ArtFest Adapted
by Riley McGehee ‘22
The Memorial Student Center’s Visual Arts Committee (VAC) hosts an annual art competition, ArtFest. Students submit pieces to be displayed in the James R. Reynolds Student Art Gallery, with the top three receiving a cash prize. Due to COVID-19, MSC VAC decided to transition to a virtual ArtFest in an effort to ensure students’ hard work would not go unnoticed or unappreciated. The committee created an extensive Google Slides presentation featuring photos of each wall of the gallery to showcase all of the art pieces. They created a positive viewing experience to make evaluating each of the pieces as seamless and close to an in-person gallery as possible.
The virtual experience featured each submission as its own individual slide with photo and description. There are many different types of art being showcased, from sculptures to drawings to photography. Each slide contains information about the artist, the title of the piece, the materials used and a few sentences about the inspiration behind the art. The viewer is then able to look at each submission and choose which one they would like to vote for. The MSC Visual Arts Committee sets an example for making the best out of these unprecedented times by adapting its traditional program. Talented Aggies from many different majors, backgrounds and interests submitted pieces. Through programs such as Virtual ArtFest, MSC VAC encourages creativity, perseverance and the diversity of the Aggie family.