Coral Ciupak
Viewpoints Editor
Many students at Wooster may know The Goliard as the host and sponsor of Covers, a popular campus event, taking place the first Saturday of every month and showcasing student musical talent. Some may also be familiar with The Goliard in previous years as a student-run literary magazine, publishing students’ poetry, prose, photography and artworks of various media.
But after the long-awaited publication of students’ cumulative efforts throughout the 2015-2016 academic year fell through due to budget constraints, The Goliard has decided this year to shift its sole focus away from publication.
Instead, the student-run group will offer itself primarily as an expressive outlet for arts and creativity on campus throughout the year.
“In the whirlwind that is college and ‘becoming an adult,’ The Goliard’s mission is to bring out the artist and to foster a love and growth in the arts,” said Kennedy McKain ’19, one of The Goliard’s editors in chief.
While The Goliard will continue to gather student submissions for this year’s publication, it is making additional efforts toward strengthening its overall creative presence at the College.
“We’ve transitioned from being only a magazine to being a club that seeks to foster the production of art on this campus,” said Daniel Sweat ’19, a prose and poetry editor who worked on the issue last year. “In short, we want to show the student body that if they’re interest in making and sharing art, The Goliard is a perfect place to do that.”
Throughout the first week of November, The Goliard will be hosting a week of events open to all interested students. The week’s theme is “Nostalgia,” under which Goliard staff urges students to find inspiration in the past.
“Through Goliard Week, we hope to catch the eye of openly self-proclaimed, or in-secret-only artists,” said McKain.
The week will kick off with a gallery exhibition of student art. In keeping with theme, art staff editor Clare Kreuzwieser ’19 encourages students to submit a current piece of art alongside a work dating back to middle or elementary school.
“For the art staff’s event, we wish to show the achievements of student artists and how far they have progressed in honing their individual craft since the long-gone days of childhood,” said Kreuzwieser. “And of course, everybody loves to be appreciated for what they’ve worked hard on — which is why we’re doing a gallery showing!”
Later that week, the poetry and prose staff will be hosting The Moth, an open-mic storytelling event (borrowed from the podcast of the same name) where students can tell a “nostalgic” story from their lives in front of a student audience.
“It’s a really fun event, open to all students whether they want to tell a story or just come and listen,” said Nan Denette ’18, a prose and poetry editor. The Moth will take place on Thursday, Nov. 3 from 7-8:30 p.m., location TBD.
This weeklong celebration of the arts will conclude with Covers, where student musicians are encouraged to sign up via Facebook with a band name and song fitting to the week’s theme, “Nostalgia.” The next Covers will take place on Nov. 5 in The Underground at 9:30 p.m.
This year’s Goliard Week will offer ample opportunity for student artistry and expression on campus and follows the philosophy of a staff-favorite quote by iconic artist Pablo Picasso: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
For information regarding The Goliard or Goliard Week, like The Goliard’s Facebook page or email editors in chief at KMckain19@wooster.edu and CIllersich17@wooster.edu.