A cappella group Brown Sugar performed at NCDC’s second annual Arts Fest. Hallie Liang/The Daily Northwestern
Members of the Evanston community and Northwestern students participated in finger painting, live performances and a series of artistic showcases at the second annual Arts Fest on Sunday, hosted by the Northwestern Community Development Corps.
The event was part of the second annual Communiversity Day, an Associated Student Government initiative to encourage interactions between NU students and Evanston residents.
Although the event was relocated to the basement of Norris University Center from McCormick Auditorium due to the potential electrical hazards posed by the inclement weather, it still attracted a large crowd of students and Evanston residents.
“It was so disgusting this morning,” said Sara Fletcher, NCDC’s campus outreach co-chair. “It’s mind-blowing so many people are here.”
The basement of Norris was bustling with music, conversation and shuffling people. Students and children showed off their painted faces, ranging from tigers to American flags. Finger paintings, photographs and original artwork hung on display as artists interacted with Evanston families and NU students.
Danny Hirsch, a Communication sophomore, arranged a display of unique photographs, digitally enhanced pictures and a stop-motion video. Hirsch said his art is designed to give the viewer a different perspective on everyday objects, allowing them to see things they don’t normally notice.
“The experience of looking is most of it,” Hirsch said.
Amy Walsh, a senior theater major at Loyola University Chicago, was displaying a very different form of art: finger painting. Walsh, who provided a large, blank canvas, encouraged adults and children to be playful with colorful paints.
Finger painting teaches kids that “art is not only for stuffy museums,” Walsh said. “For adults, it’s art without judgment.”
Walsh said she loved the diversity of projects, ranging from face painting to movie screenings.
“I wish Loyola would do something like this,” she said.
NCDC began planning for Arts Fest at the end of January, contacting different artists and brainstorming ideas, said Amanda Haase, a SESP sophomore on the special events committee. The group advertised at local coffee shops and art groups and showcased a variety of Chicago, Evanston and NU artists and performers, including TONIK Tap, Purple Haze, NAYO Dance Ensemble and Women’s Choir.
Arts Fest was a way to encourage community involvement and interaction through art and performance, said Fletcher, a Medill sophomore. Building on last year’s success, NCDC brought a larger group of artists to this year’s event, Haase said.
“It’s great to see the Evanston community and Northwestern come together to celebrate art,” she said.
