Do you want to improve your art skills? Discover a new hidden talent? Or simply learn about the different forms of art? If so, join the Art of Alisal.

The Art of Alisal is a club where it’s not just an extension from your art class, but a place where students can meet up and discuss about all types of art. Art teacher Jose Garcia,  founder of Art of Alisal,  says, “ I wanted to create something different. An umbrella where it covers everything; where we talk about art, designs, poetry, anything. It could be anything you want it to be. Art is art.”

Even though the club is still in the beginning stages, with roughly fifteen members-ranging from freshmen to seniors, they are hoping to make this a yearly thing.

Garcia and the club members are still trying to mold and shape the club to what they want it to be. He said, “The Art of Alisal is a baby club. We are still at the beginnings of it, we’re trying to form what it is that we want to accomplish and what it is that we want to do together. If the students can pull something off and make it concrete then it’s the beginning of something big.”  They are still unsure about what they want to create for the school, themselves, or even to benefit both. The clear goal in mind for now is to develop the beginnings of the club so it stays for the long run.

The meetings are held on Fridays, since it complies with the schedules of the advisors and students. The meetings are split up into two parts, the first half during lunch and the second half after school. The reason why the meetings are divided into two parts was so the club members can start something, a project or a discussion, during lunch and finish it off after school without the pressure of the 40 minute lunch period.  

Club members seemed to join the club in hopes of expressing themselves as well as learning new art techniques. Senior, Jesus Ceja, decided to join the club because he thought it would be a great way to express art throughout the school. “The school is limited in the ways they have to express art and I thought that this would be a good way to promote art throughout the school. Especially with what is going on in the community it would be a good way to unite.” Senior Isaac Valenzuela decided to join the club because he saw it as way to express himself as well as learning new types of art. “Art is a fun way to express oneself. This club will help me learn different forms of art and how to make different designs. It’s a good way to pass the time and it will help me develop new art skills.”

While Garcia was a force in getting the club off the ground, he’ll be stepping back from the after school meetings due to his busy schedule as freshmen advisor and wrestling coach, as well as preparing for the arrival of his first child.

The new art teacher, Charlene Bailey will advise the lunch meetings. Bailey said “I’ve been an advisor at a previous school and I really enjoyed it.”

The Art of Alisal is an all-inclusive club, literally anyone can be part of it, where you can expand your horizons in the art field, meet new people, and discuss art. The meetings are held on Fridays during lunch in room 611.

Evelyn Luquin