Art: our relationship with it starts when we are young, and we carry it into college, but it doesn’t have to stop there.
Arts Week at Corban provided an opportunity to take a break from homework or video games and participate in free workshops.
This year’s Arts Week, Feb. 6-10, included a student recital, English folk dancing, improvisation, photography, mosaic art and more. The variety of art workshops enabled students to connect with any art form they wanted.
The teachers of the workshops were acclaimed artists within the Salem community who have national and international experience within their various fields. Mary P.D Heintzman, who led the mosaic workshop, made the Eco-Earth Globe at the Salem Riverfront Park, among her other community art projects.
Tamara McGinnis, English professor at Corban, organized the week’s events and contacted the artists so they could come.
“We had a really good response from students,” said faculty secretary Jan Hopkins, who coordinated the attendance at the various workshops.
Freshman Cortney Hobbs, who attended several of the workshops, said, “Participating in any form of art can open your mind up to experiences you would have never had before and cause you to appreciate the talents of others better.”
Arts week is used as an outlet of worship and a community builder. Students were able to glorify God in creative ways and maybe in ways they never had before.
“By engaging in art we can see the glory of God on a different level,” Hobbs said.
Students were also able to interact with other Corbanites they had not met before. Participating in art together as a Corban community resulted in students encouraging and complimenting one another.
Jared Hernandez, Admissions visit coordinator, went to the improvisation workshop led by Chip Conrad on Monday night. Conrad owns Capitol City Theatre in downtown Salem, where he hosts weekly improv nights for the community.
“Learning that agreement in improv always works better than disagreeing with another’s idea,” was the best thing Hernandez said he learned about acting.
On Tuesday, students of the music program treated the audience to a recital. The students composed many of the pieces they performed. Performances featured singing, piano, guitar, flute and harp. The recital allowed students to watch other students participating in what they loved to do.