Curious on what the art students are doing into the wee hours of the night? Hearing all the commotion outside and looking at the clay all over their clothes? Well, students can check out all the arts during the third annual Artober Fest. 

This event will take over the Colorado Mesa University’s Delta Field, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 19. The event is open to the public and in the past has drawn in a large population of CMU students and high school students from surrounding counties. 

The event will feature exhibitions and activities from a wide variety of genres, including paint, photography, ceramics and animation. The Art Department begins preparing for the event at the beginning of the semester, with the help of planning and promotion.

Art pieces from CMU students will be available for purchase, including up-cycled furniture, ceramics featuring school colors and printed T-shirts; guests can also bring their own shirts and other supplies to have them printed at a discounted price.

In addition to art exhibitions and sales, the department plans to engage students and the community with a number of hands-on activities: ceramic wheel-throwing (with 400 pounds of clay provided for guest use), green-screened “photos with celebrities” and poster printing. Tours of the Fine Arts building will also take place throughout the day and the Music Department plans to send musicians to play live on the field during activities.

The Iron Pour, one of the event’s most popular activities in the past, will feature CMU art students casting sculptures in hot iron for guests to view. The activity begins at noon and “won’t stop until the iron runs out,” according to a press release from CMU’s Art & Design Department.

All proceeds from the event will benefit student-run art clubs on campus, and the Art Department strongly encourages CMU students to attend the event.