Westfield State’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) hosts a weekly showcase where the University’s community members can share art, music, poetry, prose, research discoveries, and more in a virtual setting. The event is hosted by Dean Emily Todd, Ph.D., and it is open to everyone from the University’s community.
The casual showcase began April 17, 2020, and its success led Dr. Todd to continue them in the fall semester as a regular virtual campus event.
“The first CAHSS Showcases were back when we were all still in lockdown,” said Dr. Todd, “and I was always thinking then (and am still thinking now) about how best to create community when we were all working apart from one another.”
Dr. Todd, herself, joins the sharing by reading poetry she has chosen to fit the week’s events. She is joined by other regulars who attend the Friday showcase of sharing. Scott Bailey, the collaborative pianist at Westfield State, plays piano solo or with a singer. Sarah Lazare, director of the Banacos Academic Center, sings, and her son sometimes joins the meetings and reads poetry. New people are welcome to join the showcase each week, and there are student regulars as well.
“What I love about the showcase is that it offers me a place to try things I might not have had an outlet for previously,” said Sarah Bratt ’23. “I get to explore music and art without the fear of judgment in that space. It’s a really unique environment. I get to be myself and I appreciate that!”
Dr. Todd added, “Not only has it been a really great way to showcase talent on campus, but it has also been a lovely way for people to meet others in the WSU community.”