Columbia students and alumni transformed the 5th floor of the Student Center to showcase their talent, network within the community and learn the fundamentals of selling art at conventions for their annual Illustration and Krafts Festival.
The free, two-day event, which is open to the public started Friday, Feb. 14 and runs through Saturday, Feb. 15. The hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Since 2019, INK Fest, run by the Illustration Student Group, has become one of the college’s largest student-led events that is open to the public. This year, senior illustration and animation major Kayla Wood said an estimated 500 people were expected to visit based on ticket reservations. That number excludes Columbia students, faculty and staff.
According to Wood, this attendance number is record-breaking for INK Fest.
“Working on this event is always like a huge passion project for all of us at ISG,” Wood said. “I’m super super excited to see people’s responses.”
Although in previous years it was held in April, ISG decided to move the event to February due to the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo scheduling their convention during that time.
Gus Kelsey, ISG president and senior illustration major, said even though the event was held earlier, the group managed to pull off more than they did last year. They increased the number of artists, ordered t-shirts and merchandise, along with providing catered food for those participating.
Angela Kalish, a senior graphic design major who had a table at INK Fest for a second year, said getting ready for an event like this can be a long process for artists.
Student applications to reserve a table began in September, and they were asked to provide portfolio work for review. The decisions were released in early November, with about 98 artists scheduled to participate this year.
Many began preparing as soon as they were accepted by gathering supplies, finishing artworks and placing orders. Several said they also used Columbia’s Digital Print Center and Makerspace during the process, in addition to other outsourced websites, for ordering specific merchandise.
Students also said that the past couple weeks have been especially busy as they received deliveries, cut prints and stickers, organized their artwork, made last-minute adjustments to their displays and packed everything for safe transport.
The sales are processed through ShopColumbia, which partners with ISG so that students do not have to obtain a business license. The shop collects 25% on sales by students and 50% on sales by alumni.
Despite the demanding commitment required to participate in an event like this, Kalish said it is a good chance to build confidence in her skills and her work.
She now participates in several art conventions around Chicago throughout the year, which she credits to the experience she gained during last year’s INK Fest.
“How cool it is that we have the opportunity to do something like that with our school, that the ISG board has worked so hard every single year to keep it running and to make sure it happens?” Kalish said. “It’s really cool to see what the community at this school can come together to do.”
Kristi Beltran, director of Student Engagement and Leadership, said that INK Fest being entirely run by student leaders is what makes the event so unique.
“Of course they have the support of so many staff and faculty on campus, but looking around at what a huge impact this has and the opportunity it gives young artists here on campus, the fact that students are helping their peers and each other do this is my favorite thing,” Beltran said.
Kelsey said ISG continues to make INK Fest an annual priority because “It gives students a platform to start their creative journey.”
Alumni Em Guczal has been participating in the event since 2019 and returned to continue selling his work this year as well.
“It’s definitely helped me grow as an artist and learn my markets in a very stress free way,” he said.
Guczal is glad to continue sharing his artwork on campus, even in his post-grad life.
Alumni Ariana Hernandez also returned to the festival to be a part of this year’s event. She said she was excited to meet new artists and spoke about the opportunity that INK Fest presents for their early career.
“It was such a good gateway for me to start tabling and it really helped me understand what I needed to do better and what I wanted to do better,” she said. “I think because of INK Fest, I was able to table at other stuff too.”
Hernandez said that the environment ISG has created within this event is one of the best ways to share art with everybody, and advised that “If you’re trying to look for local artists, this is the place to go.”
Junior illustration major El Carrel tabled at INK Fest for the second year and said they loved the community aspect of the event.
“I think INK Fest is a great opportunity, not only to learn, but also to meet people,” Carrel said.
Alexia Tsengouras, a senior cultural studies major, said that she enjoyed seeing the creativity of the students.
“It’s cool to see the talent within your own community,” she said. “We get to really show that we are an arts school and that’s what we prioritize here.”
Copy edited by Patience Hurston
