Student artists make sales at Art Craft fair: Partial proceeds given to the Jeneba Project through the IAC

Posted by Sandy Zhang

On Friday, April 1st, the International Affairs Club hosted an Art Craft sale for the second time this year. The fair, which took place in Case Center, featured works by more than 12 students.

The fair was part of a larger effort by the IAC to raise awareness and funds for the Jeneba Project.

Founded by alums Joseph Kaifala and Peter Brock, the Jeneba Project focuses on reconstruction efforts in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea through educational projects such as school building and scholarship grants for girls.

The success of the first Art Craft fair had motivated the IAC and student artists to organize and participate in a second one. The first fair had raised more than $500 for the Jeneba Project.

Issac Chansky '13, a member of the IAC and an organizer of the event, expected this fair to raise even more money than the previous, because there were more students participating.

The club now plans to organize an Art Craft fair every semester. The Art Craft fair was originally created out of a want from student artists to sell their works.

"We started off wanting to sell rings, and another student from printmaking also wanted to sell their art. Then, eventually, we partnered up with the International Affairs Club," said Rebecca Donner '12, who was selling silver and copper rings.

The financial arrangement between the IAC and students selling their works was that 30 percent of all sales would go toward the Jeneba Project and the student keeps the remaining 70 percent.

Student sellers thought this policy was fair. Ripley Sager, a junior art major, sold lithographic prints. "I'm definitely comfortable with the 30/70 split," he said.

"I did pretty well. I was very happy with how the whole sale went. I was definitely impressed with how every one of my peers did, and I was impressed by the turnout of students to buy student art," Sager said regarding the first Art Craft fair.

For Sager, the Art Craft fair is the chief avenue he uses to sell his work.

For others, like Kelsey Cioffi, a sophomore majoring in art, the Art Craft fair is the only sales option. Cioffi sold hats and headbands that she made.

"I've given them out for free to a lot of friends before. I haven't thought about selling them until last year when somebody mentioned that they had craft fairs and I thought that'd be a good option," Cioffi said.

"I've been trying to keep them relatively cheap so people will buy them. The only thing that really matters to me is that I can make back the money I actually put into them," she explained about setting the prices.

A first time participant in the fair was the Photo Club, which sold photos that were taken by students. The Photo Club was happy to have an additional setting to sell student works, in addition to other opportunities that they have had such as Celebration Weekend, Accepted Students Day and Club Fairs.

Other items sold at the fair included drawings, handmade bowls, T-shirts, handmade iPod sleeves and bowls made out of vinyl records.