Spring Break
The Daily Orange"Artfest' provides forum for independent work
By Nicole Loring
Posted: 4/13/08, 10:15 PM EST Section: News
Kristian Rodriguez was frustrated with the lack of artistic expression outside the classroom at Syracuse University, so he decided to do something about it. Rodriguez, with the help of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), is hosting Artfest, a festival to allow artists at SU to share ideas and show their independent artwork outside the educational setting.
"At Syracuse, it seems like we're all disconnected," Rodriguez said of the art community. "Art is about coming together and bouncing ideas off each other and expressing our thoughts. I haven't found that here."
Artfest, a weeklong program sponsored by NYPIRG, will feature video and visual art, two undergraduate-directed plays and an open-mic night for poets and musicians-all of which are free to the public.
Rodriguez, a sophomore acting major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, is the intern at NYPIRG in charge of organizing Artfest.
"I have friends who are video art majors, musicians and writers, and we're always talking about having an opportunity to present what we do in a non-classroom, non-Syracuse related way," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said he advertised for submissions, but had to personally ask artists he knew to get involved.
NYPIRG will be at the different Artfest events all week, while attempting to register people to vote, Rodriguez said. The program's theme, "Activate Yourself," refers to the political activism NYPIRG works for as well as the goal of Artfest itself.
"We want to encourage people to activate, turn yourself on and realize this is your life and you can do what you want to do," Rodriguez said. "Art is one of the biggest ways we do that. To make art, it's our souls coming out - we need a space to show that to people."
Dave Wolfe, a sophomore video art major and Rodriguez's roommate, contributed two video-art pieces to the Artfest collection.
"One really cool thing about this is that it's independent of the school," Wolfe said. "It's appealing because it doesn't have that controlled, artificial sense of energy - it has sort of an edge to it."
"At Syracuse, it seems like we're all disconnected," Rodriguez said of the art community. "Art is about coming together and bouncing ideas off each other and expressing our thoughts. I haven't found that here."
Artfest, a weeklong program sponsored by NYPIRG, will feature video and visual art, two undergraduate-directed plays and an open-mic night for poets and musicians-all of which are free to the public.
Rodriguez, a sophomore acting major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, is the intern at NYPIRG in charge of organizing Artfest.
"I have friends who are video art majors, musicians and writers, and we're always talking about having an opportunity to present what we do in a non-classroom, non-Syracuse related way," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said he advertised for submissions, but had to personally ask artists he knew to get involved.
NYPIRG will be at the different Artfest events all week, while attempting to register people to vote, Rodriguez said. The program's theme, "Activate Yourself," refers to the political activism NYPIRG works for as well as the goal of Artfest itself.
"We want to encourage people to activate, turn yourself on and realize this is your life and you can do what you want to do," Rodriguez said. "Art is one of the biggest ways we do that. To make art, it's our souls coming out - we need a space to show that to people."
Dave Wolfe, a sophomore video art major and Rodriguez's roommate, contributed two video-art pieces to the Artfest collection.
"One really cool thing about this is that it's independent of the school," Wolfe said. "It's appealing because it doesn't have that controlled, artificial sense of energy - it has sort of an edge to it."
Be the first to comment on this story