A&E

Pop-up gallery in Grotto Commons celebrates Black History Month

By Vydalia Weatherly Staff writer

Throughout the week of Feb. 7-11, the Department of Multicultural Student Services and Campus Life hosted an art gallery in celebration of Black History Month. The name of the art gallery was “Through Resilience, We Rise.”

“Regardless of the mental and physical pain the Black community has endured, they rise to create beautiful works of art that express their emotions and experiences,” Jessica Hubert, Mercyhurst’s Multicultural and Inclusion Coordinator, said. “The pieces chosen capture moments in time, bringing to life a narrative that has always been there but is too often pushed to the margins or forgotten completely.”

The gallery was held in the hallway outside of the Grotto Commons for students and employees to stop and look at the art on their way to and from the dining hall.

There were various artists featured throughout the gallery from Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou, to more contemporary artists like Bisa Butler and Donte Collins.

“While I am very partial to Langston Hughes’ work, the artist I discovered while researching for the gallery that is now my favorite is Titus Kaphar,” Hubert said. “His pieces center those on the margins, in order to rewrite history that is often overlooked or flat out ignored. He uses many different types of media to discover contemporary relevance and connections in the past.”

Hubert made sure to intentionally present a variety of artists to provide students with a diverse view of Black art as well as the evolution of the Black experience.

“The Black experience is not monolithic so it cannot be displayed in only one medium,” Hubert said. “A lot of artists chosen or the gallery used more than one medium to express themselves such as oil on canvas, sculpture, and complex displays.”

The gallery included multiple forms of media including poetry, paintings and photography.

“Having different forms of media also makes the gallery more interesting and interactive for the viewer,” Hubert said. “I included a collaborative poster in the gallery for people to contribute their own words of strength so they became a part of the gallery and in turn, a part of history”.

While the art gallery only lasted a week, there is a possibility it could grow in the coming years, perhaps including other Mercyhurst departments such as Art Therapy Club.

When asked about whether there were plans to make the art gallery stay up for the entirety of Black History Month (as opposed to a week) or to be hosted in a bigger venue on campus, Hubert responded by saying, “I think this is a great idea for the future! I first started out with the Hispanic Heritage Month pop-up art gallery as a one-day installation and expanded to a full week for Black History Month, so if there is interest and want in having a full month or longer gallery, I would be happy to host one.”

It is interesting to see how this gallery will expand in future years, and it is great to have more opportunities on campus to celebrate cultures.

“Oftentimes, I feel like Black History Month focuses too heavily on the strife and obstacles the Black community had and has to face,” Hubert said. “In this gallery, I wanted to really highlight images of Black history that often are not shown like smiling faces instead of brooding ones and bright colors instead of black and white photos of events that were not that long ago.”

Hurst Hot Take: ‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’

By Bella Lee Staff writer

It is well known that Pokémon has been an integral part of many people’s childhoods ever since it was first released.

In recent years, it has even been mentioned increasingly in the news since modern releases like “Pokémon Go!” have gained popularity.

The 8th generation of Pokémon, “Sword and Shield,” was released in 2019, followed by “Pokémon Unite”, a battle arena game, in July 2021 and “Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl,” a remake of the “Diamond and Pearl” games, in November 2021.

However, with the release of “Pokémon Legends: Arceus” on Jan. 28, fans have been able to experience a new kind of game that has never been seen.

Arceus is a Pokémon that was first introduced back in 2009 with the release of the original “Diamond and Pearl” games.

Arceus is believed to be the creator of all Pokémon and is dubbed the “original one.”

The game takes place in an ancient, Medieval-esque version of the Sinnoh region called the Hisui region.

Like all other games, you have the chance to select a starter Pokémon, but for the first time, they’re all from different starter regions.

Players can choose between fire-type Cyndaquil (from the Johto region in Gold/Silver), the grass-type Rowlet (from the Alola region in Sun/Moon), or the water-type Oshawott (from the Unova region in Black/ White).

Since the game is set in the past, much of the technology from the game is also historical (which I think is a really cool addition).

The Poké Balls are made of wood and puff steam when you have successfully caught a Pokémon.

Additionally, the Pokédex, rather than being on an electronic device, is stylized as a book.

