Artists, musicians find realm of creativity in Kingdom Artist Network

A creative breeze is rushing through Milledgeville. Every Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. in room 150 of the Arts & Sciences building, a dynamic group of people meet with one common goal in mind: to hone their talents. The club is called the Kingdom Artist Network.

Its mission is to welcome anyone with any special gift to meet with other like-minded students who will encourage each other in their endeavors.

“There is so much talent out there, that even those who don’t have a particular skill can come here and the talent will just rub off on them,” Clifton Leonard, a club leader, said.

This particularly applies to Lafayette Sullivan, a freshman who joined the club earlier this semester. Sullivan said that he is “undeclared on talent,” but he is thinking of learning to play the guitar.

In a way, you could say the club is a microcosm of GCSU – diverse and in tune with the arts. The overall purpose of the club is to unite people of every walk of life that want to express themselves creatively.

Leonard mentioned a young woman who came last week who said she loves photography, but none of her friends knew much about it. Thanks to the group, now she is able to connect with her peers and feels comfortable about growing in her abilities as a photographer.

Jose Baez has played the piano for almost five years. He has chosen to be in the group to connect with people.

“I think it is terrific to be with other people who have similar interests that I do,” Baez said.

Another great advantage of the club is networking, which is an important aspect of entering the work force on strong footing. The students hope to connect one another to new people and also to potential employers so they can work in the area that they are passionate about.

Harrison Thacker has been writing poetry and lyrics to hip-hop music for as long as he can remember. He decided to come to the club three weeks ago and absolutely loves it.

“Being around these people and talking about what I love makes me want to write more and work harder at my own personal goals,” Thacker said.

At the end of the school year, the club plans to put on an action-packed talent show for the whole campus. Every student in the club will get to display his or her skills whether it is back stage or center stage. Expect to see a smattering of orators, beat-boxers and maybe even a juggler among the club’s entertainers.

By organizing such an event, the students involved will not only be able to take pride in their performances, but also be able to display their leadership skills on their résumés in the near future.

The Kingdom Artist Network is expected to grow to about 40 or 50 people, according to organizers, as the club has already doubled in size in just a matter of weeks. And as the size of the group grows, it appears likely that the breadth and depth of student talent will also.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 18 2009. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry