I love the feeling of a silent crowd with its attention on the stage, anticipating the next note, awaiting the following phrase, hoping to find inspiration.
Rarely do I have the nerve to be that lone star under the spotlight. It takes real guts. I have always been jealous of those with the confidence to share their artistic talents with the rest of the world.
Our campus is not typically thought of as being very artistic, but is that because it doesn’t possess any artists, or because those that we have go unnoticed?
I think it’s the latter. I think we do have a very artistic campus.
In fact, I have witnessed it firsthand as a member of the music program, follower of the campus theater groups and unabashed fan of any solo artist performing within walking distance of my apartment. There really is potential stardom seeping out of all sorts of cracks in the Marquette student body.
The performing arts are a great form of self-expression and something to be appreciated. Verses of poetry, lyrics of songs and choreography on stage have a way of defining a culture and providing purpose to a community. We can learn so much about our fellow Marquette family members through their own forms of expression.
Our more active participants within the arts are starting to gain more recognition with the popularity of the Theater Department’s performances of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” this year. Hopefully, this focus will remain and even spread to individuals and groups that excel in a talent on our campus, but may not be linked to a department or office.
The Haggerty Museum of Art and MU Art Club are excited to offer an opportunity for students to enjoy the talents of their peers at Student Performing Arts Night on Oct. 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Haggerty Museum of Art.
This event was inspired by the student organization MARDI GRAS as well as the Student Fine Arts Night, which took place last semester and featured student performing artists. MARDI GRAS travels to New Orleans several times a year and is able to experience the real power that performance arts can have within a group.
New Orleans is a community that uses music, poetry, dance and more as a means of sharing joy, expressing loss and providing comfort. For this community and many others, a performance is more than that silent crowd, more than the excitement of finding out what comes next. It really is a look into a story, a life, a passion. It may not be the intent of the performer to inspire, but often times they truly do.
So, come; be in awe of the talent hiding away on your own campus. Take a break from your studying, tear your eyes away from that nail-biting reality TV show and come revel in some pretty amazing artistry.
Both Art Club and MARDI GRAS will also be accepting donations for their respective organizations at the event, so you can feel good about being philanthropic as well.
Erin Shawgo is a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences.