OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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Support the Friends of the OSU Craft Center, and make a gift!
Students do love crafting, but unfortunately most of them are also broke! Any donations go towards supplies to keep them happily making things.
Your help rejuvenated our crochet club with a vengeance. Students have so many choices now! In addition to learning for free during our crochet circle, they can come in any time and start a project. It can be so easy to forget that $5 in supply costs can make the difference in whether students can try a new hobby.
I work in a Craft Center and have taught art for years, but let me tell you: Gen Z is a crafty bunch! It makes my Gen X heart warm to see them in a group, crocheting and chatting away.
This year we also received a significant donation of glass, which meant that students could learn stained glass without purchasing any! And stained glass is BIG right now. Without that donation, there is no way that most of our budding stained-glass artists would have been able to learn. Thank you thank you thank you.
To our community of support: I can't thank you enough. Please know what a difference you have made for students <3.
We do regular surveys and assessments to make sure we are doing what we need to. When asked about the impact that free materials had on students' ability to participate, I already knew it made an impact, but I didn't know what a BIG impact it is! Jaw droppingly big. If you ever wonder whether your old materials will be appreciated, please know that they will be. We can't afford fancy paints or brushes for them, but students are really grateful just to be able to come in, ask for whatever paint we have, and work on a project.
Some of what we regularly hand out and always need:
Each of our studios requires specialized equipment, some of which we have been fortunate to receive from generous community members and alumni. These gifts have made a difference in students' lives and learning outcomes. If you have ideas, supplies, or a specific medium that has meaning for you and that you would love to support our students in their own creative endeavors with, please email either the Director, Susan Bourque at [email protected], or the Assistant Director, Angela Purviance at [email protected].