Returning to a tradition of art festivals that occurred during the 1970s, Dickinson will be hosting a Student Senate-run art festival on April 15, rain date being April 16. Katrina Faulkner ’23, Director of Campus Life and Initiatives, helped to develop the idea into a reality.

“So there is a little bit of a convoluted answer [to how the idea of an art festival came to be]” said Faulkner. Having served on the Student Senate executive board for three years, she has heard many ideas of events to invigorate the student body after COVID-19, however none stuck with her quite like the idea of an art festival like the ones her father was a part of in the 1970s.

 “I really was interested in this idea because my dad’s an artist, I’ve attended a lot of art festivals throughout my life from the buyers side, from the sellers side, all over the place” she said.

Art Fest became a reality this year because of meetings between the Senate executive board, class presidents and the President’s Office, “which has been a really great way of communicating with administration in my opinion, it gets things done much faster” says Faulkner.

Sonyta Bun ’25, Director of Inclusivity, had wanted to do a talent show to display students’ performance talent. Focusing on student morale, Student Senate came to the conclusion of the Art Festival, a collection of tables and performances aimed at displaying the art and creativity of the Dickinson community.

Stressing the helpfulness of the President’s Office, Faulkner said “We thought it was really important to have it sort of be a display of Dickinson pride because it’s on Red and White Day and I feel that oftentimes the creative side of campus doesn’t really get highlighted as much.”

The Festival will have about 25 tables on the Academic Quad that represent both student organizations and individuals. There will be nine or ten groups that will perform on a stage at the steps of Old West between 1 and 4 p.m., as well as food venders such as the student-run coffee stand The Peddler.