QuicksearchCategories |
Friday, May 5. 2006Art grooves its way from one student's soul to another By Tom Myers Alluring art, rockin’ tunes and cold beer. These were just a few of the things featured at Alaska Pacific University’s Art Forms Festival in early April. The festival, held in Grant Hall, was organized by APU Outdoors Studies senior Kerri Graham. “I did it for the love of art,” Graham said. “I wanted to do something for the APU community that has been such an awesome part of my life.” Graham started her vision of the festival in January. She distributed surveys to students, made posters, wrote proposals and grant requests. She also submitted an ad to the Anchorage Press and was interviewed by the Anchorage Daily News. “The whole university contributed,” Graham said. The festival received funding from the Liberal Studies Department, student activity fees, the APU student government and Students In Free Enterprise. Art on display included photographs, liquid ink and mixed media. Graham said more than a dozen students and alumni contributed pieces.   The festival, which lasted from noon to midnight, featured a host of events and workshops, including Native art demonstrations in mask making and ivory carving. The festival also featured photography and music theory workshops, one-act plays produced and staged by the Liberal Studies Department, a performance from the APU drama club, and a poetry slam. The highlight of the festival for Graham was Top Secret, which she introduced as “the best band in Anchorage.” The party started as soon as Top Secret busted into its version of saxophone virtuoso Maceo Parker’s “Chicken.” Top Secret, which features APU’s own Eric Redding on keyboards, saxophone and vocals, played a mix of funk and rock covers from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder and The Average White Band. Around the time Top Secret hit the stage, the kegs were tapped and the beer garden was unbarred. Those 21 and over got their groove on while enjoying IPA and hefeweizen brews donated by the Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria. Following Top Secret’s set, the stage was made available for an open jam session. The APU Ensemble tore the roof off the mothersucker with their performance of Parliament’s “Give up the Funk.” The ensemble was also joined by nearly a dozen other students for an extended version of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon.” Graham said the festival was a great success and that anyone who has the motivation is capable of putting on an event like the Art Forms Festival. Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry
No Trackbacks
|
Calendar
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