However, one of the biggest game-changers of “Legends: Arceus” is how you interact with the Pokémon.

Players have the ability to interact with both domestic and wild Pokémon.

This doesn’t mean you can just casually waltz up to a Pokémon and catch it, unfortunately.

Some of these Pokémon you have to sneak up to instead, lest they see you and either run away or attack you.

Unlike other games, your avatar can actually be attacked by Pokémon and receive damage as a result.

This feature isn’t exactly ideal, but it feels fair.

My friend, who I’ve been playing the game with, was able to pre-order “Legends: Arceus” way back in March 2021.

He picked it up the second it was commercially released, and we’ve been playing it almost every day since.

It’s overall an extremely entertaining game, one that has been an unforgettable experience for the both of us.

If you are a Pokémon fan (c’mon, who isn’t?) you should try to get this game as soon as you can.

It has been flying off the shelves lately, but if/when you’re able to play it (it’s only on the Nintendo Switch), it’ll be all worth it.

The game is an exciting addition to the Pokémon universe, and it will be exciting to see what changes it makes to the franchise’s future projects.

Video game lovers everywhere should absolutely give this game a chance (you’ll thank me when you do)!

Super Bowl half-time show is the real MVP

By Hannah Brooks Features editor

Over the past week or so, when people asked me about whether or not I would be watching the Super Bowl, I jokingly replied, “There’s going to be a football game at the Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem concert?”

If that doesn’t tell you how excited I was about this halftime show, I am not sure what will.

Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50-Cent, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem put on an unforgettable performance Sunday night at the Super Bowl.

First, I have to talk about the stage. The setup was absolutely incredible: buildings representing homes, businesses and a recreation of Compton’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial took over the stadium, as well as a glittering map of Los Angeles.

The layout of the rooms in the house were horizontal, going from room to room with each performer.

These are musical geniuses who have been honing their craft for quite some time now, and their ideas for the performance definitely showed the love that they put into everything they do.

The show featured classics that people across the country undoubtedly belted out from the comforts of their couches.

The performance started with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg performing “The Next Episode”, which was followed by “California Love” on the rooftops of their stage while dancers performed below them inside the buildings.

It was such a perfect way to start out the show and get the audience hyped - from those lucky enough to be inside the stadium to those watching from the comforts of their homes. 50-Cent was a surprise guest star, showing up hanging upside down surrounded by dancers as he performed “In Da Club.”

The entire scene was one that easily could have happened circa 2003, which was what I recognized throughout each and every performance; it was all so timeless.

These were songs that I grew up listening to as a kid, so watching the performances years later as an adult was such an incredible feeling.

Up next was Mary J. Blige and she started singing “Family Affair” and ended her section falling down onto the stage.

Kendrick Lamar had a tough act to follow, but he sure managed to put on a good performance. Lamar performed “m.A.A.d city” and “Alright” while dancers surrounded him.

I was especially a fan of Eminem while I was growing up. His songs and albums from the early 2000’s still remain staples on my playlist (and more than likely always will).

I expected him to perform one of his newer songs, but was pleasantly surprised when he came out with his 2002 classic “Lose Yourself”.

He kneeled at the end of his performance, reportedly in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.

Rumors say that he was told by NFL organizers not to kneel, but, in true Eminem form, he did it anyway. Regardless of the rumors, the gesture was important.

The show ended with all the performers up on stage while Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg ended with “Still D.R.E.”

The show was obviously precise and organized, yet it felt casual and chill, which is yet another aspect of the show I really appreciated.

The performers were comfortable and made it all seem so effortless.

The show was headlined by absolute legends in hip-hop and rap that I have grown to know and love over the years.

Lots of memes and jokes were created after the Super Bowl half-time performance that parents were the one’s explaining the show to their kids and not the other way around, which it seems like has been the truth for a few years now.

Personally, they could have forgotten words to their songs and I would still be writing about how incredible the performance was.

My honest review of the show is that it was absolutely amazing. My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer.

I would have loved to watch the show without the football players guest-starring in the concert.

All jokes aside, it was incredible and I truly hope to see more come out soon from all of these performers together.

This year’s performance was my favorite in recent history, and I hope they only continue to get better.