Arts at the Heart of It

This past weekend, the Winthrop House Art Studio opened its doors, giving Winthrop students the opportunity to muck around in acrylic paints to their hearts’ content. That Winthrop House has gone this far without such a space is a testament to the serious marginalization of the visual arts at Harvard. It’s time that Harvard acknowledge and address this increasingly apparent issue.

Although the arts in general manage to flourish at the College, for whatever reason, the visual arts have consistently been ignored. Despite the lack of a Dramatic Arts concentration, nearly 30 plays a semester grace Harvard’s stages. Each year, hundreds of students from Harvard and beyond audition at Common Casting. Likewise, musical groups thrive. Even before coming to Harvard, students are exposed to the bountiful a capella scene—the a capella jam is one of the most popular pre-frosh events. Furthermore, dance at Harvard has increased its presence lately. The waiting list for the recent show Ex-rated, which featured pieces choreographed by Harvard’s most talented dancers, continued to grow each night—the space could not accommodate all who wanted to attend.

The visual arts are mostly absent in all of this. The Visual and Environmental Studies (VES) Department is very strong, and each year, it attracts outstanding artists from all over the world as visiting professors, complementing the stellar core faculty. However, the demanding nature of these classes, which require about three times as many classroom hours compared with other departmental courses—not including the extensive outside studio time—discourages non-concentrators from enrolling. The offerings themselves often have a competitive and exclusive application process as well.

Opportunities beyond the VES department are scarce. On the Office for the Arts bulletin in Loker Commons, there are fliers for the newest Bach Society concert, elaborate posters for the Krokodiloes fall show, and provocative pictures advertising Cabaret. Yet, not a single slip of paper mentioned the visual arts. Even the arts section of The Crimson rarely features the visual arts, and the Advocate, which features art prominently, is published only four times a year.

Although the absence of the visual arts may suggest a lack of interest, it more likely reflects a lack of outlets through which students can express themselves visually. Many undergraduates passionately attend openings at the Carpenter Center, or hear Richard Prince lecture on his photographs. Students take advantage of the few well-publicized opportunities available to engage themselves in the visual arts, even if they cannot actually create. The recent opening of the Winthrop House Art Studio, which saw more students than could be accommodated at easels, demonstrates definite untapped interest.

We live in a world of papers, letters and text; being able to translate our ideas through some other medium is a powerful and releasing tool that can complement and enhance our academic studies. Studying the poignant black and white photographs of Sebastian Salgado or the innovative architecture of Frank Gehry translates the wonders and terrors of the modern world better than any textbook or problem set ever could. We see how expression can be far more powerful in the visual medium. We need more opportunities to express ourselves in this way.

The College needs to make significant changes before the visual arts can be fully accessible to students. Improved art studio space, including funding for materials, and more extracurricular classes would encourage students to find their visual side. The success of the Winthrop Art Studio indicates that interest in the visual arts is surely present; students just need more creative outlets to plug into.