As an opening reception for the CUB’s newest art exhibition, Student Entertainment Board (SEB) hosts an artist event known as Sketch Wednesday. Sketch Wednesdays happen the Wednesday after the opening of the exhibition, complete with a disc jockey and a mock-tail bar.

The event features student and local artists working in the display area of the artwork in the CUB. These artists create small-scale works directly in front of the public and sell to patrons.

“It’s called Sketch Wednesday because they are things that would fit in a sketchbook,” said Jonathan Matteson, SEB’s CUB Gallery Programmer.

Most of the artists work in 2-D, including ink, pen, pencil, and acrylic. Some artists work with other materials like cloth and yarn.

Sketch Wednesdays started in 2013 with a past SEB programmer and has been able to continue due to its traction gained from public attendance. Typically, about 100 people attend each Sketch Wednesday, Matteson said.

“For SEB, it’s a great way for us to get people to come and see the new exhibitions in the gallery,” Matterson said.

The featured exhibition is called Architecture of Air, showcasing photos from WSU photographer Shelly Hanks. Some may remember from last year the large, colorful inflated structure from Architect of Air, a structure students could walk through.

Hanks documented the experience, and SEB selected photos to be shown in the exhibition. The showcase is a good way to lead into Architect of Air, returning later this month, Matteson said.

What Matteson enjoys most is seeing the public’s interaction with the artists at the event, and opening that discussion about the artist’s work in the context of the gallery.

“We are looking for ways to expand this successful program to other campuses,” he said.

Sketch Wednesday run from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. There are going to be three other Sketch Wednesdays this semester. Artists who want to sign up can find an artist registration form on SEB’s CougSync page.

Reporting by Catherine Kruse