NVC Does Dada Marks 30 Years of Creativity and Community

The Fine and Performing Arts faculty recently presented, “NVC Does Dada: Celebrating 30 Years of Creativity and Community,” an interdisciplinary, collaborative art experience for NVC students, their friends, and families. The faculty- and student volunteer-led event showcased the artmaking of Dada while also celebrating the 30th anniversary of Northwest Vista College.

The Dada wall collage is currently on display in the Palmetto Center for the Arts. During finals week, everyone is invited to see the collage as it evolves and participate in pop-ups, which will include music and postcard making from 9 a.m. to noon, May 12–14, in the PCA lobby.

Dada was an art movement first established in the early 20th century by artists such as Marcel Duchamp. It is characterized by its use of ready-made materials, spontaneity, subversiveness, and absurdity. One of the event’s organizers, NVC Art History Instructor Dr. Kimberly Grenadier, said Dada artists were responding to a rapidly changing world, and they used their art to show the absurdity of modern life. She further explained that the artists felt the world was out of control, and so art did not need to be controlled either.

“Just as we are all responding to a rapidly changing world order, from the rise of AI to changing geopolitical landscapes, Dada artists were responding to similar changes, from the aftermath of World War I to the exponential growth in technology and industrialization,” said Grenadier. “The best example I can give is that at the beginning of World War I, we were using horses; by the end, it was tanks.”

Dada crossed artistic disciplines, and “NVC Does Dada” highlighted that by having representation and activities in the visual arts, dance, and music. The event was organized by a committee consisting of Dr. Grenadier, Esteban Delgado, Karen Mahaffy, Zachary Jones, Brittany Lopez, Jackie Stevens, Eun Joo Fierro, Jose De Hoyos, and Diana Kersey. The goal was not only to celebrate the legacy and continued study of the arts at NVC, but also to provide students and the community with a means to explore their own creativity in a time of change.