By Brent Bigelow
Jambar Contributor
Youngstown State University is filled with students who love to create. Many of those students are in the College of Creative Arts and Communication. Some of the best artists in the image and design field are in Studio 330.
Studio 330 is a collective of 10 YSU students who are passionate about the arts and about being creative.
“Art to me is universal and should not be limited to any sort of bias that would limit it,” Desmond Duque, student president of Studio 330, said. “Everyone has their way of creating something unique, even if they’re not an artist. It’s all about what it means to you and how can one share it with other people that resonate with it.”
This group is a part of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), which is located in New York City. Studio 330 is one of 200 chapters across the United States. The group works closely with the Pittsburgh AIGA headquarters and regularly travels to Pittsburgh for conventions, competitions and possible job opportunities.
Richard Helfrich, faculty advisor for Studio 330, said one of the group’s students won Best in Show at the AIGA Pittsburgh 365 Annual Design Competition and Exhibition last spring semester.
“Studio 330 provides educational programming designed to inspire the next generation of design leaders. My goal is to encourage student participation in the design community that will enhance their educational experience by connecting them with the profession of design,” Helfrich said.
Duque said Studio 330 gives students inspiration for leadership, creates positive experiences and opens opportunities with professionals in the design industry.
Anastasia Truby, vice president of Studio 330, said the group gives members the chance to interact with other YSU students that have the same interests.
“The [Graphic and Interactive Design] student population has a large commuter population, and the establishment of the student group provides each student member the opportunity to build their peer-to-peer network across all levels of the design program at YSU,” Helfrich said. “It enhances their sense of a community and builds their leadership skills that will be essential in their migration into the professional world.”
Truby said the club meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month in Bliss Hall. The club is open to anyone passionate about creating and being hands-on throughout the design process.
“I love the arts a great deal. If it weren’t for art, I would not be who I am today,” Truby said. “Art connects and inspires people in ways nothing else could. And the fact that you can see art everywhere in everything is just amazing to me.”