One thing you’re guaranteed to notice while walking anywhere on campus is the abundance of posters. Posters advertising gallery openings, plays, film screenings, casting and crew calls, workshops, paint nights, lectures, debates and more are scattered on just about every wall or board you can find. These advertisements are such a pivotal part of York’s landscape, that it’s easy for them to meld into the background as we rush from class to class. However, if you stop to take a closer look, you may find something that interests you.
Welcome to the second part of my Evolving Involvement at York series! Follow along as I recount my experience at York thus far and how I found a fulfilling community by getting involved with life on campus.
Club events on campus
There are over 300 clubs operating at York, with more starting up each year. This means that there is always a club or college event being hosted somewhere on campus! There are sewing workshops, arts and crafts nights, figure drawing, open rehearsals, movie nights, picnics, dances, social gatherings and more!
A favourite event of mine was a bookbinding workshop hosted by the Visual Arts Student Association. It was a free event, all materials were provided and we got to leave with a new skill and a cute little book that we bound ourselves.
Pro tip: A simple way to find out what’s happening on campus is to check out the York events calendar or check your email for the weekly This Week @ York newsletter!
Art galleries and exhibitions
I started frequenting the Special Projects and Gales galleries in the Centre for Fine Arts (CFA) and Accolade West (ACW) buildings in my second year. I’ve always enjoyed looking at the student art and on gallery opening days, you’re almost guaranteed to meet with the artist(s) who created the work and speak with them. There would sometimes be snacks, which was a bonus in addition to the work on display! There are even interactive galleries on campus where you can pick up items or write on walls. Once I got to walk around campus with a bunch of stuffed worms!
I would highly encourage every single York student to visit at least one gallery this year. It’s worth it!
Pro tip: Are you looking for even more galleries to check out on campus? In addition to few art galleries found in the colleges (like Stong and Winters), the brand new Goldfarb Gallery has also opened its doors to the public! You can find it in between the Centre for Fine Arts and the Accolade East Building.
Contests and competitions
Competitions are a great way to practice your skills and test your knowledge. There are all kinds of contests and competitions at York, from robotics to meme-making. Campus-wide competition’s also occasionally take place, where you can win anything from a YorkU Bookstore gift card to a tuition credit. One of my most memorable experiences at York was participating in a 48-hour game jam hosted by YorkU AMPD - which my team actually won second place for! This was a random event some friends and I happened to stumble upon, but it turned out to be really enjoyable and a core part of my experience at York.
Still looking for more ways to get involved? Check out the first post in my series all about clubs on campus!
Whether it’s a small meet and greet or an arts and craft night, there is something to take away from every event happening on campus. If you really enjoying gaining skills at various club events, then you’ll definitely want to hear about one of the more niche ways to get involved on campus – becoming a work study student!
Stay tuned <3