The Art History Club kicked off Valentine’s day weekend with a vibrant evening of crafts and community on Friday, Feb. 13. Students gathered to learn about the origins of Valentine’s day, Cupid as a symbol and the impact of the Victorian era on visual culture today. Art History Club president, Madeline Koory (‘27), also elaborated on the revived club’s goals in an interview with the Acorn.
The event started with an informative presentation on the history of Saint Valentine, Valentine’s day and Victorian influence on fashion and film costuming today. A notable point was how much we are seeing a Victorian-style corset in both women’s and men’s fashion.
Afterwards, students jumped right into crafting the perfect valentines for their friends and partners. The club provided all sorts of creative materials, including markers, colored paper, printed out cherub decorations and embroidery thread in every color for bracelet making.
Through the event, Koory hoped to address questions such as, “Why do Valentine’s cards look a certain way? Why is this lacy aesthetic [common]? Why do we use Cupid in Valentine’s day [decorations]?” We can learn a lot from these things we do not typically think about, by connecting with others and parsing out this information.
Koory said, “I think it’s really valuable to be engaged with our visual culture.” She suggested we should question the meanings of symbols, and understand them beyond our implicit meaning. Through creating more interest towards art history, Koory said, the club hopes to “get people to see the fact that visual culture impacts everything.”
Another hope Koory expressed for the club was to increase access for students to interact with arts in New York City. “The barrier of public [transportation] is very high…so any way that we can use our resources at Drew to mitigate that cost for students is something we aim to do,” said Koory. For art and art history majors, going to art museums in New York is a regular occurrence, but that experience is also valuable for non-majors and should also be as accessible.
The club is hoping to improve this access through group trips to experience art in the city. Keep your eye out for their upcoming trip to the Whitney Museum of Art on April 11. They are currently gauging interest to get a group deal on tickets. To stay updated with art history club events and art museum trips, follow their Instagram page @drewarthistoryclub.
Jaden Finn is a sophomore majoring in environmental science and minoring in chemistry & theatre arts.
