The Southern Utah Museum of Art hosted its sidekick program on Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 4-6 p.m. The activity involved creating self-portraits.
SUMA Sidekicks is a free program available to students of Southern Utah University and Southwest Tech. They host creative events for students to attend, provide a 20% discount at SUMA’s gift shop and give out prizes to those who visit the museum regularly.
Materials were provided for participants to make paper collages and paint traditional portraits using a single brush stroke. The artists could do anything they put their minds to.
“It’s really important to express how you feel about yourself, whether that’s good or bad, especially in an abstract way,” said Nick Evans, who attended the event. “You can get a lot more of your own feeling in it because you don’t have to be strict to what you actually see, it’s your own feelings about yourself that are expressed.”
People of all skill levels are invited to participate in the Sidekicks Assemble events. SUMA’s goal is to give members of the community a creative outlet and allow people to express themselves freely without judgment.
“Creation is just human nature. We see in history that without creation, if you take away literature and arts, everything kind of goes downhill,” Marche Cramer said.“It’s a form of self-expression and freedom and it makes the world more beautiful.” SUMA Sidekicks also provides opportunities for fellow artists to meet and collaborate.
“It’s been really nice to get to know other people that are also interested in art, especially because I moved here from far away, so I didn’t know a lot of people, and coming to events like this forces me into knowing people,” Evans added.
Sidekicks Assemble is a monthly recurring event. Students can join SUMA’s rewards program and earn awards by attending more activities. For more information, stop by SUMA or check out their website.
