After Smith announced that the fall semester would be held remotely, student organizations that were prepping for in-person events have had to revert back to Zoom meetings and Google Docs. For arts-based organizations, this change has forced them to translate their medium to a digital canvas.
Smith student arts organizations encompass dance, music, film, crafting, writing and more. While none can proceed as they normally would, all are attempting to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation and maintain community ties across distance.
For orgs like the Smith Ukuleles, virtual connection is limiting, but also an opportunity to get creative. Co-president Emma O’Neill-Dietel ’22J confirmed over email that the Ukuleles don’t have any public performances planned as of yet, but intend to experiment with various types of technology and new types of events. They are currently planning a ukulele history night and opportunities to connect with alums.
The Smith College Glee Club is operating “as normally as possible,” said Maya Sposito ’22, Vice President and Secretary, but with some new activities. Rehearsals, which count for class credit, include learning new pieces of music while muted. Once learned, Glee Club members will record their parts individually to be compiled in a final performance video.
They are also taking time to examine the exclusionary nature of the choral canon. Through “show and tell” projects, students are researching choral pieces beyond the classical tradition, intending to expand the sound of choral music as well as the diversity of its composers. While during a regular semester the Glee Club may not have had the opportunity to devote so much time to these projects, now they can both sing and take a critical lens to what counts as choral music.
Not all performance orgs have been able to continue on, however.
A cappella groups in particular have struggled to adapt their necessarily in-person medium to video conferencing software. The Noteables, Smiffenpoofs, and Smithereens are among groups that have opted not to hold auditions this semester, focusing instead on recordings and maintaining community connections between returning members.
Ester Zhao ’21, Co-President and Pitch of the Smithereens, said over email that the group has opted to take an “unofficial sabbatical,” since “a cappella does not translate over Zoom.” Rather than accept first-years when they can’t meet consistently, the Smithereens have opted to maintain the relationships among their current membership. Their planned efforts include socially distanced meetups for members in the Northampton area, as well as a video compilations of their favorite song.
“While we are sad that we aren’t able to sing together consistently as we are used to,” Zhao said, “we are doing the best we can with what we have.”
Non-performance orgs, meanwhile, are having an easier time translating their work online. Magazines like Citrus and Emulate are publishing virtually. Citrus Magazine, self-described as the official fashion magazine of Smith College, is planning a Fall 2020 issue focusing on Black creators in the fashion industry. Arts and Culture magazine Emulate is planning their own fall issue, accepting submissions along the theme “Intimacy.”
WOZQ will broadcast this semester, and Don’t Blink Media plans to pivot toward iPhone film production. Smith Stitchers, Writer’s Flock and Spitfire are among other groups continuing to hold their weekly meetings. Even dance groups like SC Masti, SKDC, and the Smith College Contra Dancing Club still plan to have auditions, lessons and virtual performance videos. Though the semester is undeniably different, Smith arts orgs are doing their best to creatively adapt to changed circumstances.
So, in these altered circumstances, do Smithies have any major performances or events to look forward to?
Unlike past fall semesters, marked by events like Asian Culture Show, a cappella jams and ukulele concerts, few orgs seem to be planning synchronous performances. Many, like Smith Ukuleles, are leaning toward recordings posted on social media but have yet to make specific plans. Glee Club, in a semblance of normalcy, is releasing video performances in accordance with their regular fall performance schedule. One such recording was included in this year’s virtual Convocation. They also plan to release video performances for Montage on Oct. 24., Autumn Serenade in mid-November and Vespers on Dec. 6.
Despite the very real limitations of an all-virtual semester for arts orgs, all expressed an unwavering commitment to maintaining their community ties. “Community is the most important to us,” Zhao said of the Smithereens. “We love each other and want to maintain that.”
Sposito also appreciated the connections she found in Glee Club, noting that she was grateful it could happen at all considering how difficult it is to make anything happen amid a pandemic. “There’s really a community that is getting stronger when you do that work and make it happen,” she said.
The importance of student arts organizations during this time—even without in-person performances and events—was perhaps best expressed by O’Neill-Dietel: “If just one person makes a new friend through [Smith Ukuleles] this semester, it will have been worth it to me. I need to be silly and creative with other people now more than ever, and I think others feel the same way.”
