RVRC ArtJam was conceived as interactive and hands-on art therapy sessions, conducted during Reading Week (Nov 2022) to enable our students to take a break from studying for finals. The art form used is called Acrylic Pour Painting, a technique that works well for students with no prior painting skills and can be offered at a beginner level to participants who are new to the medium. The workshops adopted a drop-in policy to encourage students to participate whenever they needed a short hour-long break from their study schedule.

To make the arts session more relaxing and fun, students were encouraged to attend in the company of their friends. The workshops conducted across two days proved quite popular, with participation from 37 RVRC residents. Most participants have requested for follow-up sessions in subsequent semesters, and a workshop is being planned for the upcoming Recess Week (20 Feb, Monday) to help students de-stress before their mid-terms.

Here is what some of the participants shared about their experience:

Qian Ying Loh (Year Two, Yong Loo Lin Sch of Medicine): It was a rare opportunity to try out acrylic paint pouring and relax during reading week - a good form of procrastination while letting your creative juices flow! The workshop made me embrace the imperfections of art and not having full control of where the paint would flow.

Justin Wong (Year Two, FASS): I really loved the atmosphere of the ArtJam session, it was a nice study break. Everybody was having fun and helping each other create beautiful pieces of art. I liked doing acrylic pour - seeing the marbling of the colours and the end product.

Yi Jia Koo (Year Two, CDE): I thought it was a unique and interesting experience! I initially wanted to just stick to colours with similar shades, however I was encouraged to add some contrasting colours which i did eventually. It reminded me of how life is a journey with ups and downs, just like how the bright colours represents the happy memories and dull colours represents the challenges faced.