UNC Arts Everywhere hosts fall arts pop-up to offer 'a moment of creativity'

The UNC Arts Everywhere team worked to make up for lost time with its fall arts pop-up after FallFest was canceled due to weather in August. 

Arts Everywhere partnered with the Carolina Union Activities Board to set up crafts and activities in the Davis Library courtyard on Sept. 16 and 17 to introduce the initiative to campus.

“This was our way of promoting the arts organizations on campus to Carolina students,” said Kathryn Wagner, associate director of Arts Everywhere. “And we have a few fun activities that we've done (Thursday and Friday), just trying to provide students with a moment of creativity and enjoyment as they go about their day.”

Activities at the pop-up event included tie-dyeing, bracelet making and giveaways. Other UNC arts organizations and departments also had representatives at the event to talk to students about their work. 

“Our friends at the Ackland Art Museum are here leading an origami demonstration,” Wagner said. “And then you can find out about the music department, or the Kenan Theatre Company or the drama department, too.”

Student volunteers and ambassadors helped set up and run the event. Representatives talked to other students about getting involved in the arts on campus through Arts Everywhere, other resources like the Morrison Art Studio.

“Thinking about how we can reach students beyond the arts departments has always been a big thing,” said Nuria Shin, an Arts Everywhere undergraduate leadership fellow. “We really like to work with a lot of STEM departments, whether they have projects that they'd like to bring to their buildings.”

Recently, Shin helped lead a mural project through Arts Everywhere on the bottom floor of Phillips Hall that combined elements of the sciences and the arts. 

Sophomore biology major Michelle Li attended the fall pop-up and said she appreciated the accessibility of on-campus arts events. 

“Right now, I’m currently open to just hearing other people's stories and like, seeing what they want to do with their life and their majors,” Li said. “I think my knowledge can be limited by just being STEM, so I'm open to listening to and looking at different parts of arts, especially just through going to the popup and other things they have planned.”

Arts Everywhere’s largest event of the year is Arts Everywhere day, a campus-wide event held during the spring semester where students have opportunities to experience the arts in a wide variety of interactive activities through many UNC organizations. 

“We are just coordinating that to make the arts a lot more prevalent around campus and just to inspire other students to think creatively beyond what they have in their classes,” Shin said. 

Following the fall pop-up, Wagner said she is excited for the interest students have shown in trying out new things through the arts.  

“We try to provide occasional pop-up activities for students outside of what everyone expects, like Arts Everywhere day just throughout the year,” Wagner said. “Y'all are so stressed and overworked and everything, so a moment of your time when you can grab a little snack and do something creative, hopefully, is really enjoyable.”

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