Colby kids get their kicks through kits

This past March, the Colby community had to say goodbye to more than our 2,000-strong student body. The Colby College Art Museum, a constant and valuable resource to campus and community, was also forced to shut its doors to the public. The question then became, how can the Museum continue to be a resource to the community without allowing the community into the Museum? Kristin Bergquist, Mirken Curator of Education and Engagement for the Museum, told The Colby Echo about the Museum’s initial reaction to the unsavory news:

“It felt really hard to not be open to the community, because that’s a big part of who we are as a campus museum. We really do see ourselves as serving the campus but we also equally see ourselves as serving the community.”

The answer to their existential question of purpose? Art Kits for All.

Bergquist and her companions at the Museum, in partnership with Waterville Creates!, decided that if they couldn’t bring the community in to see the art, they would bring art out into the community. Just a couple of weeks after the students were booted and the doors were locked, the Museum began distributing DIY home art kits, complete with supplies and instructions, to the Waterville community. While initially intended for families with young children, they have distributed Art Kits to locals of all ages and backgrounds, consistently moving their 125-kit supply every two weeks. Bergquist told The Colby Echo that she hoped to keep the community engaged in the Museum and art through the kits:

“That’s one of the wonderful things about the museum--that we have all these amazing works of art…and we want to try to figure out how to help people realize that they can think like artists too. We want them to be able to make choices and to have nice materials.”

In the wake of the Art Kits for All’s summer success, the Museum put together a plan to provide a similar service to Colby students, called Create-It Kits for Colby. These kits are similar to the Art Kits, but are produced exclusively for those who reside on campus and will be produced by Colby’s CCMA Student Guides starting in October. The Museum produces 200 of them at a time, and any student can pick one up from the welcome desk in the Museum. September’s kit included paperboard, aluminum foil, and markers for creating metallic miniatures with texture and color. Bergquist hopes students will take advantage of this meditative activity:

“It’s just an art-making project that’s designed to be something that helps you feel creative and engaged, and gives you a little ‘burst,’ [and] maybe even a sense of calmness as well….”

In addition to the Create-It Kits for Colby, the Museum has created a journal program called Your Museum Time, which is intended to help students observe and sketch in the Museum. Journals and details are also kept at the Museum welcome desk.

While circumstances on campus are still far from ideal, the Museum will continue to work to help alleviate the stress of social distance and to bring art to campus and the community. As Bergquist told The Colby Echo:

“We’re still not at the point where we can come together and create art projects together as a group, so it’s still something that feels necessary for enriching the community and helping people with resilience during this hard time.”

~Milo Lani-Caputo `23