by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

The last couple months of Abigail Shipps’ senior year at the University of the South are turning out to be quite different from what she expected.

“Being a graduating senior right now is pretty devastating. You were really looking forward to those last months, and you’re in this really weird time. You’re away from your friends. The economy, especially small businesses are really at risk.”

“I’m a small business,” Shipps found herself thinking. “How can I help other small businesses?”

Shipps decided to turn a minus into a plus. The Sewanee Business Alliance (SBA) established a fund to help Sewanee businesses survive the loss of commerce occurring as a result of the pandemic. The SBA fund will receive the sale proceeds from prints of two of Shipps’ pen and ink sketches, All Saints’ Chapel and the Sewanee Gates.

“I’ve always been an artist, always been creative,” Shipps said. “I went through different phases, crafts, origami, knitting, painting, drawing. I did it in my spare time. I’d do drawings for friends, and they started saying, ‘You should sell these.’” Visit Shipps’ Etsy and Instagram pages to preview the work she offers for sale.

Like the two prints for sale that will benefit the SBA, most of Shipps’ drawings depict Sewanee architecture. She describes these pen and ink sketches as “simple, charming drawing of your favorite Sewanee buildings.” Other prints feature scenes from nature like the Natural Bridge and sunsets.

Staying busy during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order hasn’t been a problem for Shipps. She’s received a large number of requests for commissions. People frequently ask her to draw their homes or a favorite academic building or theme house. She even received a request to draw the Sewanee Market.

Shipps lives in Sewanee with her family. Her father David Shipps is director of the Babson Center for Global Commerce, and her mother Sydney Shipps volunteers to help coordinate programs for Lifelong Learning. Her brother David is a rising sophomore.

“The Sewanee community loves the Sewanee community,” Shipps said.

The Frame Gallery is providing the matts for all her prints at no charge. And three of the Greek organizations have joined her SBA fundraising project. Theta Kappa Phi, Phi Kappa Epsilon, and Theta Phi will buy prints of Shipps’ drawings of their houses for all their graduating seniors. The proceeds from these sales will also go to the SBA fund.

Shipps has already raised more than $1,000 for the SBA.

An English major and French minor, Shipps looks to a career in journalism. New York City is on her horizon.

But home is where the heart is. “I love Sewanee,” Shipps said.

To buy prints of Shipps drawing to benefit the SBA, go to www.sewaneevillage.com. Select Donate and Shop Now, then Items to Buy to Show Your Support, followed by Abigail Shipps Sketches.