On Thursday, the Art and Design club’s Vitamin D(esign) Spring Art Event brought a lively crowd of artists and other students alike for their art show on the Vance Green at Central Connecticut State University.

Club president Christy Jackson said that the biggest priority for the event was creating a space where students felt comfortable sharing and creating art.

“We wanted to bring everyone together and really encourage them to see art, do art, and realize they have a place here,” she said. “There’s a lot of people who feel like they don’t belong in the art scene, especially young people and people of color.”

The show featured 13 student artists, three guest artists, and musical guests, Don Minott and the High Voltage Reggae Band.

The Art and Design club set the event up so that attendees could walk through the space and see each artist’s work as they make their way through the venue. This path led straight to the free ice cream stand from Frisbee’s Dairy Barn and ended with tables set up to allow attendees to create their art and enjoy live music.

The club also set up a voting system, where attendees could drop a raffle ticket at the table of whichever artist they liked the best. At the end of the event, the club announced “Best in Show” to be Raya Pons, the first runner up to be Kenzie Costello, and the second runner up to be Anyssa Lopez.

Marlon Blackwood, the club’s secretary, said this voting system was meant to add some intrigue but mostly to bring spirit to the event.

“We wanted to make it fun,” he said.

Blackwood said he wanted to help pull this event together to create a safe space for any student with artistic ability to explore their work and gain confidence in showing it.

“It’s for all of us, for all younger artists to get the experience of showing their work,” he said. “Because now, when they get out here, all of that nervousness and fear and the anxiety, all of its gone because you’re on your campus, with your friends listening to good music.”

Neyja Altimarino, a student artist, featured at the event, said that she loved the opportunity to show her work on campus.

“It helps you figure out what kind of artist you are,” she said.

Altimarino said she was happy to be surrounded by her peers.

“I think it’s really fun, especially since you get to see what other students are doing and you get kind of inspired,” she said.

Jenesis Miranda, the Student Activities/Leadership Development Program Advisor for the club, said that she was impressed by the club’s tenacity in planning the event. She had never seen an art show of this kind at CCSU.

“This is the first time it’s being tackled, especially on such a wide level,” she said.

Miranda said bringing in artists and performers from the local New Britain community made the event into a wide-reaching, impactful event in and outside of the campus community.

She said the focus on students and learning made the event unique, though.

“They took it a step further by making it about students and everyone learning about art and how to be an artist, and doing it in a way they feel comfortable,” she said.