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Campus dives into the arts and culture-based events
Lisa Ermak
Whether tickets were being ripped into uneven stubs for a show at Great Cobb Hall, honking saxophones and trumpets were setting the back beat for swing dancers at the Union or the doors were being opened to150 years of discovery at the MSU Museum, 2007-08 was a year of arts and culture.
The study of arts and culture allowed students to fall into a world full of imagination, creativity and talent which can be expressed through dance, film, theater, visual arts and music. And this year there was a multitude of opportunities for students to immerse themselves in the arts. According to the Year of Arts and Culture Web site, “Arts and culture play a critical role not only in preparing students for a global world, but also in nurturing the human spirit and enriching prosperity and the quality of life in Michigan.”
This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, the beginning of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum and the opening of the new Residential College for the Arts and Humanities. And the weekend of April 18 marked the beginning of the Arts Marathon Weekend.
The three-day long event, which was off to a start Friday after a ribbon-cutting ceremony by MSU Provost, Kim Wilcox, had three days worth of continuous activities and events to participate in and to attend. Musical events included concerts, ranging from a seven-hour selection of Michigan’s best Indie music to student recitals and music of the Be-Bop Spartans and Jon Faddis. The Wharton Center participated in the weekend-long event, too, and welcomed the hit Broadway musical, “Avenue Q,” as well as a Rodgers and Hart classic, “Babes in Arms.”
The programs, which ran all weekend uninterrupted, showcased the best of the Michigan State University arts scene and brought together several departments and organizations on campus.
But the events that widened imaginations and nurtured minds weren’t just for college-aged students. The university tried to hosted a variety of events that would appeal to all ages, including face painting and theatrical face painting for the kids and other more mature activities for the older crowd.
Bass player and jazz studies sophomore Noah Jackson performed at the MSU Jazz Spectacular Swing Dance event where musicians performed classic swing dance tunes and participants could take foot on stage or just sit back and enjoy the music.
Jackson, who’s played the bass for ten years, said he enjoys being an artist and putting his craft on display during performances. He said he encourages people to come out to concerts and see what the School of Music has to offer because it often times goes unnoticed, as negative news makes the front pages of newspapers.
“These are the type of things that connect us together,” Jackson said of the concert. “The best way for the people to see the good is for the good to shine even brighter.”
And that’s exactly what happened this year, as all mediums of art came together, making their mark on campus and getting more people involved and interested.
Questions? Comments? Contact Lisa Ermak at ermaklis@msu.edu
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