VACA inspires universal creativity

Author: Alexxa Gotthardt

Great art, funk, more art, interpretative dance, some breakdancing, more funk and even more great art. So flowed the opening of the annual student art show, organized and curated by VACA (Vitality of the Artistic Community Association), in Lower Forest on Nov. 19.

It was the day of the exhibition. The official time of the opening, as streaked across the super-hip striped posters plastered around campus, was 9 p.m. By 4 p.m. the gallery buzzed with talk of sick paint, stellar placement, and sweet tunes. All day, artists, curators and musicians alike had been preparing for the coming evening's opening. Submissions entered the gallery in the creative hands of some of Middlebury's most talented artists, members of VACA to find the perfect place for each piece and musicians from the band Headlands, visiting from the Berklee School of Music, made the art gallery their home for the night. Suddenly, it was 9 p.m. The band took its makeshift stage, spotlights shone brightly on the art and people flooded in to join the fete of artistic fervor.

Every year, members of VACA organize fall and spring shows in Forest Basement as well as periodic shows in The Gamut Room. These exhibitions, at their core, aim to present and incite the kind of enthusiasm and appreciation that characterized this most recent event. By displaying the art of students, many of whom have never taken an art class in their life, let alone at Middlebury, VACA hopes to rouse creativity, communication and collaboration within artistic realms and beyond. "VACA is meant to be a creative outlet for Art majors and non-art majors alike. Middlebury is full of talented people who do not necessarily get to express themselves within Middlebury's academic setting due to major requirements and departmental prerequisites," said Co-President of VACA Brett Foreman '07. Co-president Kevin Buckland '06 shared similar sentiments: "VACA, today, is providing a voice for students, and the voice is growing louder as VACA grows."

Through the lively opening of this fall's exhibition and the plethora of talent displayed on the colorful gallery walls, it was obvious that this very voice is growing louder all the time, resounding throughout campus and becoming a vital part of the Middlebury community. The exhibition itself, a curatorial collaboration of VACA members and featured artists, presented artwork ranging from photography to painting, from pastels to charcoals and from sketches to sculpture.

The appeal and success of the exhibition was the result of its diversity and its ability to touch, attract, and communicate with a wide range of people-an idea that is vital to VACA's current goals. "The core of VACA's mission is to bring art into the lives of the students and to provide a living, breathing, talking, responding community to nurture artistic ideas and discussion. To make art accessible," said Buckland.

"Art is a form of communication," added Foreman. "Almost all student artwork is confined to Johnson. By putting artwork up outside the art building we want to engage people who might not normally associate with art at Middlebury."

VACA not only takes art outside Johnson by way of its group exhibitions, but also through other projects and events as well. The annual Halloween Party hosted by VACA encourages campus-wide creativity in a very different setting. "VACA sees this event as a great way to encourage students who don't necessarily consider themselves artists to be creative with their costume. Most often, I've noticed students are more inclined to create when they don't hold themselves to the expectation of making 'art'," said Buckland. "Too many people get stuck in this definition, making what they think art should be rather than what they feel."

In addition, VACA hopes to increase the number of murals on campus, creating prominent, directly-accessible public art. "I hope that VACA can grow outside Forest Basement and paint walls and hallways all over campus. We learn nothing from white walls. I imagine this campus filled with color and life and thought, and hope the blank white does not reflect what they want us to be learning," said Buckland.

And VACA can go even further by breaking down the barriers among different artistic mediums in order to achieve a more complete form of artistic collaboration and creative influence. "VACA really wants to reach out to the community and collaborate with other student groups," said Foreman.

VACA is about art, VACA is about creativity, and VACA is about collaboration between all types of creative minds. "The problem I find, is most people try to express what they think they should express, which is normally as little as possible, rather than what they want to express," said Buckland. "We are making, and sacrificing, creative decisions every minute. I sincerely believe that this type of creative thinking will make all the difference in any field, be it English, physics, math or environmental science. Creative thinking is what changes the world. We must embrace creativity as a vital part of life."

Great art, funk, more art, interpretative dance, some breakdancing, more funk and even more great art. Not to mention great creativity, great inspiration and maybe even great change.