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• What UIUC’s college of FAA can learn

If you ask me what I will remember most about living in Durham, N.C., my answer will not be the city’s tobacco district or the humid weather — it will be the gas station attendants. Allow me to explain.

As a press intern at the American Dance Festival, it is my responsibility to find and clip all media related to the ADF. On my daily newspaper run to the BP gas station last week, I was involved in a lengthy conversation with the cashiers and a local resident about what a great asset the ADF has been to the Durham community. When I returned to the gas station the following day, I was greeted by a large sign bearing the words, “Welcome ADF!”

Never before have I seen a community support the arts the way that Durham does.

Throughout my weeks at ADF, I have watched a mutually supportive relationship with the Durham community thrive. Funded by the Duke Energy Foundation and the Durham Merchants Association Charitable Foundation, ADF faculty members are teaching children’s dance classes in downtown Durham’s El Centro Hispano.

A longtime partnership between ADF and the Nasher Museum of Art on Duke’s East Campus produced last weekend’s Community Day. Families participated in an African dance workshop, listened to storyteller Faye Stanley, made crafts with The Scrap Exchange and played with the larger-than-life puppets of Paperhand Puppet Intervention free of charge.

This Friday, July 17, ADF choreographer-in-residence Mark Dendy will present a site-specific work at the Golden Belt during Durham’s “Third Friday.”

Once a historic textile mill, the Golden Belt in downtown Durham has been newly restored to showcase the work of upcoming artists. Foot traffic through the artist studios at Golden Belt greatly increases on “Third Fridays,” giving budding artists much-needed exposure. Music, comedy and free food are also highlights of the Friday events, making them beneficial to a wide range of businesses.

I would love to see UIUC’s College of Fine and Applied Arts (FAA) learn a lesson from Durham’s artistic symbiosis.

The departments of FAA would strongly benefit from fostering communication and from building stronger relationships both intracollegiately and intercollegiately. Large populations of UIUC students know little to nothing about FAA showcases and events due to inefficient marketing across campus. Also, many events overlap between departments within the college, making it difficult for FAA students to support their peers.

Increased collaboration between departments of FAA will give its students opportunities for cross-disciplinary networking that are difficult to find outside of a college setting. A strong network will enhance students’ career prospects in the future and will provide important resources for them as they work toward achieving their BFA degrees.

Networking and learning opportunities also exist between colleges. For example, many athletes could benefit from dance-based cross-training, and many dancers could use a crash course in philosophy. The resources for inter-collegiate networking and learning are already in place, but the networking itself needs to be better facilitated. A wider range of classes with fewer major restrictions would allow students from different colleges to intermingle and connect.

With these goals in mind, maybe one day Assembly Hall will boast a “Welcome FAA!” sign. It can’t hurt to dream, right?