Cultivate Coffee and Tap House hardly had any open seats the night of Thursday, Feb. 11, as 14 people practiced art live and auctioned off their work in order to raise money for both AMP! and Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels.
$400 was raised as painters, drawers, doodlers and many other types of artists worked on a piece of art for 30 minutes, during which attendees silently bid to own their favorite art pieces. The money that AMP!, the student organization for the Arts and Entertainment Management and Administration Programs at EMU, generated will be used to fund their trip to Washington D.C where they will talk to legislators about the importance of funding art programs.
Hannah Woodward, EMU student, said she found out about the event on facebook and “thought it might be fun to go paint a little bit, and it's going to a good cause.”
Professional artist, Nellie Hutchinson, said she thought the event was a great way to get her own art out there into the community. During the allotted 30 minutes, she painted a detailed landscape scene.
“I found out about Cultivate through a professor and after they hosted our first event, we fell in love with the place,” said Stephanie Sulis, arts and entertainment management major and president of AMP!.
AMP! has had a partnership with Cultivate ever since the business opened. Together they’ve hosted one other event besides the Art Jam.
Their first event together, which featured live music, was such a success that there wasn’t enough staff. So, Bekah Wallace, director of communication and connections at Cultivate, made sure that they anticipated a full house this time around. She expected the event to bring about EMU students, artists and those in support of Ypsilanti’s Meals on Wheels.
