MARCIA HUNT
Special to The Leader
SUNY Fredonia has officially switched to distance learning as New Yorkers find themselves practicing social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The complete switch to online classes has been particularly stressful for performing arts majors, who find that several of their hands-on classes are actually impossible to perform virtually.
While the coronavirus pandemic has brought worry to Fredonia’s community of young artists, it has also highlighted the importance of the arts during a time of public panic.
This is evident in viral videos featuring everyday citizens singing songs together from their balconies and the infamous video montage of celebrities singing John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
Ted Sharon, a full professor in Fredonia’s theatre and dance department and owner of The Art Market in downtown Fredonia, expressed his optimism about the survival of the arts amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Sharon, “Art is the defining fingerprint left by a culture on history.”
Therefore, Sharon advises that during a time such as this, Fredonia’s artists should use their art as it was intended to be used: as a form of honest self-expression.
To make an impact on others, he urges the young art community to “think outside the box” as they practice social distancing and produce their art.
He has no doubts about Fredonia’s ability to maintain both optimism and ingenuity, as he describes the artists in the community as “pioneers” in art.
A few of Fredonia’s student artists show just how the pandemic has transformed and not weakened the performing arts community.
When asked about how she’s seen art benefit herself and others during this crisis, Katelyn Davis, a freshman animation/illustration major, said: “Art can be a way to distract yourself from what’s going on while also keeping yourself safe and inside.”
It is undeniable that some news headlines and misinformation surrounding the coronavirus has spread a lot of panic and anxiety to the masses, but the production of art has the ability to inform and calm these fears.
Fredonia’s performing arts community has already begun coming together to use their art to empower each other.
Elyza Gonzalez, a junior music therapy major, talked about how she saw the pandemic actually bring people together on the Fredonia campus before the majority of students moved out.
She noted that impromptu senior recitals, the Improv Collective’s “Last Hurrah” and the Clarient Ensemble’s Mason Hall lobby performance really brought her peers together for a final time before everyone parted ways for the semester.
Another notable, unifying event was when the cast of “Sweet Charity,” who was set to perform the musical after spring break, put on a performance of the musical that showed that this collaborative artistic spirit is alive in all of Fredonia’s arts departments.
The reality is that no one is certain what the future holds for Fredonia as it moves further into the coronavirus-induced shutdown.
However, Fredonia’s artists are well-equipped to handle challenges as they arise, and they will persist through this tumultuous time.
As Ted Sharon enthusiastically said, “Artists are used to taking nothing and turning it into something.”
Artists can use this unprecedented time of waiting and worry to make emotionally-moving art that transcends anything they’ve done before.