Grinnell's Art Scene

by Quyhn Nguyn '19

At Grinnell, the art scene is vibrant and constantly growing day by day. Grinnellians make, perform, act, sing, dance, sew — there are really no definite limits to their artistic creations. This urge to create is further encouraged by the mutual appreciation for art present on campus. That’s partly why people are not scared of trying out new things and continue to experiment with different art forms.

Everyone is welcome to showcase and share their work. On and off-campus, there are many events and clubs organized and held by Grinnellians as a way to create spaces where creators, performers, and the audience can connect and bond. There are many great original events created by students that I really love and appreciate. Among many of them, Tiny Dorm Concert, inspired by NPR Tiny Desk, is an event started about a year ago for music lovers to gather and enjoy great student performances. Anyone interested can sign up to be the host, and concerts will be held at their humble abode, whether it is a dorm room or a living room of a house off-campus.

Another musical event that has been around for quite a while is the Showvember concert consisting of various student bands and singers of different genres. Showvember offers student-made musical goodness for the whole five hours on a Saturday night in November with lots of love, laughter, and excitement.

For art installations, Home Installment is a great exhibition held at student’s houses off-campus. The exhibition encourages anyone who has been making art pieces, in any specific forms, to submit their work. Home Installment was born out of the organizers’ urge to create a space in which the many student artists here can showcase their work. It is really amazing the effort Grinnellians put out to organize and maintain these traditions. There is always something going on for one to join, to contribute, or just drop by and take a look at.

The art scene’s growth is naturally fuelled by Grinnell students’ enthusiasm and dedication. The students’ creations are not at all restricted to course requirements. They love what they do and do not stop contributing new things to expand the scene itself.

In terms of theatre productions, Nolan Boggess '19 believes there have not been enough musical plays on campus. So he decided to take the initiative and connected with other Theater major upperclass students to make it happen at Grinnell. His collaboration resulted in the production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in which he played a part during his first year. This year, Nolan gets the chance to become the director of the upcoming show Godspell, bringing even more variety to the theatre scene.

The film scene is also kept pretty active, despite the fact that Grinnell College does not have a film department. The 7-day film challenge is held by students each semester for anyone interested in making short videos to team up and produce a short film with given props. It is a great way for people to learn filmmaking skills by experience and working with others. Besides that, Grinnellians develop their own film projects as well, either personal or cooperative; from documentaries, mockumentaries, to web-series, music videos and even experimental art videos.

Aside from the events and projects mentioned here, there are still many other student clubs on campus like the Infinite Coincidence Improv group, Ritalin Test Squad Improv group, Salseros de Grinnell, and dozens more. The many art-related activities and events happening all year round on and off campus really show Grinnellians’ effort to create a welcoming and inclusive space for all kinds of creations and art forms. For some, art activities bring them joy and fun. For others, they can also become a means to deliver social commentary and make a creative statement. With the enthusiastic participation of many, the art scene at Grinnell is rich with meaningful exchange of ideas and collaboration.