Where is the art?
By Casey Armand
The campus of Franciscan University teems with young artists. Whether
one sees a guitarist playing on a hill or a ragtag ensemble of many
instruments, or walks into a common room to see the murals on the
walls, the fine arts permeate this community.
Why then are the opportunities to foster these
talents nearly nonexistent? The lucky few who plan to use the piano,
organ, or their God-given voice to make a living have the option of the
Sacred Music major. But what about those who play strings, woodwinds,
brass, percussion? What about the artists who want to refine their
skills?
The chamber orchestra that used to be held each
semester was canceled this fall. Now the only way that students can
participate in an official group is through Music Ministry. Music
Ministry, however, serves the specific purpose of complementing the
Sacred Liturgy and as such does not allow any form of percussion, and
for obvious and necessary reasons only plays certain types of sacred
music. Classically trained musicians have the difficult decision of
losing all their musical resources in order to study Catechetics or
Theology at the best Catholic university in the country.
This year is a special year for me, being my 10th
year of playing the flute. I was classically trained from fourth grade
on, and when I decided to come to Franciscan it was no easy choice to
know that I couldn’t minor in music because the program here only
welcomes pianists, organists and vocalists, with private lessons for
guitarists. That initial disappointment has only turned into full-on
depression at the fact that there is no school-provided way for me to
immerse myself in music.
Music Ministry has given me many happy hours,
especially in rehearsals and on the biannual retreat, but I have lost
so much of the skill that I gained in being the principal flutist of an
orchestra through my high school years. Playing on my own offers some
solace, but the expertise gained through playing as part of a larger
whole, or taking private lessons, is slipping away.
On that note, many students find this same calming
and constructive outlet in the form of the visual arts. While the
university does offer some art classes, they are introductory level and
do not involve the variety of media that would be ideal for a young and
innovative artist. This problem is almost more concerning than the lack
of music programs on campus. While the performing arts may be the kind
of self-centered career that Franciscan University does not want to
encourage, the visual arts have their roots planted firmly in the
Church. The Sacred Music major does exist, albeit for only a few, but
there is no Sacred Art program, or even a club or organization to
assist students in the exploration of using their manual talents to
glorify God.
Maybe the importance of fine arts in the life of a
well-balanced individual should be reconsidered here on campus. This
university is able to take every major and teach its students to take
their profession as a unique calling from God. The artist should not be
any different.
As Pope John Paul II said in his Letter to Artists,
“Society needs artists, just as it needs scientists, technicians,
workers, professional people, witnesses of the faith, teachers, fathers
and mothers...”
Why then is this necessary vocation neglected at Franciscan University?
Art is an emotional outlet and a source of
self-discipline and motivation. There is a triumphant sort of growth
that one comes through in taking a difficult, unknown piece of music
and working it out, kink by kink, until the notes fly off the page and
into the minds of the listeners. It reminds the musician of the wonder
and beauty of God. Creating a work of art requires artists to look deep
inside their own persons to bring out the beauty they intend to
communicate.
”For (the artist) art offers both a new
dimension and an exceptional mode of expression for his spiritual
growth,” said the late Pope.
An artist’s acquisition of organizational
skills and attention to detail carries over into everyday life.
Experiencing the fine arts makes for more efficient students. When
given the opportunity, every artist seizes hold of a way to share their
passion. Even those who prefer not to make art themselves know the
pleasure of seeing or hearing many different manifestations of
creativity.
Is the solution to this problem, then, to be left to
the students? Or does the academic administration have a responsibility
to see to the formation of the entire person? Either way, I hope to see
the fine arts bloom out of obscurity and into the central lives of the
students at Franciscan as the next few years progress.