By Zoe DeFazio, Asst. Arts and Entertainment editor
Last week, Sanctus Artem made Friday night plans with artists and art enjoyers alike.
Sanctus Artem, Manhattan College’s art club, held an art show on Nov. 4 in Thomas Hall’s student lounge. Many students from various majors came together to showcase their own art and gab about the meaning behind the canvas.
Sabrina Beharry, president of Sanctus Artem discussed the significance of having an art club at Manhattan College.
“Our mission is to create a safe space for an inclusive environment for anyone with the love for art. No experience is necessary. So it’s open to anyone of all different skill sets. We usually do visual art sessions, but sometimes we focus on photography, poetry, and things like that,” Beharry said.
Sanctus Artem’s art show has been running since 2017 but took a brief break due to COVID-19 implications. The club got back on its feet as students returned to campus last year, and with the help of many students, the art show lives on.
“We tried to bring [the art show] back. Craig [Chambers] and I kind of revived it, along with Heather Sandler. We basically just wanted to bring it back because we missed the space on campus,” Beharry said.
Beharry continued by explaining how Sanctus Artem works and how grateful she is for Chambers, who serves as vice president.
“Craig Chambers is vice president, and all of our roles are kind of the same, we usually get supplies for the club. We think of club meetings. We go through reimbursement, like all the technical things at the club. We lead the meetings,” said Beharry.
The Sanctus Artem board’s hard work paid off at the art show. Many forms of art were showcased around the lounge, such as paintings, pen drawings, mini sculptures, and poetry.
Liam Gayron, a freshman mechanical engineering student, is no stranger to visual arts. Gayron has been taking art classes since his sophomore year of high school. Since then, he has been able to continue his passion for art at Manhattan College.
Gayron showcased many of his paintings, most of which used oil-based paint.
“The [painting] with the eye is probably my favorite,” Gayron said. “It’s a little recliner with a TV with a big yellow eye on it. That’s probably my favorite one. And it’s actually titled something along the lines of ‘There’s No Deeper Meaning To This,’ because it’s like a TV with an eye on it, and it’s something that I think most people would read into because it looks weird.”
Mario Mingone, junior biology student is also a part of Sanctus Artem and is thrilled with the work his peers have helped create.
“I definitely want to thank Sabrina and Craig [Chambers], for helping set this up. Because I know that they’ve worked really hard. And we’ve all worked really hard to get the submissions and get the location and get everything in order,” Mingone said.
Students such as Megan Sack have art that consists of digital work. Beharry describes Sack’s work as a form of calmness and free expression.
“I feel like our school isn’t known for the arts, but it’s this presence on campus and the turnout today shows how much people appreciate it. So we just wanted to create that type of space,” said Beharry.
Sanctus Artem is open to any student. For more information contact sanctus.artem@manhattan.edu.