“If you like to feast upon art with your eyes, it’s very good,” said Chi Alpha staff member Shannon Roberts when asked to describe Sketch Wednesdays.

This event is an opening reception for new exhibits in the CUB Gallery, which interchange monthly throughout the school year. The previous Sketch Wednesday was on Jan. 22, showcasing student photography from the Outdoor Recreation Center. The next Sketch Wednesday will be on Feb. 19, featuring the theme “Reinterpreting Reality.”

Supported by the Student Entertainment Board (SEB) and organized by CUB Gallery Programmer Kendra Alexson, Sketch Wednesday brings together artists from around WSU and the community to show off their artwork.

“We work with a lot of departments on campus,” Alexson said. “Everything has to be planned out far in advance.”

Students and faculty at WSU know SEB for their Up All Nights, small scale concerts, open mics and more. Their focus is to bring high caliber entertainment for students while doing their best to meet demands and keep up to date on what’s current.

“My favorite part is that we provide something for everybody on campus,” said Joey Towslee, SEB’s Associate Director. “Even if we haven’t done it in the past doesn’t mean we can’t do it in the future.”

This semester’s opening reception included refreshments, a DJ and artists selling some of their work such as knitted scarves and hand sewn creatures.

Danica Wixom, a WSU graduate, drew side profiles of anyone who would volunteer. “I love talking to people while doing the portrait. It’s a challenge, but fun to get to know the person.”

Wixom and Roberts are both artists from the Pullman community who have experience with Sketch Wednesday. Roberts has eight years of knitting practice making headbands, scarves, hats, and washcloths. Wixom has experience with portraits and figurative art, working with watercolor paintings and mixed media. Both artists recommend coming to Sketch Wednesdays if people have the time.

“If you’re an artist, definitely participate,” Wixom said. For aspiring artists, she said, “There’s no wrong way to do art. That’s the greatness of art, is that it’s a free way to explore and express.”

The Jan. 22 Sketch Wednesday played host to the Fine Arts 110 students, who came to the event to practice their gesture drawing. A simple form of sketching, it requires outlines of people rather than the details. Caity Ellesmere-Jones, one of the students and a WSU senior, said Sketch Wednesday was better than she originally anticipated.

“I wasn’t expecting this vast array of different arts,” Ellesmere-Jones said. “I know Kendra works hard to put these on and it’s nice to see it a success.” Ellesmere-Jones also recommends Sketch Wednesday, but she said time might be an issue as the event runs from 3-5 p.m.

The ORC photographs will remain in the CUB Gallery for the next few weeks.