AWC Fine Arts Dept. uses variety of venues in COVID era
For the past three years, Vanessa Ramirez has been working hard to improve as both a flutist and a singer.
Ramirez has participated as a student in the Arizona Western College Community Band, the college’s Pep Band and Jazz Band. She also takes private voice lessons and sings second soprano and alto with the AWC Chamber Singers and Yuma Chorale.
With graduation approaching, Ramirez was looking forward to the pinnacle of a band and choir student’s college career – performing during the Sophomore Recital in a beautiful church setting with great acoustics to really showcase overall growth as an artist.
While the recital will still be held, it will now take place outdoors due to the pandemic. It will be held in the breezeway of the 3C Building at the AWC Yuma Campus on April 11 at 2 p.m.
Over the past academic year, AWC’s Fine Arts Department drawn on creativity in finding safe outlets for student performances otherwise precluded by COVID-19 from taking place in closed auditoriums.
“The pandemic took away a lot of opportunities I was looking forward to this year,” said Ramirez. “I was beyond excited to have all the performances and group activities I had in previous semesters, and now I actually have the time to do them.”
Ramirez said transitioning to an online learning environment has been a challenge for her as a hands-on learner. The shift has forced her to adapt to retain information in general education courses. So she was grateful when it was announced that band and choir classes could still meet in-person, albeit with masks and social distancing.
Despite the challenges and disappointments that have come with the pandemic, Ramirez feels prepared for whatever comes next. Ramirez attributes this confidence to time spent at AWC, thanks to an instrumental scholarship received in 2018.
“The Fine Arts Department at AWC, especially the Music Department, is probably one of the most tight-knit groups of people I’ve ever seen,” said Ramirez. “I’ve met so many great individuals from all paths of life and I have made life-long friends. Not only did I make the right choice of attending AWC before a four-year institution, but I also feel well prepared and confident in where I’m headed after I graduate.”
Ramirez will graduate in May with associate’s degrees in music and English. She recently completed auditions for continued higher education and plans to transfer to a university as a double major in music education and creative writing. Her goal is to earn a master’s degree in music education teaching all levels of students.
“I definitely believe this whole experience has made me more resilient and will prepare me for my future endeavors,” said Ramirez. “It’s a unique experience for those like me who are going into the field of education and teaching. I feel that I’ve learned how to rise to the occasion if the same event were to happen to me in the future.”
Deltrina Grimes, professor of choral and vocal music at AWC, said her students sing outside whenever possible, rehearse with masks at a distance of 6 to 8 feet, and take frequent breaks. She’s also working with AWC’s TV Services Department to produce video performances to be shared online.
“Even with all the constrictions, the lack of a resonant performance space, lack of a live audience, and limitations on instrumentation, we are making it work. I credit this to my students and their desire to sing,” Grimes said.
AWC band students have also been rehearsing outdoors in the breezeway of the 3C Building. This is also the space where they will be performing a variety of musical styles during upcoming concerts.
The AWC fine arts performances in the breezeway are free and open to the public, although seating will be limited and audience members will be required to wear mask. Times and dates of the performances are as follows:
• Sophomore Recital, 2 p.m. April 11.
• The Faculty Chamber Music Concert, set for 2 p.m. April 18.
• A Formal Student Recital, a culmination of the semester of work for AWC music students, is set for 2 p.m. on May 2.
• Community Band Concert, 7 p.m. May 3.
• Jazz Ensembel Conert, 7 p.m. May 5.
The venue for the AWC Choral Concert, slated for 7 p.m. May 7, has yet to be finalized. Visit AWC’s Facebook page for more information.
Visit AWC’s YouTube Channel here to see a playlist of Fine Arts performances from last semester, including past choir and band concerts and vignettes from the AWC Theater Program.
Another open-air event is an outdoor mural project underway at the the college’s San Luis Learning Center, located at 340 N. 8th Ave. in San Luis.
Member’s of the learning center’s Art Curiosity and Secrets Club have created a design for the wall adjacent to Arnold’s Lounge, dedicated to Arnold Trujillo, longtime student services coordinator at AWC and member of the college hall of fame. The mural will tie into the signage for the lounge and highlight Trujillo’s achievements and work as it related to students, the community, education, families, veterans and others.
ACAS members involved in the design are Denisse Ibarra, Carol Valencia, Eli Duarte, Jessica Alvarez and Jennifer Gonzalez.
“The club members are very motivated by this opportunity to apply their artistic skills to a mural that will enhance the San Luis Learning Center environment,” said Julie Floss, professor of fine arts at AWC.
Those interested in participating in the project can contact Floss at julie.floss@ azwestern.edu for more information about the mural and the ACAS Club. The club meets on Tuesdays at 3 p.m. via Zoom for those who would like to join. In addition to the mural project, ACAS club member Jennifer Gonzalez has shared a bookbinding tutorial on the group’s Facebook page.
For those unable to make it over to the AWC Yuma Campus Art Gallery, the mixed media pieces that were on display by local artist and arts educator Stacy Blackmer-Blomquist as part of the Exile Series can also be found online here. Blackmer-Blomquist currently teaches art at San Pasqual High School and has previously served as an adjunct professor at AWC.
Other fine arts events are also going virtual, among them the Open Mic Night and Artists’ Showcase led by David Kern, AWC professor of English. His Creative Writing class is hoping to drum up a variety of talent for the event, which will be held via Zoom from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 14. Writers, musicians, dancers, filmmakers, spoken-word artists, and comics are all welcome to prepare a 3- to 5-minute presentation and participate.
Any performance suitable for presentation in a virtual environment will be accepted. Both AWC students and non-students can perform.
“The intent is to create a relaxing performance space for the community to come together and encourage artists to pursue their craft,” said Kern.
For more information about signing up, call Kern at (928) 317-5881 or e-mail him at David. Kern@azwestern.edu. Visit https://azwestern.zoom. us/j/96691774776 to attend the event via Zoom.