Office for Student Engagement Calls For Student Artists & Musicians
Recent flyers posted around campus advertise the Office for Student Engagement (OSE)’s new(ish) monthly Student Artist and Musician Showcase. This program offers students a place, a time, and money to those wishing to exhibit their art — whatever form that may take. OSE coordinates with students for advertising, preparation, and performance in addition to the $25 for a 30-minute set and $50 for an hour-long set for the showcase. The Quest reached out to program coordinator Amanda French and first-year student Naomi March, who performed just last month, for more information.
“We wanted to offer it as an opportunity to not only showcase your work — whether it's performance, jewelry, making prints, things of that nature, photography — [OSE] really wanted to provide a space where students can do that with their peers, and also get paid for it. Which I think is pretty unique in that regard,” French said when describing the program during an interview.
Performances are hosted during lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on the Quad, but there is flexibility in terms of timing and location depending on the individual student’s needs. An initial interest form on the flyers asks basic questions and for a sample of work, which is then followed up with a meeting. OSE works with students’ needs, whether it’s coordinating with the music department for instruments, purchasing display cases, or providing other audio/visual equipment.
“They did all the planning side, made the posters with some input from me, and did all the technical setup on the day of,” March explained over email. “It was very easy for me to prepare; I pretty much just had to show up with my guitar and perform.”
“I would say it's really not difficult to be accepted, with respect to scheduling and our threshold that we can accommodate. It's more so just about, how can we support you to get your work out to the public, or to our Reed community?” French said. “We really want to see this as an opportunity to practice. If you wanted to do this, say, on a much larger scale, this is a great space to start.”
This past October, March performed her half-hour set on the Quad.
“The performance itself was super fun! I performed on the Quad on a beautiful Friday afternoon. The sun was shining, and a lot of my friends came to watch! Also it was cool that lots of people were walking past, and a few people stayed to listen for a song or two which was really exciting,” March said.
Another performance by Miles Sanford is scheduled on Nov. 12 from 1:30-2:30 p.m., also on the Quad. French explains that they are already booked through this semester, with a focus on musical performances, but clarified that sign-ups are still ongoing for anyone interested. Starting next semester there will be more variety with visual art.
“What I really hope is that students will look at this as an opportunity to support their community, learn about other students, engage in various ways and student engagement opportunities,” French said. “We have so much talent, and I feel like it brings a lot of joy and connection to students.”
Interested in signing up? Scan the QR code for the interest form and check out OSE’s Instagram (@reedcollegeOSE) for more information about the Student Artist and Musician Showcase and other programs they are offering!