Artifact Club: What Is It, and What Do They Do?

“I got to the point where a lot of the art goes home, and I wanted to have a summary piece that had a tangible copy of the art,” Artifact supervisor Mrs. Chisdak said.

This year is the twentieth anniversary of the club, Artifact, which makes events like Blurb and the Art Event possible. 

Chisdak, or as many know her, Chiz, started Artifact twenty years ago, partially to showcase her students’ skills and also to honor her sister’s memory.

“I had a sister that passed away when I was little, and she loved to write,” Chisdak said. “In college, she always ran the literary magazine, and I thought it was a great way to add depth to what the kids are doing in class.”

Artifact has two main events: Blurb, a writing workshop, and the Art Event, a yearly opportunity for members of the community to work with the high school’s students.

Blurb is a writing workshop that promotes awareness about Artifact along with getting submissions for it. It includes tables with their own subthemes and prompts. It got its unusual name because the members were talking about the name of an event that would give them “blurbs” or short writings, and everyone agreed that it was a fun title.

“It’s a unique thing. There’s nothing quite like it around us,” Chisdak said.

On the other hand, the Art Event gets people excited about the upcoming magazine. It’s also a fundraiser for the magazine, and it gives National Art Honors Society (NAHS) students community service hours. The event has creation stations and live music from the students themselves. The original intention was as a fundraiser for Artifact, but it has become so much more. Currently, the Art Event is not on the schedule for this year due to COVID.

The main purpose of Artifact is the creation of the annual magazine. Different parts of the magazine focus on different modes of expression. The art part uses photoshop and assembling art for the magazine’s style, and there’s also writing that’s included for those who prefer to write their art. Other media, like film or music, is also included via disc. There’s even a QR code in the magazine that takes you to a site that has other digital creations in it.

“We pair student artwork with writing to make a cohesive literary art magazine that reflects the specific year’s theme,” Kenzie Miller, Co-Head Editor of the club, said.

As a Co-Editor with Brooke Vanbilliard, their job is to come up with the theme of the magazine along with the flavor and overall feel. They also oversee the entire process to make sure everyone is on track. 

People who are chosen for Head Editor need to have certain qualities that ensure they are a good fit for the position. They need to have leadership skills in order to inspire collaboration and motivate fellow classmates to contribute to the magazine.

There are a few ways to submit art or writings to Artifact. There is a submission box in Art 1; however, students can also email Chisdak or any of the head editors with their work. Chisdak never wants to have the only copy, so if you’re submitting a piece, she urges you to have a copy of it for yourself.

The goal this year is to  try to get a piece from every senior in Senior Art in the magazine and to get something from every grade. However, beyond that, the only requirement is quality work that hits this year’s theme.