Second Friday debuts on-campus nightclub and art sale to raise funds for students
Nightclub event Second Friday will be hosted for the first time on Sept. 13 by Mesa Community College’s DJ Program and Art Department, to raise funds for student organizations.
Second Friday is intended to be a family friendly monthly event usually held in the Navajo Room, with a preferred donation entry of $1 for MCC students and $2 for non-students, according to James Gaspar, the DJ team coordinator.
The event will have music performed by the DJ club, known as Club Thunder, along with art pieces made by students for sale. Food trucks, along with food, and drinks will also be sold by other MCC clubs fundraising at the event.
People can expect to pay a range from $1 to around $15 for student work according to Gingher Leyendecker, Art Department chair. She explained that they want to fundraise with the community at a fair price, sharing student artwork in the process.
“I know the students try and make their artwork accessible because they want to share it with others. They want to be able to buy each other’s work. They want to show and sell their work…. There will be something for everyone’s budget,” Leyendecker added.
Accessibility was also brought to the forefront by Gaspar, who came up with the idea for the event. Gaspar said that he wanted to create an event with experiences for all different people.
“If you’re looking for that high-energy nightclub style kind of fun, we have that because we’re actually building a nightclub here on campus. However, if you’re more chill, and you’re just like, ‘Hey, I want to see some art,’ well, we’ve got that too,” Gaspar explained.
Gaspar also emphasized that the event will be PG-13, with no alcohol or other substances allowed. He said Second Friday is a safe place for people to enjoy themselves and have fun.
This first Second Friday event is an experience for everyone, especially one DJ student and Club Thunder team member, Kirk Kading, who will combine his passion with his school work by managing the event for his school honors project.
Kading said he must complete the second Friday event to fulfill his requirement as a student in the MCC honors program.
Kading said that after he performs by DJing the first hour of the event, he will walk around to check-in with art students and other booths to ensure everything is running smoothly.
Kading added that the event has grown more than he ever thought it would.
“It is so beyond the scale, that I’m not even sure how to describe it at this point. I think it’s the nascent community of the MCC artists and performers at the school, who can be a showcase,” Kading said.
Kading continuously brought up the importance of community and connecting with them through different art styles in the event.
“I want to see what the people in this community college and the community of its students has to bring,” Kading said.
