Trine students help Revive Art in Steuben County

An upcoming community art show that two Trine University marketing majors helped develop not only promotes creativity, but sustainability.

"Steuben County's Art Revival: Donate, Discover, Delight," will take place from May 23 to June 1 at the Steuben Arts Scene, 101 W. Maumee St., Angola.

Vicki Thompson, president of the Steuben Arts Scene, collaborated with Kaia Donay, a senior from Coldwater, Michigan, and Emma Kioski, a junior from Angola, to put the show together.

Steuben County's Art Revival promotes sustainability and enriches the local artistic landscape by repurposing donated art and art supplies.

Donated art from Steuben County residents will be available for purchase, with proceeds directly supporting the Steuben Arts Scene's vision of providing art exhibits, classes and opportunities for local artists.

Using their project management and marketing skills, the students helped organize and develop a plan to promote the show. They proposed a system for accepting diverse art and art supplies from community members and developed a marketing plan to promote a donated art sale.

"We're thrilled to partner with Trine University's students on Steuben County's Art Revival. Their fresh ideas and project management skills have been invaluable in bringing this event to life,” said Thompson. “This art sale is a fantastic opportunity to promote sustainability, engage the community, and build awareness for the vibrant artistic scene here in Steuben County."

Linda Cooper, assistant professor in Trine’s Ketner School of Business (KSB), assigned the project, and Debbie Richard, assistant professor and chair of KSB, played a key role in connecting the students with Thompson. The collaboration provided a valuable real-world experience for Donay and Kioski, allowing them to apply their classroom knowledge to a project that benefits the community.

"This project wasn't just about completing an assignment; it was about making a real difference in our community,” said Kioski.

“Seeing how our project management skills directly contribute to Steuben County's Art Revival made the coursework, like planning the logistics of the art show, incredibly rewarding and relevant," Donay commented.

The Steuben Arts Scene is a non-profit organization formed to inspire, nurture and enrich lives through the arts. Youth and adult art class schedules for 2024 are posted online at steubenartsscene.org.

For more information, visit steubenartscene.org or Steuben Arts Scene on Facebook.