"Artfest' provides forum for independent work

Kristian Rodriguez was frustrated with the lack of artistic expression outside the classroom at Syracuse University, so he decided to do something about it. Rodriguez, with the help of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), is hosting Artfest, a festival to allow artists at SU to share ideas and show their independent artwork outside the educational setting.

"At Syracuse, it seems like we're all disconnected," Rodriguez said of the art community. "Art is about coming together and bouncing ideas off each other and expressing our thoughts. I haven't found that here."

Artfest, a weeklong program sponsored by NYPIRG, will feature video and visual art, two undergraduate-directed plays and an open-mic night for poets and musicians-all of which are free to the public.

Rodriguez, a sophomore acting major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, is the intern at NYPIRG in charge of organizing Artfest.

"I have friends who are video art majors, musicians and writers, and we're always talking about having an opportunity to present what we do in a non-classroom, non-Syracuse related way," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said he advertised for submissions, but had to personally ask artists he knew to get involved.

NYPIRG will be at the different Artfest events all week, while attempting to register people to vote, Rodriguez said. The program's theme, "Activate Yourself," refers to the political activism NYPIRG works for as well as the goal of Artfest itself.

"We want to encourage people to activate, turn yourself on and realize this is your life and you can do what you want to do," Rodriguez said. "Art is one of the biggest ways we do that. To make art, it's our souls coming out - we need a space to show that to people."

Dave Wolfe, a sophomore video art major and Rodriguez's roommate, contributed two video-art pieces to the Artfest collection.

"One really cool thing about this is that it's independent of the school," Wolfe said. "It's appealing because it doesn't have that controlled, artificial sense of energy - it has sort of an edge to it."

Putting this event on and getting the word out has taken a tremendous amount of effort because the connection between community artists isn't solid, Wolfe said.

"It's an enormous undertaking," he said. "It's as if there is a disconnect in the art community. People just aren't communicating amongst themselves."

Crystal Choi, a freshman illustration major, is unsure about whether she will attend Artfest. She said she heard rumors from a professor that art students are supposed to skip their classes on Tuesday to attend the event.

"I think everyone knows about it in general, but no one really talks about it," Choi said about artists on campus. "I did see a lot of art students working really hard on projects and sculptures that I think are for the Artfest, but no one really talks about it."

Choi did not submit any work to the Artfest this year but plans to in the future.

"I actually don't have much time to do any extra projects, but in the next couple years I do want to get more known on campus," she said. "I will definitely submit work just to see if I can get people to look at it and get some feedback."

Rodriguez encouraged any undergrads who are interested in Artfest to attend.

"Come, read a poem, sing a song, talk to people and create a community," he said.

naloring@syr.edu