The Ebony Social Women for Change hosted a Paint Your Favorite Female Artist event on Monday. The room filled almost immediately with dozens of excited students eagerly waiting to use their creativity to portray their favorite artists.
Upon entering the event, students were offered two types of canvases to choose from to use for their artwork, stretched canvases or canvas panels, before being directed to tables lined with paint, water and paintbrushes to begin.
People were instructed to paint their favorite female artists, the artist’s album cover or even just an influential woman that they look up to. Some of the most popular options included Billie Eilish, SZA and Taylor Swift.
Everyone there was able to enjoy themselves, expressing their love for some of their favorite artists.
“This is such a fun experience …. Very fun,” said Emily Ferri, a freshman psychology major. “I got to paint my favorite artist, Billie Eilish!”
This social event allowed everyone there to talk about who they look up to and why. Recognizing the accomplishments of female artists at a time when the messages that they share can spread much more quickly than in the past.
The effects that female artists have on their audiences is almost unmatched — artists such Taylor Swift are constantly speaking up about love and acceptance, even having so much of an effect that voter registration increased for the 2024 U.S. presidential election after she made a post on Instagram.
“Eilish has been my favorite female artist since 2017 because I found her music to be relatable and different from other music that was released at the time.” Ferri said. “I first discovered her song ‘Lovely,’ which brought me down a rabbit hole of her other music.”
This event came at the perfect time, taking place in the middle of Women’s Herstory Month here at Ramapo.
On their way out of the event, students were asked to have their photos taken with their work. The event lasted around an hour and all of the art came out looking fantastic. Be sure to look out for future events done by the Ebony Social Women for Change.
rcassio@ramapo.edu
Featured photo by Riley Cassio
