A house full of fine arts fiends can be a colorful group dynamic. This semester’s residents are a mix of photographers, painters, actors and dancers. Surprisingly, none of them are fine arts majors.

“Even though we’re all majoring in non-art-related areas, we each have a passion for something artistically creative,” said sophomore theater veteran and environmental studies-chemistry major Spenser Meeks.

Most popularly known as the “FAH,” the house is part of the Interest House Community on campus, which was formed in the 1970s by student groups and academic departments. Today, there are 11 interest houses. The FAH sits on the corner of Boyer Avenue and Otis Street.

The FAH currently houses seven sophomores: Meeks, Lauren Imbrock, Lara Spengler, Cristine Tennant, Susannah Lowe, Marie Westover and the newest RA, Rachel Hahn. All seven residents make for great company and are constantly busy around the house.

“It’s a pretty high energy group, so there is almost always something going on. Usually friends come over and bake or do crafts or study or watch movies. We have people coming in and out a lot,” said Hahn.

Some of their all-campus activities have included “Pimp My Bike,” candy making, plate making, tie-dying, creating gingerbread houses and the Cobweb Ball. Their most recent events rallied large turnouts, especially with last Tuesday’s FAH Living Room Gallery, where they showcased art created by students.

“It was a fantastic turnout. We were glad to see some student artwork put on display for everyone to see,” said Hahn.
The house hosted a colony, inviting any interested people around campus to create the Valentine’s Day cards that we sold in the Olin Breezeway Gallery last week with the help of Mare Blocker. All of the proceeds went to the YWCA Women’s Shelter.

With plenty of future activities to come this semester, the group is looking forward to having more guests over. Some of the FAH’s all-campus activities to look for include Origami, Neon Body Paint Dance and the returning favorite of breastcasting.

“These activities are our way of really connecting with the rest of the Whitman community,” said Tennant.
For students on the hunt for housing next year, the FAH as well as other houses in the IHC will have having open houses for interested residents. The FAH’s open house will be on Saturday, March 1 from 1-3 p.m.