Student Arts League
Mission Statement
Arts League plans to work with students to promote the arts at W&L and celebrate the many artists on campus. Arts League believes in promoting a more creative atmosphere on campus by promoting one another's work in all of the arts. We will promote our artists to the rest of campus as well as the Lexington Community! We plan to promote the pre-existing arts events on campus as well to create exciting events for the entire campus. Arts League needs everyone's help to create and promote a more creative W&L community so we are encouraging involvement from all students, no matter their artistic background. Arts League will engender a collaborative environment that allows students to turn creative ideas into action!
Requirements for Membership
We are seeking those with talent in: doodling in class, designing, identifying Renaissance art, jamming to (or playing) good tunes, dancing in public, sculpting, LARPing, Photoshop-ing, singing in the shower, and doing pretty much everything in between. We want to know more about every type of "art" on campus in order to strengthen and promote what's already going on at W&L- a coalition of the arts if you will. We are trying to get people involved in Arts League from all areas: graphic designers, dancers, Acapella group members, curators, WLUR-ers, members of the Bluegrass Ensemble or Jazz Band, guitarists, pianists, poets, actors, photographers, ceramists, innovators...you get the point! Come one, come all!
This can be a huge time commitment or barely any at all. Any and all help is appreciated so we encourage students to come a meeting and see how they want to get involved!
Values of the Organization
- Promote the arts at Washington and Lee and create a conversation amongst the various art forms that exist on our campus
- Create a stronger connection with the Lexington community
- Integrate the arts into areas of campus outside of Lenfest
- Design events that are fun and cultural, and bring people together from all parts of the Lexington and W&L community
Student Leadership
- President: Jessy Xu
- Vice President: Nayongi Borthwick
- Marketing Director (Instagram & Facebook): Currently Open
- Treasurer: Christina Savory
- Faculty Advisor: Sandy de Lissovoy
Our Events and Projects
- Art in Third Year Housing: An initiative that will bring more personality and culture to the new "Village" housing. It will allow students to showcase their art as well as bring a little color to the public walls of The Village!
- Mural Project outside of Tucker Hall: An education on Cy Twombly. Our mural is inspired by the works of Cy Twombly, a world renowned artist and native of Lexington.
- Wilson Art: We are setting up a volunteering initiative/arts outreach program within Arts League. We have arranged to go to Waddell and Central Elementary once a week and teach them art and art history. We have already gotten at least 5 volunteers, and hope to expand the program.
- Pop Art Warhol Screen Plays: Nov. 7 to Dec. 9 is Pop Art Exhibition in Staniar. Professor King wants us to make our own Warhol Screen Plays. We will have a table at commons to create screen plays with student volunteers, and the videos will be in the exhibition. We also plan to host our own separate showing in Staniar and create a "happening." Find an example here.
- Cheese Louise: Event in the spring co-sponsored by the Reeves Center. The Reeves center opens up at night to allow students to see the Louise Herschoff gallery while doing a cheese tasting.
- Bi-Annual Student Art Sale: students sell their work twice a year, half the proceeds go to Arts League and half go to the student. This project promotes student artists, and allows "non-arts" students to have more art in their life, and it makes it even better that it's their peers'.