Showcasing Our Artists: Honors College Fine Arts Gala

By: McKenzie Shelton, EC Scholar and Honors College Junior

This September marked an important event for the Honors College of East Carolina University. Amidst the whirlwind of scientific research and technical training that swirls around us, the Honors College celebrated our inaugural Honors Fine Arts Gala. This event was incredibly well-attended and proclaimed the growing support for the arts in the Honors family. The Gala was a result of one of the Honors colloquia, the invention of an Honors arts student who realized that our fine arts students needed a time dedicated to showcasing their work and talents. The idea was wholeheartedly supported by the Alumni Association.

As a Film/Video Production student in the art department at ECU, I am grateful and fervently excited about this new happening. There is a dichotomy between the sciences and arts that I believe is beginning to fade with the integration of interdisciplinary studies and open-mindedness. Each year I recognize more of my fellow artists as academics and my scientifically-minded peers as creators. There is an extreme attention to detail, planning, execution of ideas, and personal creativity in every vocation. Upon googling ‘art,’ I found the definition to be illuminating of the interconnectedness between all people. The definition read, “The expression of human creative skill and imagination.” We are all moving the human race forward through our innovation and use of resources. Is a surgeon not like a painter, wielding the scalpel with the finesse of a medical Picasso? Or a filmmaker similar to a psychologist, listening to people’s stories and relating human experience? I hope greatly that this year’s Honors Fine Arts Gala increased awareness of the value of the arts, which I believe exists to communicate stories and process emotion.

In regards to the show itself, there were excellent presentations of musical theatre, including renditions from Titanic, Funny Girl, a wildly moving dance piece, a classical trio, film art, poetry, metal works, and ensemble theatre performances. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was so honored to see the faces of so many friends and family in the crowd, but mostly, I was proud to stand with so many other Honors arts students in front of our university. We stood declaring that we are here, we are important, and we appreciate this beautiful opportunity to share that which moves, challenges, and fulfills us. Thank you ECU Honors College!