Friday March 4th from 5 to 8pm, Mikey Jakubowski hosted an event titled “Art As: Community” in Millikin’s Kirkland Fine Arts Center.

The event’s Facebook page highlighted many of the artists that partook in the event. Many of the artists submitted artwork but there were a few performance artists who took part in the event as well.

The artists mentioned on the Facebook page included: Lauren Rhodes, Asha Worthy, Cecilia Ottens, Shelby Truax, Tyler Earls, Hunter Allen (with pianist Paige Bequette), Brooke Brasile, Michael Holmberg, Kat Scarim, Francisco Gama, Taryn Pepping, and Meghan Miller.

A few artists that were not highlighted on the event’s Facebook page but had visual pieces displayed were Amber Maiberger and Vaida Naris.

Though this may not be all the artists that performed or had pieces at Art As: Community since Jakubowski was unable to contact and give a full list of all artists that had pieces displayed or performed at the event.

However, the event was a massive success. Many people gathered in Kirkland’s Gallery that night to view the pieces and performances some artists of Millikin have been working on. Art filled both sides of the gallery and short bios of the artists were displayed along with their pictures on the sliding glass doors of Kirkland’s gallery. A table with cookies stood just outside the entrance and the soft playing of piano could be heard on the border of the gallery. Those who walked around the gallery viewing the pieces and listening to the performances stated that it was incredibly fascinating to see the work of their peers that usually goes unseen by non art majors.

The Facebook page Jakubowski runned also displayed pictures of some of the artists along with a short quote. Being a part of the Facebook page was exciting and refreshing. Unlike most event pages where the host hardly updates those interested in the event, Jakubowski posted almost everyday from February 25th to March 3rd, the day before the event. Being able to get an insight on the artists before viewing their piece or performance was something not many people get to experience with typical art shows.

Many of the artists that were previewed on the Facebook page spoke about community: the focus of the art show. For example. Michael Holmberg gave a quote on creative communities saying, “Having a community of artists is amazing; I get to see not only others’ work, but the process that goes into it. I love always having someone to bounce ideas off of and get honest critique.”

Similarly, Cecilia Ottens said on the topic of an ideal creative community, that “[her] ideal creative community would be one that varies in styles and refrains from being static. A community that grows together can turn into something really beautiful.” Tyler Earls also spoke on this topic saying, “In my view, an ideal creative community is one that welcomes all genders, races, and sexual orientations to participate on an equal platform. As a cisgender, white male, my role in this is to remain sensitive in my work to the differences between my experiences and those of my audience.”

Overall, Jakubowski’s event was a huge success. Students of every Millikin demographic came to view the pieces/performances of their friends or the pieces/performances of those in the art department. The active use of a Facebook page was a smart move by Jakubowski since it kept the audience engaged and thinking about the event everyday so one wouldn’t be able to forget. Plus, the Facebook page allowed the audience to get an insight on most of the artists before the actual event. An event like Art As: Community is definitely something Millikin students look forward to in order to get closer to their peers to be able to understand and appreciate all types of art that fill Millikin’s campus.