Student group fills Diag with celebration of art

Courtesy of Art Matters Art Matters, a new student group, recently painted The Rock on Washtenaw Ave. to publicize its efforts.

By Kate Kovalszki
For the Daily

"Art is not a luxury but essential to the refueling of the human imagination," First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton once said.

Nowhere, it seems, is the heart of this statement being practiced more than here at the University. Though always an integral part of the University's life, the arts have received special attention in these past two years. With the founding of the new student group Art Matters, as well as the instatement of the annual Artscapade, the arts have become even more accessible to students.

The First Annual Art Matters Festival, scheduled for noon- 2 p.m. on the Diag this Friday, is designed to encourage the exhibition of any and all forms of art. Everyone is welcome to attend and showcase their own unique talents, including dancing, singing, playing the harmonica, reciting a poem, and face painting.

The festival is the brainchild of Art Matters, which was founded last year. The group seeks to both heighten student interest in the arts and to lobby local, state and federal governments for funding of the arts. In addition to the Art Matters Festival, the group organizes an Art Matters week, during which different pieces of art around campus are brought to the attention of the student body.

Students can design their own site for Art Matters week, write to their senators about the arts, or share a poem with fellow students.

If you are a first- or second-year student, you may already know of the splendors of Artscapade. Begun last year during Welcome Week and continued again this year, Artscapade is a large scale, highly entertaining event designed to tweak incoming students' interest in the arts. Set in the Museum of Art, Artscapade offered another exciting outlet for fun activities and socializing.

Founded by Mary Craig, Arts Coordinator (Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts), and Michelle Burkhead, Artscapade was designed to spread knowledge of the arts to new students, who may otherwise be unaware of the arts resources available in Ann Arbor. The event, which drew in about 2,100 students this year, offered a night of performances, games and tongue-in-cheek museum tours led by comedian O.J. Anderson.

There were scavenger hunts to familiarize students with the museum's works of art, with prizes that included tickets to various UMS, the Ark, and School of Music events. For those who wanted to become one with the arts, there were the events such as "Make a Work of Art" and "Be a Work of Art."

In addition, there were performances by the a capella group "58 Greene," the rhythmic ensemble of the "Repercussions and Friends," swing dancers from U Move and a group of students from the musical theatre department. There also were showings of short films made by students in the film and video program, and various games which included Arts Jeopardy and Art Memory.

As Mary Craig states, this event sought to ensure that "the arts reach all of the population at the University, not just those who already have an interest in the arts."

You may ask, "What about us less fortunate upperclassmen? How could we get involved in the fun?" Along with volunteering at Artscapade, you can also sign up to usher at performances (a great way to see shows for free), or help in developing an Events Calendar. In addition, Mary Craig is now seeking students with interest in areas such as theater or film for positions on the Student Board. This team of student critics would give insight into different artistic venues.

If you're curious and would like more information about Artscapade, you can visit http://www.umich.edu/~arts or e-mail questions to arts@umich.edu.

To learn more about Art Matters, visit their Website at http://www.umich.edu/~artmatters or send e-mail to art.matters@umich.edu.

09-30-98