On Friday, Aug. 29, Brandeis hosted the first annual All-Arts Welcome Party in the Multipurpose Room of the SCC. The room was full of students, faculty and staff, and the event was co-sponsored by Student Activities and the Undergraduate Theater Collective.
The room had a friendly, comfortable atmosphere. The fruit and sweets vibrantly displayed on trays spread across a huge table helped fuel everyone’s creativity. The staff members started off a game of arts bingo. Students were put into groups of four or more and everyone started crowding around the center of the room. The questions were reminiscent of the ones that were used during Orientation, asking participants to find others who have participated in musicals, written poetry or are majoring in music. These as well as many other questions helped the new students to get to know more people in the room and connect through their artistic interests.
The winners, who were the first ones to cross out every category and recite a whole passage from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream,” which coincidentally will be presented this semester by Hold Thy Peace, Brandeis’ very own Shakespeare group, received a prize of pencils and scented erasers.
This event also offered the opportunity for undergraduates to talk to faculty members and learn more about the arts programs at Brandeis. Many students were chatting and talking to the numerous advisors present. Programs Assistant of the Rose Art Museum, Dani Dimitrova, for example, promoted the opening of the art museum, which will be Wednesday, Sept. 10 from 5 to 9 p.m. The museum will be featuring the dedication of critically acclaimed artist Chris Burden’s sculpture, Light of Reason.
This piece is particularly interesting because it draws inspiration from the Brandeis logo, creating a welcoming entrance to the museum. The name was also borrowed from a quote by Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis: “If we would guide by the light of reason, we must let our minds be bold.”
There will also be performances by the Lydian String quartet and The Antlers at the opening, both of which are contemporary and experimental groups who will be perfect in reflecting the innovative styles that the Rose Art Museum displays through the diverse array of artwork in each exhibit.
The All-Arts Welcome party was a success in bringing students together to bond over the love of art at Brandeis.
