Maybe you’re studying biochemistry but wish there was a place in your life for poetry. Maybe you always click “interested” on Facebook for campus arts events but end up talking yourself out of it.
It can sometimes be hard to know where to start if you’re interested in exploring the arts and humanities culture on campus, especially compared to the easy routine of attending football games at Memorial Stadium.
A great place to begin your exploration is the First Thursdays campaign, which puts on monthly festivals featuring live music, dance and theater, as well as opportunities for hands-on participation with arts, crafts and games.
October’s installation of the campaign featured letterpress printing, Turkish water marbling, pottery making, limestone carving and musical performances from groups such as the Singing Hoosiers and IU Opera.
The festivals are organized by the Arts and Humanities Council, and, as Council Director Edward Comentale put it, they are designed to satisfy students’ craving for a more creative life by offering them activities and events that are easy to understand and enjoy.
Although the festivals last from 5-7:30 p.m., the intentional simplicity and variety of their programs leaves the level of commitment completely up to student.
Whether you’d like to spend half an hour crafting the blackout poem masterpiece you never have time for or five minutes listening to whichever musical guest happens to be performing as you pass through, feel free to indulge your curiosity and creativity. “We’ve tried to break down our offerings into small, bite-sized samples,” Comentale said. “We know that typically once students get over their initial anxiety, they quickly learn what they love and are willing to engage more.”
That initial anxiety is an interesting phenomenon. We often shy away from participating in the arts if we don’t think we have the necessary talent, but we shouldn’t be afraid to engage ourselves in opportunities to witness and create beauty.
Of course, the arts and humanities are not valuable solely for such beauty. “How one organizes resources, constructs an argument, communicates with others, visualizes a future, cultivates an ethical life — we can learn a lot more than we think from watching our artists and humanists at work,” Comentale said.
As students, our primary focus during our time here at IU is our education. In preparation for our post-graduation lives, we expend passionate effort in applying that education toward developing ourselves professionally. A critical and yet frequently overlooked part of that education, however, is our personal development.
Even if you don’t want to pursue a career in the arts and humanities, the styles of thinking they encourage and the contributions they make to our culture should make them worthy of your interest.
“The value of the arts is apparent to anyone with an open mind and has been proven many times over by data and history,” Comentale said. “As our very best scientists and business leaders know, the arts and humanities provide the best training for innovative and inspiring approaches to everyday life.”
So be open-minded. Take the time to express your interest in what may at first seem to be merely entertaining but may one day come to be a meaningful part of your life.
mareklei@umail.iu.edu
@foreverfloral97
