By Melissa Henderson
“Art of Healing, Healing through Art,” was an event coordinated by University students in an effort to spread awareness of social injustices in the forms of dance, music, film, poetry, photography and art.
There was also a show, which served as part of the University’s year-long “Educate ’08,” campaign to heighten awareness in advance of the presidential debate that will come to campus this fall. Performed at the John Cranford Adam’s Playhouse, students gathered to watch the effect of social injustice that takes place worldwide.
Act One of the show consisted of a film by the University’s ONE group which featured many of the different programs organized since the last semester.
Brent Weitzberg, the president of the Student Government Association, was filmed reciting his own poetry about disparities throughout the nation and also performed a spoken-word piece later on in the event. Another film was produced by Audrey Chow whose video was about the social discrimination gays and lesbians endure throughout the world and, even on campus. “Two lesbians hated for their love,” read the film’s synopsis.
The music of the program roused members of the nearly packed audience at the Playhouse. Andres Soto, a junior music major played the piano and Lauren Kenny, a soprano, performed “Nocturno sin Patria,” adding her own rhythmic and operatic style to transform the poem into a Spanish song.
Freshman photography major Alex Moore and freshman photography major Caitlin Maloney’s photography was displayed on a screen, depicting children throughout the world, including Hempstead. Music from Jorge Drexler was played to put the photographed children that live in poverty every day into an even harsher light. Some photos were taken in villages in Mexico, with faces of despair and hope towards a better state of living.
Alex Moore and Caitlin Maloney also helped put the program together.
Michael D’Innocenzo. an adjunct history professor, spoke about the effect and magnitude of social injustice in the U.S. He shed light on his experience working with Martin Luther King Jr., and spoke about the power of speech.
“What are we born for…to be restorers of truth,” D’Innocenzo said, which he quoted from civil rights leaders in the 1960s.
D’Innocenzo spoke about the powerful and influential words King used when he delivered the commencement address at the 1965 graduation. Inspired by King’s words, D’Innocenzo said that as an individual, one must gather data, reach out to negotiate and engage in using free speech, free press and civil disobedience, so that together “we all can combat social injustice and eliminate it.”
The show came to a close with a dance performance by dance majors Performing a mixture of modern, ballet and interpretive dance, the students gave their own definition of social injustice that captured the pains of social injustice and the search for reconciliation.
Students perform in the “Art of Healing, Healing through Art” event, which highlighted issues of social injustice to a packed crowd in Adams Playhouse. (Erin Furman)