Junior Liz Szymanski accomplished quite a feat last month.
From Crown Point, Ind., Liz is a junior majoring in classical studies with a focus on Latin language and math. On Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013, Liz hosted her own concert and arts show.
She’s not quite sure what she plans to do in the future, but would like to be a high school Latin teacher. Though planning events isn’t in her immediate plans, she is proving that her background with music is providing her with a new, versatile talent.
Liz was excited to talk about her show, called “HHart”, which is a play on “Hutton Honors,” Hudson & Holland Scholars Program and Valentine’s Day.
What inspired this show? “This is the third year doing the HHart Art Showcase. It started when a Hutton Honors student studying arts management wanted an opportunity for honors students to display their artistic talents. There are tons of bio majors who paint, math majors who play clarinet, and business majors who write. But how many opportunities do they have to show off these talents? That’s the purpose of HHart – to show the IU campus how diverse and talented its students are. We have it in February because it used to correspond with Bloomington Arts week, and it makes for a good pun.”
Tell me about the show. “The show is co-sponsored by the Hutton Honors College and the Hudson & Holland Scholars Program and the artists come from these two groups. We have 3 main mediums of art: visual (painting, photography, film, sculpture, textiles, written word and performing. The various mediums of art are displayed throughout the Honors College, with big performances in the Great Room, spoken word in a poetry-club style classroom, and art pieces in several classrooms. We also partner with the IMU Gallery and several of our 2-D pieces are displayed there after the showcase. The core committee has been working on this project since September, and we are currently looking for ways to make HHart more of a yearly presence, as opposed to a once a year thing. We also have more specific committees of volunteers who aid us closer to the event.”
How do you think the show went? “Despite the icy/snowy weather conditions, we had a great turn out. Fewer than previous years, but I do think that was because of the weather! The artists and performers really enjoyed sharing their art, and the people who came out to the show had a great time. As far as performing arts are concerned, we had a great mixture of acts including a brass quintet, acoustic music, African dance, Indian dance, break dance, Chicago-style blues, some local Bloomington bands, and more.”
What was your favorite part of the show? “This is my second year helping plan the showcase, and without a doubt, my favorite part is meeting new artists and seeing the excitement and joy my performers have when they play for others. There were times tonight when the energy and music were so positive, I just couldn’t stop smiling. I love seeing that the artists really do appreciate this opportunity – even if it’s for a small crowd of people.”
What arts are you involved in? “I play the clarinet in the Marching Hundred, Big Red Basketball Band, and All Campus Band. Tonight I played a Beethoven clarinet duet with my roommate. I’m also just a general appreciator of art and this year served as an art docent for the IU Art Museum.”