A student jazz ensemble started off the performances of the evening.
Zack Birkenthal, Matthew Babineaux, Anthony Coniglio, Walter Evertone and Olivia Martinez took their places at the front of one room in Hutton Honors College and began playing an original piece, as patrons sat and listened or wandered through the gallery a few rooms over.
The HHart celebration of the arts took place Friday, and included a showcase of many types of visual art as well as consistent performances across the musical spectrum.
Alyssa de la Rosa, chair of the core committee for HHart, said HHart’s goals include appreciating these works done by students alongside a light reception.
“We only feature student art and this year we’ve had record-breaking entries in terms of performances, spoken word and visual art, so it will be really good,” de la Rosa said.
Students from Hutton Honors College, Hudson & Holland scholars and Collins Living-Learning Center are invited to contribute work to the event each year.
De la Rosa said she looked forward to her own performance, the second musical performance of the night, alongside Eric Langowski.
“I’m playing piano with my friend who plays cello, so it should be fun,” de la Rosa said.
The art and performances were not confined to students whose studies focus on those creative areas. In fact, many of the students displaying work had major areas that differ completely from the arts.
“In general, any kind of arts event is a good thing,” de la Rosa said. “For us, it’s cool because people from all majors will bring in their artwork. So people from different backgrounds, different skill levels, people who are currently performing or playing, people who haven’t played in five years come out.”
A photograph titled “Teen Dream” depicted a vibrantly colored image of a girl’s face and was taken by Kathleen Maher, who studies folklore and ethnomusicology. Lauren Ehrmann, an art history major, showed a hand-painted denim jacket with the face of Frida Kahlo decorating the back.
Biology major Megan Dixon sat in the corner of the gallery at the beginning of the night, demonstrating her newfound artistic interest — calligraphy. Dixon asked attendees their names and wrote them in calligraphic style on strips of paper.
“Over the summer I got interested in calligraphy, just because it’s really beautiful and lettering is really neat,” Dixon said. “I got interested in trying to work on that art and started out looking at the brushes and materials that I had. In October, I decided to do pointed pen calligraphy and I really liked it.”
Calligraphy allows for the chance to escape the world of academics for a moment and focus on cultivating a different sort of skill, Dixon said.
“I’m happy to work on this as a hobby in my free time,” Dixon said. “It’s a relaxing thing to do, when I’m not worried about schoolwork or stress, it’s a good outlet.”
Dixon said being a well-rounded student means incorporating a variety of interests, which for her includes art.
“Arts have always been important to me,” Dixon said. “Art has been helpful for me and, as far as the creativity aspect, I think it’s been useful in science, although I can’t see much connection that lettering has to it. I think, as a general thing, if you’re studying anything it’s important to have a diversity of interests.”
