A small group of LBCC faculty huddled in the sparsely available shade of the P building courtyard to participate in a sip and paint workshop themed around Latino heritage on a hot, sunny Thursday.
Bri Pinkerton, an administrative assistant for the dean of student support services and transfer center coordinator, has hosted separate sip and paint events, beginning with one hosted for Black history month in the 2023 spring semester.
Pinkerton said she was granted $1000 for the academic school year from the foundation grant to host these events. She uses the funds to purchase paint, food, and decorations.
Pinkerton continues to theme each event around LBCC’s diversity celebrations, with this sip and paint meant to highlight Latino culture for Latino heritage month,
Printouts of sugar skulls, as well as a small canvas and easel were given to attendees. As people arrived, they were welcome to grab a cup of sparkling apple cider and tacos.
“I figured I’d give people the opportunity to explore their creativity,” Pinkerton said.
The sip and paint then began with a small acknowledgement of the history of Dia de Los Muertos, a yearly holiday that falls in November.
This holiday was the inspiration to have participants paint and design a picture of a sugar skull, which Pinkerton hopes to have displayed at LBCC’s Dia de Los Muertos procession on Nov 1.
Sugar skulls get their name from their material, made with granulated white sugar that is pressed into the shape of a skull that people then paint vibrant designs on to represent their lost loved ones.
Typically, Pinkerton has hosted sip and paint events in the air conditioned room of the Social Justice Intercultural Center, but decided to host this month’s event outdoors, not expecting the hot and humid weather that greeted LBCC on Thursday afternoon.
The unpleasant weather could account for the low attendance of this month’s sip and paint. Despite the total 24 spots accounted for through RSVP according to Pinkerton, only nine people showed up. Of those there, only one had RSVP’d.
Bianca Urzua, an employee at the LAC Financial Aid Center, heard about the sip and paint event as she was clocking out of work and decided to go with her friends since she had never been to a sip and paint before.
“I’m glad I decided to come,” Urzua said. “I’ve been stressed lately, and this is really calming.”
While those in attendance bore the brunt of sitting outside on a day with a temperature high of 97 degrees, everyone was absorbed in sketching and then painting the designs they created based on the template provided.
Eboni Teroi, a first year student at LBCC, similarly heard about the sip and paint only an hour before the event, when applying for a work study position at the transfer center, the clerk helping her asked if she’d like to go to a sip and paint event hosted on campus.
Teroi was surprised when she clarified the event was not hosted off campus and that it was free. She took the opportunity to attend since she said she had never gone to a sip and paint before, due to their typical admission price of $40 to $60, not including drinks.