A new community art supply room may be coming to the Visual Arts Center thanks to a recent proposal made by the Student Government Association.

“It is unknown to the general population of Marshall that as an art student in the first year, you must take five foundation classes,” Senator Lana Thacker said. “Most, if not every one of these classes you must buy different materials for.”

The proposed community art supply room would be in the basement of the Visual Arts Center, and it would allow art students to donate unwanted and unused supplies for other art students to take as they need.

“As an art student on a tight budget, buying new materials isn’t always an option for me,” Alex Sawyer, second year art student, said. 

Art supplies can be expensive, and sometimes, students are spending up to $100 for one class on supplies, so this would be a way for art students to save money, Thacker said. 

While many art professors try to make sure the art supplies needed for their classes are inexpensive, sometimes students are still left spending quite a bit of money. 

“Art supplies are expensive, and that is just a fact,” Thacker said. “Not everyone will have a disposable income to be able to drop over $100 for a class or even a semester.”

“I have spent more money on art supplies than books, and when it comes to books, I can rent them, but with art supplies, I can only buy them, and some of the supplies I will never use again,” said a second-year art student who wishes to remain anonymous. 

Mark Zanter, interim dean of the College of Arts and Media is in full support of this idea, Thacker said. 

“I hope that once this resource is open to student use that it will help many students with the financial part of being an art student,” Thacker said. 

While nothing official has been set, Thacker hopes this proposal will help art students cut back on waste while helping other art students save money.