The Tufts Daily - Monday, December 6, 2021

Page 9

ARTS & POP CULTURE SMFA’s Artists of Color Union deconstructs identity, constructs community by Megan Szostak Arts Editor

The School of the Museum of Fine Arts is more racially diverse than the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering, but white students still make up the plurality of those enrolled. The Artists of Color Union (ACU) at the SMFA seeks to center the experiences of artists of color at the SMFA and at Tufts, and provides a space for artists to connect with and support one another. “As a freshman, I lived in the Beacon [Street] dorms, so trying to go to Medford and find clubs there that spoke about my identities was kind of hard,” Geovani Cruz, a co-leader of the ACU, said. “I kind of felt at home with ACU.” According to Cruz and Freya Gupta, the ACU’s treasurer, the organization began to fall into obscurity in 2020 after its former leadership graduated, but was revitalized through the efforts of members and rising leadership. “It was kind of in our hands whether we wanted to continue it or not,” Gupta, a third-year combined degree student, said. “We kind of wanted to create a space for BIPOC students to share their identities

VIA @SMFA.ACU ON INSTAGRAM

The SMFA Artists of Color Union are pictured at the fall 2021 club fair. and their culture in a space that’s predominantly white.” The leadership structure of the ACU is unique in that although different positions are held by different executive

board members, responsibility is greatly shared among members, resulting in a collaborative practice. “Tufts wants us to have the president, vice president, secretary, all those

things, but, as a club, we want everybody to have a voice and to share their experiences and to share leadership,” Cruz said. Gupta shared that this structure results in a collaborative experience for members. “Whoever is comfortable handling a certain project will take charge of that, and then we will work very collaboratively,” she said. The ACU hosts events and regular meetings during the semester that serve to build community through artistic and social pathways. One event that ACU leadership planned for this semester was a mock review board event for artists of color. Review boards, which are final evaluations for students enrolled in eight or more SHUs of studio classes, require artists to speak holistically about their semester’s work to faculty and peers for approximately one hour — a demanding yet valuable experience for students. The ACU’s mock review boards, which took place on Dec. 3, provided artists a see ARTISTS OF COLOR UNION, page 10

BEATs members find community through shared love for drumming by Emmy Wenstrup Assistant Arts Editor

Tufts has no shortage of quirky acronyms for quirky student groups, between TUSC (Tufts University Social Collective), SUCC (Stand-up Comedy Collective), TDC (Tufts Dance Collective), TMC (Tufts Mountain Club) and many more. What better name, then, for Tufts’ only street percussion group than BEATs (Bangin’ Everything At Tufts). Daniella Rothstein, a sophomore who joined the group this fall, described the group rather simply: “[It’s] just fun making music in a group dynamic with very cool, inclusive people.” She joined the group after seeing it advertised at the student organizations fair this fall. “They seemed like a very cool group of people, so I threw my name down on a whim,” she said. She described her reaction to the first email the group sent after the club fair: “I was like, oh, these guys are funny. It’s a very clever, subtle humor email.” She added that her previous drumming experience supplemented her decision to audition: “I [thought] I can fit their vibe, and then [it’s] also a hobby that I enjoy.” A friend referred sophomore Luke Pautler to the group and told him about this same group dynamic. Unlike Rothstein, he came in without much drumming experience. Nonetheless, the casual atmosphere of the group drew him in. “I signed up and auditioned and seemed to love the people and the vibe, and it just seemed like a great thing,” Pautler said. BEATsrehearses once a week, and Pautler described a typical rehearsal. “We show up to the Harleston basement, pull all our stuff out of the closet, just an incredible collection of … pans and bottles and all kinds of stuff, and we open up just kind of talking, catching up and also beginning to jam out a little bit and just kind of feel a

COURTESY BEATS

BEATs club members are pictured. groove.” After some casual pre-rehearsal jamming, the meeting begins by either learning a new song or reviewing something they’ve been working on. Rothstein added that the group’s camaraderie is so strong that “every once in a while, people need to check in and be like, well, yeah, let’s get back to drumming.” When learning new material, the group’s music relies on the memories of past performances from older members. “None of our stuff is written down. It’s a lot of fun to pick stuff up and really have to talk through it and hear it with people,” Pautler said. Of the group dynamic, Rothstein described it as very supportive. “I think

that there’s a lot of love between all the BEATs members,” she said. “It’s a nice combination of just people hanging out together, and then also growing together in a certain field.” She added that the group is unique because everyone is laid-back and rejects any sort of cliquey dynamic. “Everyone talks to everyone, which is a really niche thing with a group this size … [everyone is] very just kind of light-hearted,” she said. Despite only having been in the group for a few months, both Rothstein and Pautler repeatedly mentioned their love for the group and its members. Discussions of “cool people,” “a lot of

fun” and overall good vibes dominated our conversation. All this energy and love for percussion ultimately results in a passionate and engaging performance. BEATs’ November performance at the sQ! a cappella show intermission was full of energy and fun, with enthusiastic shouts from members complementing highly stylized and practiced percussion. If you didn’t get to see the group then or at its end of semester show just yesterday on Dec. 5, make sure to look out for more of BEATSs’ concerts in the spring! The group’s wide range of unconventional instruments allows it to truly, as the name suggests, bang on everything at Tufts.


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