by Herkimer College students go head-to-head in thrilling art challenges at Alumni Hall April 16.
“Art War” is an event is being held to engage Herkimer’s students and community. Nick Stag, Executive Director of The Art Thing Collaborative Inc., and co-founder Carly Proulx have the utmost passion about putting art back where it belongs. “Give art back to the people” says Stag, spirited about the reason he started The Art Thing Collaborative in the first place.
The event is a fun and interactive way to bring people together with art. Stag explains what he does in this line of work. “I’m a participatory artist, so basically what I do is… devise different kinds of experiences, installations that people can participate in, and through that participation, we generate different kinds of art content.”
Stag has done this at colleges all over the country since 2018. Everything he does is non-profit and community-focused. Luckily, he met his trusty sidekick Carly just last year and learned they both had a desire for bringing art back to the community.
“Our perspective on art, our sort of… disinterest in the art world or what it’s become, what it can kind of present to people as this… intimidating… prestigious world.” says Proulx. “We wanted to bring it back down to earth… make it for everybody.” Their one goal in mind is to reconnect the idea of art, or what it seems to have transformed into, with the freeness they feel it used to or should have.
Justin Como, Herkimer’s art gallery director for five years and studio art professor, was contacted by The Art Thing Collaborative and decided to work with them to host an event that would make a difference.
Como is just as passionate about the need for art and giving it back to the people. “I’ve been trying to make sure the gallery shows all aspects of the community.” Not only is this good for the people in Herkimer, but it also brings attention to the college and shows how inclusive and interactive it can be.
Como’s goal is “to increase campus engagement, to help promote our college and what we do on campus.” He wants people to feel like they can contact the school and strive to put on more functions like this.
Proulx says Professor Como is “instrumental in helping us… get the students involved.” Working together, they created an event where students from the college will face off in two teams of six people. It is free for students and only 10 dollars for others, and there will be live music. It is meant to be quick-paced and challenging, working to push students’ skills and imaginations and will be extremely fun to watch.
Even though this is already amazing, The Art Thing Collaborative isn’t stopping here.
“We have so many things planned, it’s insane actually, we kind of hit the ground running,” says Stag excitedly.
Como was quick to recognize their passion. “I know that the people that are putting it on are very engaged with art… they’re very interested in community and fostering people being interconnected.
“There’s such a need for community art and really getting it out of the galleries and putting and putting it back into… the streets and the shared places where we live to help us connect,” says Stag.
