Art-A-Fair sparks flame for art education career

Every student remembers the special moment that sparked their path to higher education.

For Elysa Christensen, it was attending MSUM’s Art-A-Fair.

MSUM’s Art-A-Fair is an annual art celebration that features an exhibit and workshops for high school students. Their art is featured in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts Gallery, where a panel of professors jury the exhibition for the best artists to receive prize money. The Art-A-Fair also features a collaborative public art project for the community to get involved in.

As a college senior, Elysa remembers the unique opportunity to showcase her sculpture work as a high schooler.

“I got to see my work in a professional setting, which is something I had never done before,” she says.

Art-A-Fair offers high school students a chance to see how they can stretch their visual talents through MSUM's art program. From photography to ceramics, students are exposed to a wide variety of creative fields to immerse themselves in.

“There were branches of art I had never even thought of doing before," she says. “It was amazing to tour the upper-level studio spaces.”

Attending MSUM engulfed Elysa in a strong community. She's become close with her professors and continues to build her portfolio.

“The professors get to know you very well,” she says. “I don’t even have to set up office hours to meet with them, I can just walk in and say hi.”

Outside of the classroom, Elysa is involved as a resident assistant. She gets creative with activity nights for students in the residence halls as well as decorating the floor’s lounge.

Elysa has brought her interest in MSUM’s art department full circle by leading an information session at this year’s Art-A-Fair. She will answer questions on her experiences as an MSUM art education major. She wants students to get the full experience through the fair as she did when she was in high school.

“Being a part of the Art-a-Fair sparked my desire to attend MSUM,” she says.

You can enjoy MSUM’s Art-A-Fair Jan. 10-27. Find more details at: mnstate.edu/academics/colleges-schools/art/art-a-fair/