In between balancing classes, work, and extracurricular activities, some students on Boston College’s campus kindle their creative outlets through art.
The Maker Art and Craft Sale will return at the 25th Annual Boston College Arts Festival, organized by the Boston College Arts Council. Student vendors will showcase goods ranging from handmade jewelry to photography prints in the Rat on April 29 from 12 to 5 p.m.
“I’m honestly really excited to talk to people about my process and why I picked up crocheting, sewing, and embroidery,” Natasha Serfaty, MCAS ’25, said. “I’m really excited to meet all the people who walk by and have questions.”
Serfaty specializes in crocheted items. She said she was inspired to sell at the event after attending last year’s event and seeing her friend vend. Of the wide range of items she creates, customers could expect beanies, fingerless gloves, and leg warmers to be displayed on her table during the event, according to Serfaty.
Serfaty also has a business Instagram account and website to display the clothing and crafts she has made for her friends.
Like Serfaty, Matthew Kirven, CSOM ’24, took his hobby to the next level by starting a small business. Through his business, Upper Limit Films, Kirven sells prints of photos he has taken on trips across the world. Kirven said he plans on selling photos he took while traveling during his time studying abroad last semester.
“A lot of [the prints] were taken when I was backpacking in the mountains, so there’s a lot of different mountain shots,” Kirven said. “One of my favorites is called ‘Above the Void,’ and it’s this photo of a mountain and clouds emerging, so it’s peeking out above this sea of clouds.”
Behind the scenes of Kirven’s prints are a multitude of hectic and risky stories that contextualize the shots’ significance to his journey in photography. Kirven recounted his effort in taking “The Night Mirage,” a photo that will also be featured at the Arts Walk.
“I slept in my car for maybe three nights in that parking lot,” Kirven said. “And I think I did the hike five times just for the shot but it was a really cool experience because I saw the Northern Lights. … There’s a light show moment where they kind of go off and there were a couple other photographers on nearby peaks, and they were shouting and whooping when that happened. So it’s kind of a surreal experience.”
According to Kirven, all of the profits he makes at the Maker Art and Craft Sale will go to Nazareth Orphanage, an organization that is currently fundraising the building of a girls’ dormitory in Tecate, Mexico.
The event will also host student artists who are looking to show their talent and creativity with different mediums than photography. This will include linocut cards and prints from original watercolor, oil, and pastel paintings, according to Arts Council’s Instagram.
Sadia Tanzem, MCAS ’26, will bring her nature-inspired watercolor and pastel works to sell alongside other student vendors. These works will include plants and animals, including one of a monarch butterfly and others of Mustang horses, according to Tanzem.
Tanzem participated in the Arts Council’s Holiday Craft Fair on Dec. 10, 2022. She said she owes both the free time she’s had since finishing instructive art classes and BC’s supportive art community for allowing her to continue making art and vending.
“I took art classes from third grade up until early high school,” Tanzem said. “I do think I’ve been exploring different mediums and using it as more of a fun creative hobby … previously it has felt more like something that I had to do.”
Students like Tanzem, Kirven, and Serfaty are just a few of the many students that will be showcasing their talent, hard work, and love for art at Arts Fest. Products from the vendors shine a light on one of the specific ways BC students create and foster an artistic community on campus.
“I really enjoy being able to sell and get my art up there, to get feedback from our community and see [other art] in general, so I am excited to get the chance to do that again,” Tanzem said.
