This Wednesday, the arts at Notre Dame will come together at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC) for the second year in a row at Art Attack, a two-hour event that will showcase the various opportunities for involvement with performance, visual and creative arts at Notre Dame.
Arts at Notre Dame will be the primary hosts for the event, along with representatives from other groups such as the College of Arts & Letters, Shakespeare at Notre Dame and the Snite Museum of Art.
Leigh Hayden, director of external relations for the performing arts at DPAC, has been a part of the collaborative effort on campus to increase the engagement with Notre Dame’s performing and visual arts entities.
“Art Attack was conceived of two years ago as a significant effort ... to introduce new students to 'that big building' on south campus, as well as attract returning students who may realize how much the center and the arts have to offer in terms of quality of campus life,” Hayden said.
Hayden said Art Attack is an excellent opportunity for Notre Dame’s artistic community to throw its doors open to the entire student population, especially the freshmen.
“An objective is certainly to attract first years — particularly seeing as 50 percent of the class of 2019 was involved in the arts in high school,” she said. “At the same time, if a returning student is a frequent visitor or has never set their foot inside this building before, even for a class or event such as the recent talk by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, we want them here, too. We hope they'll see DPAC and the arts in a new and different way.”
Stacey Stewart, outreach specialist for the film, television and theatre department, said despite the abundance of artistic talent at Notre Dame, much of it tends to go unnoticed or under-appreciated.
“I'm excited to see a wide range of artistic disciplines represented this year — music, dance, musical theatre, film, and visual art — all together under one roof,” Stewart said. “I hope both students and faculty will feel welcome in our campus artistic community, whether they see themselves as artists or as audience members.”
Senior Jon Olansen, executive producer of Pasquerilla East Musical Company (PEMCO), said Art Attack aims to attract people who may still be unsure about which club or organization they should join.
“Fine arts challenge people, especially students, to think creatively and with open mind, a skill that is vital in many ways throughout life,” Olansen said. “I hope that those who do not know yet if it is right for them find themselves a place in the arts at Notre Dame.”
Hayden said there are many resources available to students, but many are still unaware of what exactly is being offered to them.
“That's why the Arts at Notre Dame group came together, to fill the gap in information and connectivity," Hayden said. "Art Attack is our biggest effort to address that opportunity."
Hayden said the arts on campus are “alive and well” and the arts in college are a low-risk, high-return proposition.
“While there may be many different departments and centers involved, we are unified in our effort to make what we have to offer students a memorable part of their Notre Dame experience," Hayden said. "Show up. We all know how to put on a great event.”
