On Friday, Aug. 29 at 2 p.m. in the Carl J. Shapiro Theater, students and faculty shared some insight into the visual, musical and theatrical arts programs on campus in an information session entitled "Art for Curious Minds." There was an encouragingly large turnout for an event smack in the middle of the second day of classes. The information session was geared toward first-year students, and its title paid homage to the orientation theme, "Let Curiosity Take Hold," a line from the Curious George series, written by a woman dedicated to the arts and a one-time Creative Writing professor at Brandeis, Margret Rey.

Scott Edmiston, director of the Office of the Arts, gave an inspiring introduction in which he pointed to the importance of the arts in social transformation and solving some of the most pressing problems in our world today. Edmiston also encouraged the new students to try new forms of art, some "beyond [their] imagining."
Sara Weininger '13, an education assistant at the Rose Art Museum, led an interactive discussion about a Roy Lichtenstein piece in order to introduce new students to visual art analysis. The audience was very vocal and their conversation encompassed everything from color to figure, from composition to associations, as the meaning of the piece came into focus.

Other representatives from various visual arts programs spoke about more of Brandeis' initiatives and opportunities. Some of these included student art loans from the Rose Art Museum's permanent collection and an annual social event at the Rose, "SCRAM Jam," put on by the Student Committee for the Rose Art Museum.
Deborah Rosenstein, the concert program manager, talked about the myriad of opportunities to get involved in music on campus for musicians and non-musicians alike. One such opportunity is the Brandeis concert series, where students can attend free concerts on campus that feature professional musicians from around the world throughout the year. The series starts this semester on Sept. 18 with a concert called "Music from China" as part of the MusicUnitesUS Intercultural Residency Series, one of the three programs within the long-standing University MusicUnitesUS program.

Rosenstein also discussed more long term opportunities for students to be involved in the Music department. Musical students were encouraged to join the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra, the University Chorus or one of the many smaller ensembles. Students who do not sing or play instruments are still encouraged to get involved by registering for introductory private lessons or ushering concerts as a part of the work-study program.

The theater presentation provided, as expected, a creative and interactive experience. In a hands-on activity, the audience's job was to direct a random audience member, whose eyes were closed, through a "minefield" composed of the audience's belongings. Afterward, the students engaged in a discussion about how the game demonstrated qualities such as working together, being a good listener and giving clear instructions-all important qualities to have while participating in theater.
At the end of the presentation, Ingrid Schorr, the associate director of the Office of the Arts, who had spoken about the arts earlier in the event, encouraged every student to audition for a student-produced play, Cabaret. Auditions will be held on Sept. 15.

"Art for Curious Minds" was a great introduction for first year students to the Arts programs on campus. The new students seemed largely very happy to have gone, and as I left the event, I heard lots of echoes of "I'm really glad I went to that" amongst the younger crowd.