement assistant Mayzie Smith. “We have activities once a month, and students get a punch card when they sign up. As they come to events, they get prizes, and they’re pretty cool.”
SUMA Sidekicks’ next event, clay magnet creation, will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 11, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information about upcoming events or becoming part of SUMA Sidekicks, visit their website.
Author: Fanny Felixine
Photographer: Gannon Lovisa
Editor: Tessa Cheshire
arts@suunews.net
