'Art in April X Active Minds' celebrates the therapeutic quality of art

It is a breezy spring morning and roughly 10 students are in Dowling Hall to set up the exhibition for “Art In April X Active Minds." Just as they hang paintings and situate the installations, a large group of prospective students and their parents register for college tours. Undeniably, many of them witness the preparation process and get curious. They are unaware of the fact that they just saw the first glimpse of what it means to be a Tufts student before their tour even starts. Although Tufts is not necessarily known for its art program, the exhibition accurately demonstrates Tufts students' passion for art. Along with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) partnership, art is arriving at a new level at Tufts, and “Art In April X Active Minds” is a powerful example of this trend. In a sense, “Art In April X Active Minds” reveals the link between a liberal arts education and art itself.

There are parallels between creativity and mental health. From 20th-century modernist writer Virgina Woolf to 21st-century indie pop singer Michael Angelakos, many artists from different media sought to fight their mental illnesses through art. Scheduled on April 1, “Art in April X Active Minds” celebrated the power of art as a therapy tool.In addition to an exhibition that features 40 works from Tufts-affiliated students, the event also included dance therapies, artist talks and life performances by student bands. Sponsored by the Tufts chapter of Active Minds, the all-day event was intended to increase mental health awareness and promote art therapy.

The opening reception of the event was a success. Along with tasty snacks, students from Tufts, the SMFA and the New England Conservatory (NEC) presented their work and talked about their works' significance to their own mental health. The majority of the works displayed were paintings or drawings partly due to the limited space available in Dowling Hall. Regardless of limitations, the exhibition was curated cleverly, using the space as wisely as possible. It should be noted that “Art in April X Active Minds” is one of the few exhibitions at Tufts curated by the students themselves. Though the exhibitions at the Slater Concourse Gallery of Tufts Art Gallery are meant to be curated by students, the gallery is also always more or less involved in the process, but “Art in April X Active Minds” was entirely organized by students. Nevertheless, the exhibition truly seemed as professional as the exhibitions that appear at the gallery.

The other activities were also hits. One of the favorites was a Zentangle lesson. Open for a limited number of students, the spots were full two days prior to the event.  Zentangle is a type of doodling that is meant to calm the mind and is used as art therapy. Zentangle is not only therapeutic, but is also an artistic medium in and of itself. The Zentangle patterns are easy to make and pleasing to the eye, and it is one of the easiest ways to create art.

Later in the evening, student bands also performed in Dowling. The performing bands were Pumpkin Bread, Water Walk, SFactor, Space Ink and Bad and Blue. The bands' overall jazz-pop sound fit perfectly with the theme of “Art in April X Active Minds," and these bands had a truly therapeutic sound.

April 1 was an excellent day for arts at Tufts. In addition to “Art in April X Active Minds," which promoted several mediums — visual art, music and dance — the Tufts production of Urinetown was playing its second night at Cohen auditorium. Slam poetry group DISTRUPT was also having its send-off show at the Crane Room. These events proved that arts on campus are alive and in the center of campus culture.