By Monette Austin Bailey

Department of Theatre Production The Ash Girl
Photo by Stan Barouh

When dancers convey emotion in a movement or poets assemble words that speak our thoughts, they demonstrate a vital part of humanity—the ability to experience something that transcends time and cultural differences.

The arts also enhance our own expressions, and allow a respite from what sometimes may seem an overwhelming influx of troubling news—the economy, war, and a political polarization of our country, for example.

But as Elizabeth Loizeaux, associate dean in the College of Arts and Humanities, puts it, “Literature and art don’t just, or even primarily, offer refuge, though. What they do provide is the opportunity to live more deeply and thoughtfully in response to tragedies—and joys—of all kinds.”

This multifaceted approach allows us to make sense of events, recent and historical, from “a variety of vantage points,” says David Sicilia, associate professor of history.

Right now, he allows, “there’s a lot going on [in the world] that’s hard to understand.” People become overwhelmed and, Sicilia says, start looking for someone or something to explain things or articulate thoughts in ways that we cannot. Or we seek out diversions.

Susie Farr, director of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, uses herself as an example. For escapism, Sex and the City was just right, she relates. For “one more piece in the very complex picture” that is Nazi activity just before and during World War II, she saw The Counterfeiters. “I’ve read many books and articles on the subject. I’m gathering information in many ways.”

The Farber Foundry’s Molora
Photo by Rudolf Corzyn

A distinction should be made, says Farr, between performing arts and entertainment. At Clarice Smith, for example, both types of events are offered. However, program directors strive to offer learning experiences that cause people to come away from an event affected by it. A spring performance, for example, by South Africa’s The Farber Foundry “was a very hard piece to find your way into,” says Farr, in part because of its visceral nature and also because it required some knowledge of the tragic Greek Oresteia trilogy and the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

“I was thrilled. Those are the experiences that are really important to us.”

However, self-reflection, says English lecturer and Emmy award-winning writer Michael Olmert, is a rare thing these days. “Humanities give you a chance that nothing else does—to do personal archeology,” he says, “but it’s something we don’t like doing.”

He recalls a quote from Proust that says a reader can see things in his own life that he can see in no other way. What people do with this literary mirror depends on what it reflects. He does caution against using books as guides. “They’re not a formula for living, but you can use them to watch other people making mistakes and make sure that you don’t make them.”

All of the humanities can serve as a checkpoint for self, or tool for clarification or just respite. It is what we do with the new knowledge or perspective that makes life a richer experience.

Musician, Heal Thyself …

By Tom Ventsias

To listen to Tom Ruggieri playing saxophone with his group, click on the arrow below.

As coordinator of the university’s faculty and staff assistance program, Tom Ruggieri provides professional counseling on a variety of issues: faculty worried about getting tenure, employees with substance abuse problems, or others with marital or family issues affecting their workplace performance. The job is challenging, Ruggieri says, yet “there is the opportunity to see people better their lives, and that is always very rewarding.”

Still, most professional counselors understand the need to nurture their own mental wellbeing as well as their clients. “You are trained to be somewhat detached, but the reality is that burnout is rampant in the helping professions,” Ruggieri says.

A sampling from Equinox

He finds the solace—and the creativity—he needs through music. For the past 10 years, he has played alto and tenor saxophone with a jazz group that features colleagues from the university. Not a “hobby band” by any means, Ruggieri and company regularly play special events, weddings, nightclub performances, and can be seen most Thursdays at the university’s golf course clubhouse during happy hour.

“When I think about my music, it’s really twofold as far as getting out of my own head and putting my counseling career aside for a bit,” he explains. Once the logistical details are taken care of, Ruggieri says, and you are onstage and you play that first note, “… man, something just shifts in my brain and I get a spiritual high.”

He is sometimes able to use his love of music—and its calming effect—with clients he counsels. “I know the magical, soothing qualities of music; it can bring people to another place in a way that is healthy,” he says.

Ruggieri describes the musical journey this way: “Initially, when I’m onstage playing, there is the relief one feels with the opening piano lines of [the jazz standard] Take the A Train that allows you to just let out a deep breath. And when trumpet and sax jump in on the main theme there is a joy that’s hard to describe. What completes the picture is when I glance out at the audience and see tapping toes, snapping fingers and that glassy-eyed look that let’s me know the music has taken them somewhere, too. I think music for me … it’s all about connecting with people. ”