{"id":69865,"date":"2025-12-23T15:57:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T23:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/?p=69865"},"modified":"2025-12-23T15:57:56","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T23:57:56","slug":"what-is-an-art-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/features\/what-is-an-art-club\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is An Art Club And How To Start One"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two years ago I sat at a coffee shop surrounded by strangers making things. One was drawing desert flora and fauna with crayons and markers in an open sketchbook. There was someone knitting, and another embroidering a jacket. Another was carefully watercoloring a barrel cactus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d just moved to this desert town and the outing was my first introduction to it. I knew none of these artists, but had somehow ended up at this gathering by invite from a friend of a friend. I tentatively retrieved my own sketchbook and drew beside them, wondering if my sketches were good enough to permit my admission to the group, which they lovingly called Art Club. Was I an artist like these guys?<\/em> I wondered to myself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Was I an artist like these guys?<\/em> I wondered to myself.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

They met each Wednesday morning for two hours and simply sat together making things and chatting. The conversations ranged from local community gossip to sharing techniques for a specific craft to learning each other\u2019s quirks and pasts. Despite my insecurity, I showed up to Art Club each week. It became a part of my routine and the strangers became my close friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I realized that not only was Art Club a way to connect with people that have similar hobbies as mine, but that making art together was a conduit for building inner confidence, expanding my creativity, and alleviating isolation through connection to my community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is an art club?\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you google \u201cArt Club\u201d you\u2019ll likely find a mix of prestigious clubs affiliated with universities and museums in major cities and organized workshops at local community centers. I\u2019ve found that attending a workshop or traditional club can feel alienating or intimidating, especially for those who may not have any experience in the arts. Though these types of programs are wonderful resources, an art club that people make in small communities returns us to a time when gatherings happened naturally in third spaces<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“An art club that people make in small communities returns us to a time when gatherings happened naturally in third spaces.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The art club I\u2019m proposing is a self-founded group of friends or acquaintances that gather weekly with a shared purpose of making art together. The art includes any craft done by hand. Consider the projects you worked on in art class in elementary school. Those are the activities that make up an art club: Drawing, painting, sewing, collaging, beading, and sculpting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There\u2019s only one rule: There are no prerequisites <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Starting an art club requires no skills. You only need a desire to make.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you always wanted to sew your own clothes? Try embroidering your name on an old shirt. Are you prone to doodling in the margins of your notes? Get a sketchbook and pencil to capture your ramblings. Do you collect receipts, notes, and odds and ends for memories? Try collaging them into a journal. Do you love to wear funky jewelry? Get some beads and make a necklace of your own design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Starting an art club requires no skills. You only need a desire to make.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I have friends who wouldn\u2019t call themselves artists and might even say they\u2019re not creative. My response to that is always that creativity is innate, but it often takes patience to sift out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though I grew up with an artist-mother and attended art classes my entire life, I still found it intimidating to join a group of others making art. I noticed my insecurity telling me I wasn\u2019t skilled enough when I joined Art Club. But slowly those insecurities went away as I realized kind, supportive, and inspiring humans surrounded me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My fellow Art Club-ers witnessed my creative blocks and encouraged me to push through them and continue making even when I was frustrated. When I didn\u2019t know how to use a certain tool or start a new project, there was someone there ready to help me tackle it or share their knowledge on the subject. When I made something that I was really proud of, they celebrated with me, saying, \u201cIt\u2019s been in you all along.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Through this weekly witnessing of friends, I grew in confidence.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Through this weekly witnessing of friends, I grew in confidence, learning that being with each other in the creative process is the whole point of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This witnessing also expanded my creativity. By allowing others to see my work, I was able to request their feedback, talk through ideas, and learn my own brand of weird. Similarly, seeing what others were making and their processes expanded the way I saw and approached my own work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why art clubs are a balm to loneliness<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Art Club is the thing I didn\u2019t know I had been missing. As many adults learn after graduating from college, I realized how difficult it is to grow a community and find like-minded friends outside the four-year bubble of a college campus. And now, online spaces are exacerbating our struggle with connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Health Organization recently released a global report<\/a> revealing the impact of loneliness on lifespan. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said, \u201cIn this age when the possibilities to connect are endless, more and more people are finding themselves isolated and lonely.” The report shows that social connection is the solution to loneliness and is linked to improved health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIn this age when the possibilities to connect are endless, more and more people are finding themselves isolated and lonely.”<\/p>\n\u2013 Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We hold Art Club at a local coffee shop, which has promoted a deeper connection to my local community. It\u2019s there that I learn about events happening in my city, how politics are impacting the people around me, and what each friend in my group is going through that week (and how we can support each other).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to start your own art club\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

So, how do you begin an art club of your own? Here\u2019s my step-by-step guide to starting a successful art club.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Create an Invite List<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Start with one other person. The Art Club I joined began with two people. The founding member was at a coffee shop and noticed a stranger at another table flipping through an art book. They went up to the stranger and explained that they missed the days when people would gather at coffee shops without computers to talk, sketch, and write. They asked if she would be interested in meeting once a week to make art together. She was, and so Art Club was born. Slowly, the group grew as people formed connections and other acquaintances wandered up to join (I being one of them). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Start with one other person.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This past summer, I spent a few months in a different state. While there temporarily, I started an art club in order to maintain my routine and connect with people in the community I was living in. I invited some old friends and new acquaintances (one being a barista at the coffee shop I frequented).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your invite list can start with a friend group you already have, an acquaintance whom you\u2019ve always had a good vibe with, or even a family member you love and trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Pick a location<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I recommend a public location, especially if you are meeting with people you may not know well. A local coffee shop or a library with plenty of sitting room works great. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Set a time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Choose a time that regularly works for you. The art club I attend is always on Wednesday mornings at the same start time and lasts for about two hours. If you don\u2019t have flexible work hours and you know your invite list doesn\u2019t either, choose a weekend or evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The consistency of timing is important in establishing the routine of the club. I highly recommend keeping to a set schedule and sustaining that schedule as the founder of the group in order for your art club to become a non-negotiable activity in your schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Start with a focus and provide materials<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you or your group have never made art or are intimidated by starting, I recommend beginning with a curated project or focus. Here are a few ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n