DANIEL KIM
STAFF WRITER
Student Creative Arts Network is a Franciscan University club for students who are interested in creating anything artistic from graphic design to independent film.
Student Creative Arts Network is a relatively new club, having been created only last year. Patrick Harris who graduated in May 2015 was its founder and president. Monica Recto took over the role of president last fall.
Recto described the club by saying, “It is an avenue communication art students as well as students who are not communication majors to come together and be creative.”
Recto said, “There is studio time. There are special projects, and we will be having a workshop every month.”
Student Creative Arts Network has two studio times during the week, and students are welcome to come and learn new skills from older members or work on their own projects, said Recto. At the core of the club’s mission is work sharing and feedback, she said.
“For studio time, it’s just a place for people to sit down together and show people what they are working on, gather feedback, ask each other if they can teach skills that they might not have been able to learn themselves,” said Recto.
She said that some of the skills being taught are Adobe Photoshop, Flash and movie editors, among others.
Apart from studio time when students share resources and ideas, Student Creative Arts Network also has special projects each semester, one of which is Catholic New Generation, said Recto.
Franciscan students who are involved with it make three YouTube videos a week, teaching about the Catholic faith through small skits, she said.
There is also the Blackboard Redesign Project about which Recto said, “We will be doing a study of user experience of Blackboard.”
Recto said that this project is partnered with Joe Foyle and the distance learning department.
There will also be workshops open to all students who are interested.
“Topics for the workshop vary,” Recto said. “We will have (a) workshop for how to be a YouTuber, how to use Aftereffect, how to do hand lettering, how to do Illustrator.”
Student Creative Arts Network offers a range of different resources for the students who are interested but inexperienced with tools for creative projects, she said.
Recto said, “We are trying to form a creative learning community. There are no requirements as long as you are fully committed to learning.”
Recto shared her thought that anything is possible by saying, “Even if it’s something outside of class you are interested in, if it’s something you want to learn.”
She said, “What’s important is that when you do come to the sessions, you bring something you want to learn and some sort of medium to express.”
Student Creative Arts Network meets in the J.C. Williams’ pub area every week on Tuesday at 9 a.m. and Thursday at 9 p.m.