Every Wednesday evening, the Education in Zion Gallery, located in the Joseph F. Smith Building, holds a free craft night for students to take a break from classes and construct a festive craft for the season.
Students can attend the gallery’s craft nights on Wednesdays from 3-8 p.m. in the third floor conference room, found behind the building's mural of Brigham Young Academy. Each craft takes about 20 minutes to create.
“A lot of times during school, we’re thinking a lot and doing homework and setting our brains on,” Olivia Ware, a student employee at the gallery, explained. “We have craft nights for time to use your hands and be able to turn your head off.”
The crafts are usually themed around the nearest holiday or season. New crafts are provided every two weeks.
"It gives your brain a rest, so that when you go back to studying, you are refreshed," Heather Seferovich, gallery curator, said.
On Oct. 23 and Oct. 30, the gallery hosted a spinner toy-making night, where they provided instructions and materials for students to take part in a de-stressing activity.
Students designed their own coasters and strung strings through the middle, yielding a gadget to spin by holding both ends of the string.
Junior Sarah Bell, a sociology major, created her spinner toy on Oct. 30.
“Having something where I can be creative, and ... just (do) something for the enjoyment of it is so nice,” she said. “You have classes, you’re doing things because they’re assignments, but having something where it’s like, this isn’t graded; it’s just for fun, I think it’s good to have that every once in a while.”
November's craft will be quilling and countdown chains for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any upcoming event.