On Reading Day, Krannert Art Museum transformed into a hub of peace and creativity as hundreds of students filtered in for FAA Finals Fest. The three-hour event was designed to help students reset before the intensity of finals week.

Held from noon to 3 p.m. on Thursday, the annual event invited students to step away from notes and screens and into spaces filled with art making, snacks, music and rest.

The program was a collaboration between KAM, the College of Fine and Applied Arts and the Ricker Library of Architecture and Art and was open to all University students. 

“We know that Reading Day is really a time when students are both relaxing right before finals, but also it’s a major study time,” said Rachel Lauren Storm, assistant director of community engagement and learning at KAM. “So we try to balance both with this program.”

That balance was visible throughout the museum. Students could move between study tables and galleries, offering activities like collage making and a “pack-your-own care package” station stocked with snacks and self-care items. Attendees received custom KAM tote bags, allowing students to gather supplies and take a small gesture of care home with them. 

The pack-your-own care package was a new addition to this year’s Final Fest. 

“It’s our little way of saying, ‘Take this even if you can only stop by for five minutes at FAA Finals Fest,’” Storm said.

Another standout feature of this year’s Finals Fest was the Rest Lab exhibition, curated by Assistant Curator of Community Engagement and Learning Kamila Glowacki and graduate student Ishita Dharap. Installed in a gallery between shows, the Rest Lab reimagines museum space as a site for wellness. This iteration, titled “Green Space,” brought the outdoors in with turf-covered floors and ambient bird sounds. 

The Rest Lab gives students “the ability to lie on the floor of the gallery and to really take a load off and rest right in a museum gallery,” according to Storm.

FAA Finals Fest began three years ago as a multi-site program, but has since evolved into a centralized partnership at KAM. According to Storm, the idea of a Finals Fest originated from Reba Daniels, associate director of student engagement and academic success in FAA. 

“I think if you look elsewhere on campus, art isn’t as prevalent,” Daniels said. “It’s a way for us to create space for (FAA students) to take up on campus that doesn’t exist on the Main Quad or the Engineering Quad.”

The event also drew in students from across campus, including those visiting KAM for the first time. Megan Sia, junior in Business, attended Finals Fest after hearing about it from her friends. 

“I really thought it was a good way for me to destress for finals season,” Sia said. “I studied a little bit, and they also had food and a care package event, a lot of different resources; I appreciate that.”

Walking through the galleries left a special impression on some visitors. 

“I walked in through the scenic route,” Sia said. “It was nice because I actually got to see the art gallery. Especially with the art they have around, it’s really calming.”

Local artist Marc-Anthony Macon facilitated the collage workshop, guiding students through an accessible, low-pressure art form. For Macon, the value of art during finals lies in its ability to engage the brain differently. 

“I think any kind of distraction before finals that is still a little bit substantive is really helpful, because it doesn’t completely shut your brain off,” Macon said. “When you go back to studying, your brain is a little fresher and might be able to absorb.”

Evie McAllister, a student assistant at Krannert’s Community Engagement and Learning team who assisted with the collage workshop, echoed that sentiment. 

“It’s great to take a step away from what you’ve been focusing so intensely on and let your brain take a break, give your body some movement that it’s not used to, because a lot of studying involves just sitting still for many hours and just reading,” McAllister said. “It just gives (students) a few hours where it’s specifically about being yourself and being away from that grind.”

Beyond offering a mental rest before finals, Finals Fest also aimed to create an environment where students felt welcome regardless of their artistic experience or background.

Both Macon and McAllister noted that Finals Fest attracts a mix of students — those already comfortable with art and those who arrive unsure whether they belong.

“Students who have a really pronounced impact on me and in my participation in these events are the ones who come in, and they’re not really sure if they’re allowed in the room, and you have to kind of usher them in,” McAllister said. “It’s nice to see them come in and then see them at subsequent events.”

Collage, Macon added, is also effective at interesting students in art because it lowers the barrier to entry. 

“You don’t have to have any drawing skills, you don’t have to be able to paint, you don’t have to use special materials,” Macon said. “Anyone can express themselves, and they don’t need to be a great artist to do so.
And in fact, with collage, it’s almost better if you’re not.”

Facilitators hope students leave with a broader understanding of art as a lifelong tool, and not only a medium for relaxation.

Macon said he’d like students to think of art as something they can use for any facet of their life.

“It’s a way to supplement your life that enriches and edifies who you are without having to break your back doing it,” Macon said.

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