Westm is a campus ministry near the OSU campus that welcomes students of all backgrounds, especially international students, non traditional students, and marginalized students, to come together for weekly dinners and other social events. I began working as the Artist in Residence here at the start of the pandemic, and helped re-cultivate their community by coordinating events and generating advertising.
The most frequently attended events at Westm are the Tuesday Stone Soup meals and the weekly Wednesday vegetarian dinner. At Stone Soup on Tuesdays, students are given an opportunity to put together meals for hungry folks. At veggie dinners on Wednesdays, hungry students meet up to enjoy a dinner with friends and classmates. I designed two posters for these events that are used around campus on indoor digital advertising displays.
I designed quarter sheet flyers to hand out to students on campus for our Wednesday dinner, and also special events like our Fall term apple cider pressing. My main goal was to communicate the information about the event as clear and straightforward as possible so students could easily find out how to get involved.
On occasion I took photographs for sharing on our social media. This photo is being used to advertise our Tea Room study space. Students have access to hot tea, cider, and a place to sit and work on homework either indoors or outdoors.
Westm also delivers tea to students on campus with our Westm tea cart. I designed and constructed these boards to be fastened onto the cart that holds the tea supplies. The board has a laminated sheet of paper for folks to write on with any upcoming events, and it can be erased and rewritten depending on any changes coming up.
My experience at Westm was a unique one because I had the opportunity to shape my own role as a student voice and also as an artist. I was often given free reign to come up with these art projects around the building and help wherever was needed. It was also enriching to share in a spiritual community that could appreciate my individuality and talents.