In the fall of 2024, students crowded around vendor booths lined up on the university lawn in awe. For the Animation Student League of Northridge (ASLN), this turnout for the Artists Alley event was unexpected.
ASLN was founded in 2007 by Mark Faurder, head of the animation department. According to its website, its mission is “to provide students with the essential industry knowledge so that they may succeed in the animation field.”
The club primarily attracts students interested in animation, 3D modeling, texturing, lighting, visual development, character design, storyboarding and visual effects. Students can join for free or pay for a paid membership. ASLN hosts workshops, social events and showcases to support artists, guest speakers and fundraisers.
Robert St. Perrier, professor and faculty advisor of ASLN, first proposed the idea for Artists Alley. Still, there was significant pushback due to concerns about its risk and potential for failure. Despite these concerns, the ASLN cabinet worked to host its first Artists Alley in the Purple Crit Room during spring 2022, featuring fewer than 10 vendors.
Since its debut, Artist Alley has grown. More people are submitting applications to become vendors, and artists are earning more profit from their work and getting more recognition locally.
Armen Galadzhyan, president of ASLN, noted the growth he has seen since he first joined ASLN.
“Previously we have only ever had very few applicants. At the start, we would reach 60 applicants for Artists Alley, but as of this last one, we had reached over 100, including people outside CSUN,” said Galadzhyan.
One of Artist Alley’s most recent vendors was artist Henry Shuo Xing Zhou from Sticker Zoo, whose social media presence on Twitch, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram helped bring attention to both CSUN and Artists Alley.
Originally a one-day event, Artist Alley has expanded into a three-day event. It invites local artists, students and alumni to showcase and sell their work. This past semester, approximately 70 people participated in the three-day event.
Galadzhyan describes Artist Alley as an entry-level event where artists with any artistic background can sell their work.
“Artists Alley is an opportunity for them to build themselves up, find value in their artwork and allow themselves to be connected with the creator community as a whole. As well as give them a chance to realize their artwork has a clear-cut goal and mission that they can reach as long as they keep working on themselves,” said Galadzhyan.
Sarahie Gonzalez, the general officer and future event coordinator for ASLN, was one of the first vendors to participate in 2022.
“Artist Alley is bringing artists together is what I have been noticing. It’s like a mixture of first timers that are selling, it’s a mixture of students, alumni and people outside of CSUN. So they get a variety of perspectives and it encourages them to take a break from their booth and go around and shop and get to engage in conversation with other artists,” said Gonzalez.
