Arts Exposed

Walking into the Quad Friday afternoon it felt like the Caribbean. This didn’t have to do much with the weather, because despite the sun there’s still a spring chill in the air. No, that vibe came from the tie-dye wearing UW Steelband.

Friday afternoon the Quad was the stage for Arts Expo(sed), a part of Washington Weekend that showcased UW’s various art-oriented departments.

Participating programs included Art, Architecture, Cinema Studies, Comparative History of Ideas, Comparative Literature, Dance, DXArts, Drama, English and Music.

The event, put on by the student-run program ArtsLink, was conceived with the idea of exposing pre-collegiate and undergraduate students to a group of majors without settling for the standard tabling with department literature.

“Connections are basically the essence of ArtsLink, as the title itself spells out,” said senior Jessica Frederick, a PR representative for the group.

Frederick said that the program is run by students, with the help of advisers, with the purpose of more sharply refining a sense of community between all arts-related departments.

This sense of community and ability to grow is a clear benefit that many inside and out of the arts-related studies recognize, including co-founder Paul LePore, the Assistant Dean of Education.

“The fabulous thing about the UW Arts community is the inter-departmental overlap,” Frederick said. “As an English major, I have been drawn to CHID, Comparative Literature, and even Art History courses.”

More than a dozen tents provided venues for arts “vignettes,” activities thought up and designed by students, to show off what their major really is.

Those dozen tents covered over half the Quad; at one end, between the Art and Music buildings, was the “Big Tent” which served as the music main stage and hosted performances by everything from xylophones to brass to jazz quartets. At the other end of the event music students gave free guitar lessons and led a drum circle.

“This is more of a hit than I was expecting it to be,” said Kevin Williams, a music education student. “Right off the bat a group of girls sat down and learned some ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane.’ I skipped the basics like chords so they could enjoy it right away, and hopefully they’ll get into it for real later.”

Another large area was dedicated to a student art sale with paintings, photos, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry and even decorated trucker hats included. Prices ranged from $3 to $1,800, and judging by the number of people exiting the tent with artwork the sale seemed to be a success.

The Dance Program, in addition to having open studio classes, held a modern dance class and a composition dance class In the Quad for onlookers to observe.

DXArts students set up three stop-motion film sets at their table, leaving one open for passersby to manipulate clay figures into a flipbook-style animation using multiple photo frames.

“We get to focus on video, animation and digital audio,” said Ryan Irilli, a DXArts student and ArtsLink member. “It’s a community and forum to create art using technology as a tool. It’s creative and you’re being true to yourself.”

The Department of English hosted a number of games under their tent. Though the poetry slam was their main event, there was also a “Guess The Celebrity English Major” game and a “Shakespearean Insult Generator.” To use the insult generator, two adjectives and a noun are drawn from a box and preceded “by a hearty ‘thou.’”

In addition to playing videos of their recent shows, Members of the Undergraduate Theater Society performed scenes from their latest production “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead.” The UTS is a student-run and produced acting company within the School of Drama.

“We’re here to show how to get involved in the acting and producing community,” said Erin Hancock, the assistant executive director. “School of Drama performances are mainly for graduate students, but the opportunities are there.”

Comparative History of Ideas, College of Architecture and Urban Planning and Ceramics students, who held a “Patrick Swayze Contest,” also set up tents to reach out to potential arts students.

Though the day was meant primarily to reach out to prospective students, the audience ranged from elementary school classes to the elderly. One mother chose to bring her five-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter to the event.

“We home-school, and we’re looking at college in the long-term,” she said. “The chance to see this great music and great dance is incredible.”