Reshaping Form, Hofstra's art club
Photo courtesy of Kelly Elkowitz and Beauvoire Jean-Charles
After the COVID-19 pandemic hit the club hard, Form Club is restarting at Hofstra’s own Calkins Hall.
James Lee, professor of fine arts, design and history and the faculty advisor for Form, kept the club alive as much as possible during the pandemic but said that Form will always be student run and designed. While Lee said that he kept Form from “falling away” the past year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic by keeping the gallery and installation aspects of the club alive, he gives all the credit to the student artists who contributed their work and kept creating amidst the chaos.
Earlier this semester, Lee brought the idea of possibly restoring the club to its full glory to his advanced painters. Kelly Elkowitz, a junior fine arts major and Beauvoire Jean-Charles, a sophomore health science and fine arts major, were two out of the group who felt passionate about turning Form into something great.
Since the club was placed in the hands of Elkowitz and Jean-Charles they have been working to spring their ideas into action, jumpstart the art community at Hofstra and create a welcoming space for students to join in and learn more about art.
Elkowitz and Jean-Charles are the acting president and vice president. They have already rewritten the club’s constitution, shaping what they want Form to be about. Their goal for the club is to create a safe space for all majors to participate and tap into their creative minds.
Form aims to become a safe and focused, yet informal space for art outside of the classroom environment. Its basic goal is to be an artistic community for all majors. Elkowitz said she is excited to bring an artistic community back on campus.
“We have a city overflowing with art in our back pocket,” Elkowitz said. Elkowitz and Jean-Charles hope to take advantage of New York City’s art world. For one of the first club events, Elkowitz and Jean-Charles plan to have a New York City trip to an art gallery. They feel that will draw the attention of students interested in the art world to join Form Club.
“Another thing I hope to show is that art goes beyond traditional mediums,” Jean-Charles said. Jean-Charles hopes to achieve this by incorporating unusual and unique mediums into Form’s meetings, not just classic sketching and painting. Elkowitz and Jean-Charles are currently discussing the possibilities of sculpture and ceramics as well as collaborating with other clubs for events and possible activities.
The club was not able resume until November after new club orientation. Once weekly meetings begin, get ready for paint nights, NYC gallery trips, critiques, in-school installations and other exciting events!
