Publication Date: May 1, 2019
Although Earth Day is over, the celebration of sustainability is still in full force with this year’s Artbeast event, re-titled Greenbeast. The arts and entertainment industries management majors are hosting their seventh-annual festival to celebrate a wide range of artistic talent on campus, including live music, theater, dance, painting, tie dying and more.
Each year, the theme for Artbeast is chosen by the Arts Events and Festivals class. This year’s theme of sustainability led to the festival to be nicknamed “Greenbeast.”
“What better way to call attention to the need for sustainability than through artistic expression and creative engagement?”said Assistant Professor of Arts Events and Festivals Todd Dellinger.
Greenbeast has many sustainable aspects this year that make it different than any other Artbeast festival in the past. “We wanted to find ways to not only ‘go green’ ourselves, but educate our attendees on sustainable art making practices as well,” said senior arts and entertainment industries management major Elizabeth Smith.
Many of the activities were designed using more recycled materials, switching to eco-friendly spray paints for the graffiti art project and using organic T-shirts for the tie-dye station.
Greenbeast is becoming more sustainable through it’s “Trashion Show.” This event gives students the opportunity to make an outfit out of trash or recycled materials. The outfits must be at least 75 percent non-clothing items such as trash bags, bottles or other nonconventional clothing materials. The outfits are scored on creativity or materials, amount of different materials and wear-ability of the design. The creations will be displayed on the campus green throughout the event with the top five designs being showcased at the pub for the “Trashion Show.”
“The project engages many different communities and groups on campus to come together in arts and culture,” said Dellinger. “From student life, to fraternal organizations, to multicultural organizations, Artbeast brings the campus together in celebration of the creative spirit.”
“This has been a great year seeing sustainability merge with the arts. First with the Sustainability and Dance Project, and now with Greenbeast. I am so proud to be involved with these terrific arts and sustainability collaborations and hope to do more in the future,” said Rider Sustainability Manager Melissa Greenberg.
Celebrate Greenbeast on Friday May 3as an end to the last day of classes. The event is from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. on the Bart Leudeke Center Patio, Terrace, Campus Green and the Pub. There will be food, special prizes and giveaways.
Brianne Gallina
Rider Eco-Rep