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At Arts Emerging, the Arts Return In-Person to George Mason

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Arts Emerging听raised more than $155,000 to support the arts at Mason.

Homepage photo: Jazz Studies student Dominique Bianco performed jazz standards.听Photos 漏Sean Hickey.
School of Dance students performing听Pause: Reset听on Holton Plaza. Photo 漏Sean Hickey.

A welcome return to live, in-person arts performances and exhibitions was celebrated September 25 at the 亚洲AV Center for the Arts.

Arts Emerging: A Celebration of Renewalbrought more than 300 people to the Fairfax Campus on a Saturday evening for a festive event that pulsed with artistic energy and the spirit of community.

Combining outdoor and indoor听performances听by students, faculty, and alumni, art exhibits, film screenings, hands-on activities, and more,听Arts Emerging听launched the 2021-22 Center for the Arts season, while also marking the 20th听anniversary of the university鈥檚 College of Visual and Performing Arts.

鈥淭he arts have become one of Mason鈥檚 signature tools for the university to engage with its community,鈥 said Rick Davis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. 鈥Arts Emerging听is a powerful example of that in action.鈥

A highlight of the outdoor performances presented on Holton Plaza was a performance of听Pause: Reset, delivered by School of Dance students and choreographed by faculty member Shaun Boyle D鈥橝rcy. One performer, senior dance major Hadiya Matthews, reflected afterward on the challenges of the past year and how students have rallied. 鈥淒uring Covid and everything that was happening in the world, it was pretty heavy and kind of sad,鈥 Matthews said. 鈥淚 think that when we had discussions and 鈥榗ollabbed鈥 and really talked about how we felt, a big thing that kept us strong was community, and how鈥攏o matter what we鈥檙e going through鈥攚e鈥檙e all related to one another. That鈥檚 something that we can come back to, so building this piece of community was really special.鈥

Meanwhile, in the adjacent Buchanan Hall Atrium Gallery, viewers enjoyed a major exhibition,听Women of the Same Blood,听combining photography and family history by Zia Palmer, BFA Photography 鈥19, with the opportunity to meet and talk with the artist. Buchanan Hall also hosted screenings by Film and Video Studies alumni, and an interactive virtual reality experience by the Computer Game Design program.

Later, inside the Center for the Arts, Mason President Gregory Washington welcomed a mix of students, supporters, and Mason faculty and staff.听鈥淭he arts are the front door to the university,鈥听Washington said. 鈥淢any of you found that great big front door and you came through it to become involved with our College of Visual and Performing Arts. And then that introduced you to the larger university.鈥

Guest appearances on the Concert Hall stage included a duet by Green Machine alumni听, BS Mathematics 鈥16, MS Operations Research 鈥20, and听, BA Music and English 鈥14, both of whom have been contestants on NBC鈥檚听The Voice. They were followed by School of Theater alumni Garvey Dobbins, BFA Theater 鈥20, and Lauren Fraites, BA Theater 鈥20, and a finale performance by current Dewberry School of Music opera students. Members of the Green Machine, led by associate professor of music and director of the Green Machine Ensembles Michael W. Nickens (Doc Nix), also played throughout the event.

Finally, School of Dance alumna Sasha (Hollinger) Henninger, BFA Dance 鈥09, who made her Broadway debut in听Hamilton听as #thebullet, spoke about her career and her time at Mason. 鈥淚 was blessed to spend 11 years in New York making a living doing what I love. I toured the country, I toured the world, and I spent my last few years there performing in two incredible shows on Broadway鈥攅asily one of my biggest dreams come true,鈥 Henninger said.听鈥淢y time, my teachers, my peers here at George Mason prepared me for that. My time at George Mason prepared me well.鈥

Henninger presented a special merit scholarship to current Film and Video Studies senior听Taj Kokayi, whose film听Woken From a Dream听won the Best Student Film Award at the London Web Fest. Kokayi was a producer on the short film听, which premiered during Saturday鈥檚 event.听The Vine听featured current Masters in Arts Management student Bobby Lacy, BA Music 鈥16, in a stirring spoken word performance inspired by the question of what it means to be an arts manager.

Sandy Spring Bank returned as the event鈥檚 presenting sponsor for the fourth consecutive year. 鈥淏y sponsoring events like this we鈥檙e literally helping the students you saw tonight on stage realize their hopes and dreams, or give them an opportunity to,鈥 said Jay O鈥橞rien, executive vice president for commercial and retail banking at Sandy Spring. O鈥橞rien has three daughters currently attending Mason鈥攖wo graduate students and one undergraduate.

Arts Emerging听raised more than $155,000, with proceeds supporting CVPA听, the听,听, and the听听season at the Center for the Arts. The event was co-chaired by Arts at Mason Board members Steven Golsch, a vice president at NowSecure, and Annie Bolger, a bank officer at Sandy Spring Bank.