On Friday, September 5, beginning at 6 p.m. in Café Rachel and the Chatham University Art Gallery in Woodland Hall, the Office of Student Activities along with Dots and Doodle’s hosted “Mocktails, Cocktails, and Canvas”. This event invited students to enjoy delicious drinks from Café Rachel while painting canvases under the direction of the Dots and Doodle’s staff.

When asked why the Office of Student Activities decided to host the event, Hallie Arena, assistant director of Student Affairs, said that previous, similar events received good reviews and were greatly enjoyed by students, and the same could be expected for the event this time.

The event was set up mostly in the Art Gallery (connected to Café Rachel), with light refreshments set up in the Café. Each person who registered on my.chatham was given a seat and a canvas with a rough outline of a flower traced in pencil.

Throughout the evening, the Dots and Doodle’s staff gave guests step-by-step instructions on how to paint his or her canvas to look similar to the model—an abstract painted flower, consisting, appropriately, of many dots and lines, as well as an array of bright colors.

Attendees were also given vouchers for Café Rachel, allowing them to purchase one to two drinks of their choice to enjoy while painting their canvas. As previously mentioned, a table of free refreshments (such as homemade potato chips, raw vegetables, and a variety of dips) was set up in an adjoining room.

The event was, as expected, a success, giving participants the opportunity to get creative with their painting, take home a great decoration, as well as make new friends. Senior Ashley Trainor said, “It was so much fun to sit at a table where I knew no one…once we began painting, we were all laughing and joking with each other.” Trainor then went on to say, “I’m so glad I went to this event, and I hope Chatham invites them back again.”

Part of the success of the event could be attributed to the popularity of similar events around the city. Also a factor in the success is websites such as Groupon and LivingSocial, which make events such as these not only a possibility, but also makes them affordable for organizations such as the Office of Student Affairs.

The greatest appeal, however, to this form of art and this kind of event is the concept as a whole. The direction from the Dots and Doodle’s staff makes painting the canvas flower simple, not only for those who have artistic skills to begin with, but also those who may never have taken an art class or painted a canvas.

The simplicity of the pieces that the staff chooses allows students to feel confident in the possibility that they could recreate it, as the concept of painting dots and lines is one that most people can grasp.

Overall, the event was a success, and many attendees are already looking forward to Chatham’s hosting of another, similar event sometime in the future.