Kappa Pi Lambda Theta, an international art honors fraternity, strives to provide a space for art students by fostering artistry and imagination at Arkansas State University.

Founded as Kappa Pi Alpha at the University of Kentucky in 1911, the fraternity’s A-State chapter was initiated in 1948, dissolved and then re-established in the 2024 spring semester.

Although classified as a fraternity, Kappa Pi Lambda Theta is predominantly female, but members of all gender identities are accepted. 

“We wanted to provide a space for art students to have a Greek experience in a form of brotherhood amongst their peers,” Charlotte Kate Mobley said. 

Mobley, a senior art history and museum studies major from Memphis, Tennessee, is the president of the Kappa Pi Lambda Theta Chapter at A-State. In February, she and others founded the chapter, saying she wanted to create a space for art majors because there wasn’t any on campus. 

“We have theater, we have band, we have music, and we have a fine arts program, but we don’t have a fine arts organization other than the student art union, which isn’t a space exclusively for art students,” Mobley said. 

Mobley’s leadership role was given to her through her active experience in Greek life, like being a member of Delta Zeta Omicron Epsilon and being Vice President of Administration for the National Panhellenic Conference. As president, Mobley handles biweekly meetings, social media, event planning, recruiting and purchasing items needed for planned events.

But Kappa Pi life is not all business, it’s also full of community, friendships and personal growth.

Athena Gentry, Vice President of Philanthropy for Kappa Pi, said her leadership role provides community support and outreach. Gentry, a senior in art education major from Hardy, Arkansas, said being a part of the chapter helped her connect with members of the A-State and art community in a meaningful and personal way.

“I think it’s been really good for me personally, for my personal development, because I’ve been exposed to a lot more like-minded people,” Gentry said.

Gentry spoke of the importance of the Kappa Pi community, adding being a part of the chapter brought a lot of positivity in both her social life and her work as an artist.

“It means community and belonging, but also, just getting support from other artists, and getting to support other artists,” Gentry said. “We all also get inspired from each other’s work, which is really awesome.”

Katie Evans, a sophomore studio art major from Hardy, Arkansas, said having a good sense of community within Kappa Pi encouraged her to be more confident and to make friends. 

“I would say it’s encouraged me to open up a lot more and to speak to people that I never would have had the courage to speak to before,” Evans said. 

Evans spoke of fraternity activities and how they impacted her to become more free-spirited, like when she participated in creating sock puppets or painting with her fellow fraternity members.

“I think I definitely struggle with being a perfectionist, but this helps me just be goofy and fun,” Evans said. “Seeing other people’s work and seeing how it’s imperfect, in the best way possible, definitely made me more comfortable.”

Kappa Pi meets every other Tuesday in Room 105 of the Fine Arts Building. With dues of $65 for first-years and $50 for returning members, those being initiated must go through GPA checks and portfolio reviews.

“There are pros and cons to exclusivity, but it creates a good bond between us because it gives you a group of people who are really committed to it because they chose to be here,” Mobley said. “I like to think of all of us as pretty good friends and we got to create that sense of brotherhood because of it.”

Categories: Life