Blanketed in contrasting blacks and whites on the right and vibrant splotches of rainbow on the left, she stares through the canvas with a dual sense of despair.
Peering through her lifeless yet psychedelic eyes, she raises her fingers while tears of black and rainbow cascade down her hands.
This is not a real woman.
It’s one of Virginia Rose’s paintings that she sold at the Maker’s Fair on Monday, April 22, hosted in front of the El Camino College Art Gallery from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Organized by Art Gallery Ambassador Patrick Hahn, along with Fine Arts student senators Dulce Stein and Victoria Crudup, the Maker’s Fair provides a platform for students to exhibit their talents, connect with fellow artists and earn money from their creations.
“We all had the same idea together in the summer of last year,” Hahn, 19, said. “We first started it as a test pilot in the fall semester, and it turned out beautifully.”
What started as helping students raise funds for their clubs, the Maker’s Fair opened to all students interested in promoting and selling their work, where they get to keep 100% of the proceeds. The event happens once per semester and spans most of the day, giving students time to walk around and look through each vendor’s table.
Rose, a 22-year-old welding student, discovered her passion for art during an elementary school program called “Adventures in Art.” Her interest waxed and waned over the years, but reached a turning point when one of her high school teachers encouraged her to continue exploring her artistic skills.
“To be able to sell my artwork in a public place like college, it warms my heart,” Rose said. “For people to have my artwork in their homes or their college dorms, it makes me feel really excited.”
Just a short distance from Rose’s table, a collection of 3D-printed characters catches the eye, with some painted and others in their raw, unpainted state. Among them are Groot, Perry the Platypus, an array of oni masks and a lone Question Box from Super Mario.
Christopher Pizarro, a 19-year-old chemistry student, propped up a table at the Maker’s Fair and saw it as an opportunity to promote his business.
“Recently, I bought a 3D printer and thought, as a hobby, it’s fun,” Pizarro said. “Designing stuff online and then bringing it to life, that’s pretty incredible. You can make literally anything as long as you can design it and can extrude it.”
Pizarro said that, overall, he felt successful at the Maker’s Fair, sensing that he was selling not just a product, but his ideas.
The event expected around 27 vendors, but only 11 were able to attend and sell their products due to students’ scheduling conflicts with their classes.
Stationed near one of the library entrances, Ashley Prestwood, an 18-year-old business student, stood out with her distinctive Hello Kitty and Baby Yoda-themed Mickey Mouse ears.
Prestwood, who joined El Camino last fall, learned about the Maker’s Fair too late to participate last semester. Determined not to miss out again, she was set on taking part this spring.
“I love Disney,” Prestwood said. “I was an annual passholder when I was younger, so it was just a thing of mine. I got inspired by someone on Instagram who also makes Disney ears, so I wanted to give it a try and I fell in love with it.”
Stein, the student senator for Fine Arts, moved from table to table, checking in on each vendor, highlighting the commitment of her and the other organizers to making the event more accessible to students.
She said the event’s success was a collaborative effort, with both the organizers and the vendors, who dedicated their time to sharing their crafts, playing crucial roles.
“It’s a collaboration of everybody working together,” Stein said. “We did our parts, [the students] did their part and that’s where the success comes from. You have to show up.”
