By providing an uplifting space for artists and performers, Art and Soul club members connect the community through the arts during the annual fest.

The Art and Soul fest, organized entirely by the student club members, allows students involved in the arts to either gain real-life performance experience or promote their artwork at display tables. 

A sense of community can be found with the inclusion of many branches of the arts, and is seen as the main goal of Art and Soul by many.

“The goal of Art and Soul this year and every year,” Art and Soul club president Shannon Stover said, “is to connect the community of the school and the community of the town and the district through art and music and let people express themselves.”

Participants can gain valuable knowledge from their public display of art or music. 

According to Art and Soul co-advisor Sean Redmond, students involved gain a sense of self-empowerment.

“Last year, we had a lot of student participation in the arts area…and students sold their work,” Redmond said. “They made enough products to promote and sell themselves.”

Art and Soul junior leader Halli Spears said it is a way to “start a new business” and learn the skills that come with it.

For performers, they get to experience time on the stage during Art and Soul, helping strengthen performance skills. 

“It’s a really good opportunity for people who like performing,” Stover said, “or if you want to sharpen your performing skills it’s a really non-judgemental audience.”

Having a supportive audience allows pressure to be taken off many performers, adding weight to the importance of Art and Soul.

An increase of confidence can be found among participants when they are at Art and Soul. 

“It makes me more confident being surrounded by a bunch of talented people and people who support you,” sophomore Ellie Rittenhouse said.

Rittenhouse performed with the girl’s a cappella group, Chordination, at Art and Soul and cheered on her peers as well. Rittenhouse said she felt some pressure, but only because of the “amazing talent” present in the school community. 

According to Art and Soul co-advisor Lauren Bauer, one of her favorite aspects of Art and Soul is “seeing everyone come together” to celebrate and enjoy the arts.

“We bring a lot of different parts of the community together. Not even just people attending the festival, because everybody in the community can attend,” Stover said. 

Art and Soul brings an audience of people who are both experienced in the arts and those who are not as involved. 

According to Spears, it is essential to show the different things happening within this “little part of the school.” Spears said it is important to raise awareness of these artistic activities in order to “keep people coming” year after year.

Many people choose to volunteer for Art and Soul as well. People had the opportunity to help with aspects like setup and certain activities. 

“So many kids are involved in planning the fest or volunteering to help with the fest’s setup that it’s just showing how much kids care about stuff like this,” Spears said.

Each year, the funds raised from Art and Soul fest are given back to the arts in some way. 

According to Bauer, the funds this year are contributing to purchasing new sound equipment for the LGI. Bauer enjoys seeing the “full circle” of putting together Art and Soul and “having people enjoy it” while providing more resources for the arts.