Jim Amidon — Fifteen or 20 years ago, Wabash was in need of pretty substantial upgrades in its science, athletics, modern languages, library, and arts facilities. When it came time to begin raising funds and starting construction, College Trustees and Administrators chose to start with the Fine Arts Center, a decision which made a lot of people scratch their heads.
But it was the right decision. A good liberal arts college — no, a great liberal arts college — must be committed to the arts. Wabash demonstrated this with the addition of the Randolph Deer Art Wing and the music wing, including Salter Hall. Add a third full-time faculty member in each of the three fine arts departments has also demonstrated the College’s commitment.
A little over a decade has passed and the results are marvelous. The quality of our student musicians, thespians, and visual artists is as good now — consistently — as it ever has been. Anyone who heard George Colakovic’s recital in Salter Hall or caught this year’s Glee Club in concert realizes there has been a tremendous improvement in talent (not to mention the acoustics of that fantastic facility).
I attended the Senior Art Majors opening reception Monday night. We’ve probably had more talented individual artists in recent years, but as a group these four men hold up as well as any senior class in memory. And they are distinctive. I’ve watched Tim Parker throw running backs around like rag dolls on the football field for three years; it is nice to see what a delicate hand he has for sculpture. I think so differently about Adam Miller’s vibrant paintings after learning that he is color blind. Bill Whited’s installation — especially the "design them yourself" crawling creatures — is unique and thought-provoking. And David Murphy’s pottery is not only beautifully created, but artistically significant.
That same night I caught a dress rehearsal of Jim Fisher’s production of The Braggart Soldier. Five minutes into the show and I was as entertained as I have been in years in Ball Theater. The casting is perfect and includes a range of usual faces (Matt McKay, Denis Farr, and Sterling Carter), but also features some new faces (Braden Pemberton, Joe Martin, and Ali Ahmed). Farr and Dickie Winters even designed the costumes for the show, which you’ll appreciate even more after seeing the show.
Indeed, there was wisdom in that 1980s decision to put the arts first when it came time for funding and building. Now the community must put the arts at the top of the list again — at the busiest time of the year — to make time to celebrate the talents of our young men.
