Art Shop meerkat contest draws new friends

The Art Shop in the Henrion building, College Road is as established a part of the Stoke Campus as the nearby Ember Lounge. But now the staff are on a mission to stress that the premises are more than a shop for 'arty types'.

“We aim to provide a service,” said Jo Allen, who has worked in the Art Shop for six years. “A lot of people can be intimidated if they don’t consider themselves ‘arty’ but we’re here for students and staff from any department in the university, and the general public alike. The shop attracts a lot of regulars, and many bring in their work, made with materials from the store, to show their finished work. Jo said: “Jon Ratcliffe painted his hand to look like a gecko and Abi Lloyd made a duck from Marabou feathers.”

“We’re very friendly people. We put sweets on the counter around deadlines when students are getting stressed and if we don’t stock something we’re happy to buy it in. We offer binding and laminating, and we’ve got several photocopiers that are able to do image manipulation and create transfers for any hard surfaces or materials, such as t-shirts. It’s not just traditional ‘arty’ materials we stock either. We have pens, pencils, batteries, tape – the sort of things you normally have to pop into town for.”

Products are available on a sign-out basis for staff who need them for classes, so they do not have to claim cash back from the university. This service is valid for any member of staff, anywhere in the university.”

You can meet staff and frirnds of the Art Shop via their Facbook page. When the shop reaches 250 ‘likes’, the stuffed meerkat Pilot (pictured above), will be given away to a fan. 'Pilot' has his own album, where he is shown painting and dressing up. “We can be serious and do the job, but we like having a laugh at the same time,” said Jo.

Link: Staffordshire University Art Shop Facebook page