Young Artists Uncovered

By Anna Cavallino

Photo courtesy of BUNS

All it took was a single idea from a single person to produce a magical night filled with music and art. On October 17th, the infamous T. Anthony’s on BU’s West Campus hosted a pop-up art show which featured the works of many young artists, most of whom were students, in addition to live DJs, who were also undergraduates. And, if you didn’t already guess it, there was free pizza, chips, hummus, and much more all funded by BU Hillel.

Bringing more than 100 students into the pizzeria, the event had an impressive turn-out. With cool 90s hip-hop tunes echoing in the background, people strolled through the aisles, scanning through the incredible artwork of Boston college students, some of who actually purchased works to keep themselves.

Sam Weinberger (CFA’21), a painting major, typically referred to as “Big Sam” as he s

tands nearly 7-feet tall, is one of BU’s most notorious artists. Having projects that range from the mural in BU’s Hillel house to portraits of Boston sports stars such as Tom Brady, he was the curator of the event.

“My project, Big Sam Paints, is a very individual mission, and I wanted to expand it and make it a collaboration. And this was the first step to reach this goal.”

Reaching out to students in his painting class and posting on his Instagram about his idea, Sam was able to recruit many young artists both from BU and the greater Boston community. After almost 400 flyers were posted all around BU’s campus and word began spreading like wildfire, it became clear that this single vision would become an amazing reality.

And it did.

Many people may think that being an artist is only about being born with a gift, but it goes far beyond that. Being an artist is about showcasing your work and talent and inspiring other artists to do the same. And this is certainly not an easy feat, for this can invoke anxieties and fear of not being good enough; however, a group effort can alleviate these fears and definitely help people gain the courage to display their work.

Sophomore Emily Perelman (CAS’22) was one of the talented artists in the show, who was beyond excited to have her art be seen.

“I feel like I have been looking for opportunities to get my art out there and collaborate with people who are interested in doing the same. This event was my calling.”

There is a very promising future for these kinds of pop-up art shows, as Big Sam has big plans in mind. So, if you could not make it to this event, do not worry, because there are definitely more to come.