With finals week quickly approaching, the night of Nov. 17 seemed like a perfect opportunity for Whitworth students to relax and step away from their studies and looming to-do lists.  

Craft and Relax Night, an annual Whitworth event hosted by ASWU, provides students with the opportunity to take a break and relax with friends while engaging in their favorite art activities or experimenting with new ones.  

Student attendee, sophomore Anastasia Tischenko expressed, “I’ve always wanted to try embroidery and now I finally get to.” 

At 8 p.m., students poured into the Hixson Union Building (HUB) Multipurpose Room (MPR) to find a whole array of craft activities, including modeling clay, paintable pots, embroidery kits, acrylic art sets, relaxation coloring books and design-your-own-tote kits. Throughout the evening, students sampled mini-Bundt cakes and juice to enjoy while they crafted.  

Freshman Cheyenne Kapua enjoyed the event. “I found out about this event from one of my friends in Ballard and [I] am glad I came because it’s been really fun and relaxing,” she said. 

Grace Johnson, ASWU campus activities coordinator, planned the event. “Apart from a fun, new art piece, I hope students took away that it is important to take time to do things that help relieve stress and raise your spirits, especially amongst the busyness of classes and work,” she said. “It can be hard to do that at times, but I hope that this was beneficial in seeing that even an hour of your time spent painting or making a craft can be fulfilling for your mental health.”