In light of the success of Theater Fairfield’s fall production of the Shadowbox, I think it is a great time for someone to recognize the art majors who add spunk and life to our campus.
In the Oct. 5 edition of The Mirror, Andrew Chapin wrote an article that implied that accounting was a harder class than painting. His attitude that classes in the visual and performing arts are a cake-walk is one that, I believe, is shared by many at this school.
Others, like Evan Trowbridge ’07, just think art majors are a little too “out there.”
“Let’s just say I don’t envy art majors who get to be in the company of other art majors. It’s a very ‘special’ group of individuals,” he said.
I guess Trowbridge is right; we are a little out there, but who else is going to bring artistic beauty to this world?
And for those who say being an art major is easy, chew on this: it once took me a combined 45 hours to complete one 36 line poem for an “easy” class I was taking at our school. Tell me, does that sound like a cake-walk to you?
How about all the students writing original plays, composing music, directing short films, rehearsing complicated lines, painting gorgeous landscapes, designing clothes, giving up all that they are for the love of art?
As an English major with a concentration in creative writing, I frequently encounter a negative attitude from my peers, as well as adults. People tell me that my poetry is a waste of time, and that I better start preparing myself for life after college.
My parents constantly encourage me to go the journalism route because, according to them, it is more practical and safe than my fantastical dreams of being the next great American playwright.
How do I respond to these pessimistic people who constantly knock my passions? I ask them to describe to me their favorite pastimes, what they enjoy doing in their spare time.
Many of them tell me that they love going to concerts, movies, art museums or plays. Some enjoy the improv shows performed on campus, others like to sit down with good book, watch TV, shop for the latest trendy clothes or listen and dance to their favorite songs with friends.
I look at them with a smile, reminding them that none of these pastimes would be possible without the hours, the years, of dedication and emotion that go into an artist’s work.
Art majors do not only put their time and effort into their projects, but their whole hearts. Often upon completing a work, they are emotionally drained, passing in a real part of themselves along with the assignment.
Our passion for art is not just something we chose, but something that chooses us, something that we can not let go of.
Art teaches us to express ourselves fully and be creative, spontaneous thinkers. It truly prepares us to be hard workers in our future careers, whether they involve our passion directly or not.
Senior Jared Mezzocchi, a double major in Theatre and Film, will be presenting an original theatrical piece to the Fairfield University community this April. He reflected on the often negative attitude towards art majors.
“People who understand what it’s like to route themselves in their own vulnerabilities will get it,” said Mezzocchi. “The best artist is one whose work is passionate yet appears effortless. It’s a paradox you won’t understand until you live it.”
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