Arts & Culture

‘Art Flow’ student group focuses on creativity and wellbeing

Looking for a creative outlet to channel stress from classes or personal issues? Looking for ways to collaborate and make connections with other students across campus?

Oglethorpe’s Art Flow is a newly formed student group that incorporates those elements to provide students with a healthy and artistic release.

Oglethorpe students gather to participate in art projects sponsored by student group ArtFlow

Oglethorpe students gather to take part in art projects sponsored by student group Art Flow.

Developed by Oglethorpe students Nicole Buruse ’23, Maria Coles ’24 and Hayleigh Stonham ’22, Art Flow is a reimagined version of the former art club that disbanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, when most members were seniors.

Art Flow combines art therapy, meditation, and relaxation. This student-led organization provides a safe space for students to connect with their feelings through various organized art projects and help discover the meaning behind their work.

In addition to mediums like watercolor and photography, the club also incorporates less conventional practices, such as graffiti and meditating with crystals, to encourage students to learn about themselves and consider different perspectives.

“Students tend to be quiet and struggle to put themselves first,” said Buruse. “In this club, we want the students to feel like their mental health is an essential priority.”

Art Flow is designed to be an outlet for channeling emotions through art of all kinds and to be a welcoming environment for students to create and take a break if they are feeling overwhelmed or struggling with anxiety.

During their most recent event, students came together to start their own “journaling journey”. Participants had the opportunity to make their own journals and, once completed, follow specific prompts to guide them through a self-explorative journey.

Later this semester, Art Flow plans to collaborate with OU students and administration to create a community graffiti mural for the campus. They also plan to work with another arts-focused student group, the Petrel Poet Society, to co-host a live demonstration and group discussion about the benefits of art as a creative outlet. 

Oglethorpe students work on art projects.

Student group Art Flow plans meditative art projects for Oglethorpe students.

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