Art, Soul, and Soulful Connections at Gallery Night Pensacola

Written by Emmanuel Paalam

ejp25@students.uwf.edu

With midterms having just passed the Honors community by, it’s worth noting just how much time has already gone by this term. I recently heard someone comment on the paradox inflicting itself on our calendars: how it’s so strange that this term feels like it’s just begun and yet like it’s already become so much—and that midterms were already here*!

The whole spiel can take a toll on unsuspecting students. As great as it can be to get through a term as soon as possible, the fast-paced nature of university academics comes with negative effects. There are a lot of different components that play into student health, and one that I’m reflecting on today is one’s sense of belonging and community. That kind of thing may seem trivial as a more social component, but it has its influence on perception of campus life and how to engage with it. It goes without saying that many parts of campus life can hinder this, but there are also many more striving to improve it for students, especially in Honors—our Council’s Equity and Diversity co-chairs, for example, as they not only bring Honors together but help it connect with communities around UWF as well.

“It was just very important to have Honors people get out of that educational sphere,” T’Yanna Williams, one of the co-chairs, commented on her and Elliot Graber’s recent Gallery Night in an interview. “I think everybody kind of plans according to that too, but I do know a lot of events that are planned [as] ‘from Honors’…I think this was more of, ‘Hey, you’re in Honors, you should come carpool to this event off-campus.’ It’s just people your age, you know?”

Indeed, the “Art and Soul” Gallery Night carpool, a night led by the Honors Council’s Equity and Diversity branch during which students took a group trip to the infamous non-profit event on February 16, was a much-needed time to socialize and appreciate local art—even if it wasn’t the original planned event. “The art gallery was going to have a queer youth night, but it ended up being canceled,” T’Yanna recalled. “[I]t was Black History Month, and I kinda had a feeling that downtown was going to do something for that because they typically do.”

“We initially wanted to have a group project somewhere, but we needed somewhere where it would be free, first off,” said Elliot in a separate interview, “and also an area that would be accessible for commuters, so downtown Pensacola just ended up being the perfect location for that.” Gallery Night isn’t limited to art, either: local vendors and workshops are available at these monthly gatherings, along with food and live music. T’Yanna and Elliot found it would work, and they found themselves gathering 9 students, including 2 non-Honors participants, to guide through the bustling downtown scene.

Reception to the event in itself had been great, reported Elliot: “The turnout was actually pretty good. We had people that had to leave early and then some people that showed up late, so it kinda filtered through nicely.” Regarding the itinerary, the group had sifted through each vendor and found products that interested each member, then viewing the live music and finishing the night with a modest dinner at Chili’s. “ “I think [the participants] really did enjoy it,” T’Yanna reflected. “It was a really good time to just go out on a Friday night, have some fun, and communicate with other Honors members.”

T’Yanna was especially interested in an event that would relate to the month, the night an opportunity to give students a chance to make new contact with not only each other but Black artists in their community “because that’s something here where if you’re not used to being involved in that kind of thing, it’s kind of hard to break that barrier to get in.” There was a surplus of Black-centric art, and T’Yanna recalls a live music portion featuring jazz remixes of Black artists’ music by an all Black band: “It got the audience very hyped and it was very precious to see.” Elliot further elaborated on the significant collection of artists, including some of our own: “I didn’t necessarily know of any of the artists by name, but there was a musician who’s actually a student at UWF that was performing at the Stevenson Klotz booth, so just watching her was kinda cool.”

“It really just helped with getting closer to everybody and seeing what they value, maybe communicating over different art,” T’Yanna added. “I just felt like there was a lot of discussion being had about like, ‘Oh yeah, this is really cool, and [these artists] deserve more popularity than this.’” In short, the event had helped its attendees not only connect with each other but also take time to understand a potentially unfamiliar aspect of the whole Pensacola community. Not only was it a break from academics, but it was also a way to cultivate awareness and knowledge outside of an academic setting, developing a more organic sense of community on various scales.

This was only the first of many events that Equity and Diversity will be hosting this term. T’Yanna mentioned various pursuits in mind regarding future events, such as a night similar to this one for Asian-Pacific Islander Month and, more concretely, a menstrual product drive which will be coordinated with the Student Government Association. Elliot also has plans to foster and uplift student voice: “In this semester I would like to see us partner more with SAGE and STRIVE, ‘cause they are both for LGBTQ+ needs specifically, and I know that our campus has an overwhelming majority of those populations! So just being able to get other perspectives on stuff would be nice and crucial, ‘cause that’s something we don’t have much currently.” This night, I think, was a successful endeavor not only by measuring turnout but also the opportunity it imposed. Promoting community engagement and togetherness among its participants, it also left a great first-impact from the Equity and Diversity chairs as well. It can be hard at times to feel like you belong at UWF, but with the influence of this first event, T’Yanna and Elliot have already begun to boost this among our student body, and I’m eager to see what they’ll do next!

Nevertheless, if you yourself have any ideas for events like these, all us chairs from Council are here for you to express them to. Feel free to join our general Council meetings every Monday, at 5 PM in Building 58, Room 101, and we also encourage you to show up to one of our events. It could be a great way to cultivate your own sense of belonging with the UWF community!

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*Certain STEM majors excluded, including yours truly. We took the flunks early on, so hopefully that was effective.