Poets, musicians, dancers and visual artists alike gathered on the evening of Tues., Nov. 19 for a “music, mocktails and muses” event in the Creative Edge Living Learning Community. The two Resident Assistants behind this collaborative event sought to create an open and welcoming space for creative people of all types to share and celebrate their work.

Lucy Swan, junior and Zeta RA in Lower Quads, originated the idea. “I was planning this event since the beginning of the semester, it was something that I really really wanted to do. It was super fun to network and reach out to people who are involved with the creative parts of campus, to sort of collect and curate pieces of art and writing for the event.”

“Lucy brought this idea up during our RA training to do something that’s open, regardless of what program they’re in, so that they could still be a part of a creative environment,” said Maddie Durkin, junior RA for Creative Edge. “So we just wanted to do something that was open for everybody, which is why we included physical art, music, dance.”

With an evening dress code, a curated gallery and a mocktail mixing bar, the event’s atmosphere was elegant and stylish. Swan emceed the open mic, and Durkin served drinks as participants socialized. The entertainment ranged from a choreographed dance set and guitar solos to profound poetry readings and visual art exhibitions.

“It was a fantastic experience,” said Ceiveon Watkins, junior. “For me, it was my first opportunity to share my work in public, and I feel that Concordia is such a safe place to do that. It was such a rewarding and fantastic experience and I’m glad that we’re able to put on these kinds of events here. This is something that I would like to see more of.”

“I love this event because it gave people the chance to share many types of art, both visual art and dance,” said Britton Cheney, junior. “I’m a dancer, and I’ve been trying to find a space for dance on this campus. I really appreciated this event because it allowed some of our dance team to showcase a little of what we’ve been working on.”

Along with Dance, Cheney also shared some of her thoughts through poetry, and highlighted the valuable interdisciplinary aspect of the event. “Whether poems, songs or dance, I just think that the arts support each other and build each other up. I think that’s a really great part of this event.”

“I think it worked out great with the timing because this is right before The Aerie submissions go on in December,” said Swan. “By presenting their work to an audience, there’s a social portion of the evening where people can get feedback on pieces, what they liked about the things that they wrote.”

“Tonight was wonderful, it definitely gave a spotlight to all the unheard voices, and allowed all of us to be wowed by each other,” said Brandon Truong, freshman. “Everyone’s so talented. We all had something to say and a story to tell. I was grateful that tonight was able to exemplify that.”

“Just being around creative people in conversation like this is so valuable,” said Durkin. “We wanted to do something that was inspiring to people, especially around this time of year, when everyone starts to get a bit tired, just to bring us back to that place of creativity.”

For more information about the Creative Edge LLC, reach out to Maddie Durkin at madison.durkin@eagles.cui.edu. Find the home of creative writing on campus at the Creative Collective, and contact Zoë Litzenberg for further details at zoe.litzenberg@cui.edu.

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