Art bookshop provides for students, helps community

The sign was easy to spot. Inside the School of Fine Arts and up the stairs, another sign waited and, from there, still another sign, all of which eventually led to a small, organized room repeatedly labeled “Friends of Art Bookshop.”

In the back, rows of tall shelves loomed, lined with books labeled “Rescuing Da Vinci” and “Book Jackets: Their History, Form, and Use.”

On the side, quirky greeting cards and wrapping paper decorated the walls and, everywhere else, there was food: bagels, fruit, croissants, countless candy bars and five-hour energy shots.

“We’re kind of like their little refrigerator here,” said Executive Director of Friends of Art Colleen McKenna. “They can get their sustenance here and keep going.”

The bookshop, managed by IU’s Friends of Art organization, has used its income to support art students through scholarships since 1968.

Though McKenna never received a scholarship during her time at IU, she saw the difference the award made to others.

“I’ve watched other people who were able to do research or complete projects that they wouldn’t have been able to any other way,”

McKenna said. “It’s a nice connection to the place where I studied.”

The Friends of Art organization is planning a benefit dinner planned for Jan. 28 that will raise funds for the art library. Tickets for the benefit are $64.

The store thrives by meeting the daily needs of students within SoFA and those outside the school. McKenna said the bookstore’s central location is ideal for any student “traversing from one side of campus to the other.”

The bookshop is located in the Fine Arts Building room 120 and is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Customer Hilary Givens, a sophomore studying graphic design and marketing, stepped out of class for a few minutes to pick up a small sketchbook.

“The bookshop is really convenient, whether it’s for food, books you need for class or even if you forgot someone’s birthday and need a fun greeting card,” Givens said.
“I was setting plaster in my class, so I have to wait 20 minutes for it to dry.”

Though it provides snacks and supplies, the bookshop still holds true to its name.
Housing between 8,000 and 10,000 books related solely to fine arts, it has one of the best selections in the country, McKenna said.

“There are so many great books,” said employee Molly Crawford, a sophomore in the studio art department.

“I shelve them, and half the time, I end up spacing out and reading them all. I would encourage anyone to take just five minutes and look around.”

From the books, Friends of Art chooses a title for the monthly reading group. This month, the group is reading  “The Lady and the Unicorn” by Tracy Chevalier.

Friends of Art gives free student memberships at the beginning of each semester, which give people 10 percent off of most products in the bookshop.

For McKenna, it’s just another way of advancing the cause.

“I want people to know we’re part of a community,” McKenna said. “A local store that gives back all of our profits locally. Everything we take in here, we turn it back around.”