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Weeklong celebration of DePauw ArtsFest begins Sunday
For the next week, DePauw University will present ArtsFest 2018: Art and Horizons, an annual weeklong event and interdisciplinary celebration of arts, local culture and student accomplishment.
The festival kicks off in the Green Center for Performing Arts at 1:45 p.m. Sunday with Art Attack. With events spread across visual arts, literature, theater, music and cinema, event organizers hope to offer something to lovers of the arts of all ages.
This year’s theme is Art and Horizons, an acknowledgement of the unknowns we face in daily life and the diverse nature of DePauw’s campus. On a broader sense, it also recognizes the growth and changes that Greencastle and Putnam County experienced over recent years.
DePauw arts events do not always have the same community impact as athletic events. Alexandra Chamberlain, the assistant curator of exhibitions and education at the Richard E. Peeler Art Center, hopes the ArtsFest 2018 will be the start of a change.
“The galleries are free and open to all people of Greencastle and the greater Putnam County,” Chamberlain said. “That’s something not a lot of people know, or they don’t feel comfortable in the space.”
On Tuesday at Peeler, there is a tour and panel discussion of an ArtsFest exhibit, “Baggage Claims.” The panel will feature Greencastle figure J.D. Grove, owner of the shop Conspire.
“Beyond ArtsFest, all events in Peeler are free,” Chamberlin said. “It’s not just for DePauw, it’s for the community.”
ArtsFest is a perfect time for local residents to catch a glimpse of DePauw craft in action, according to music theory and composition professor Eliza Brown.
“If anyone in Greencastle has never been to an arts event at DePauw or hasn’t been to one in a while, this is a great week to do it,” Brown said.
The diversity of ArtsFest can’t be understated — on Monday evening alone, there is a four-hands classical piano concert and a jazz combo performance occurring in separate spaces.
“There are so many ArtsFest events to choose from that offer something for everyone,” Brown said, “and everyone is invited.”
The family-friendly opening event, Art Attack, features performances from student music, theater and dance groups, with a School of Music gala concert starting at 4 p.m. From 1:45-3:45 p.m. there will be a plethora of activities for children, including drum circles, an instrument petting zoo, photo booths, juice and canvas and much more.
Among these activities will be student-led workshops. Most student groups will be leading quick workshops, showcasing and teaching their techniques, immediately following their performances. This gives children and adults a chance to get their feet wet with arts unfamiliar to them.
Performances and exhibits are in the Green Center for Performing Arts, Peeler Art Gallery, Music on the Square and Ashley Square Cinema from Sunday, Oct. 28 through Sunday, Nov. 4.
A full schedule of events is available online at depauw.edu/arts-and-culture. Not all events require a ticket and prices vary.