The University of Toronto Scarborough morphed into a wonderland of arts and culture for the 10th year of ARTSIDEOUT on Thursday, October 5.
It was virtually impossible to avoid stumbling into an exhibition, performance or installation, which is a mark of success for the festival—it aims to immerse the campus with arts and culture in unexpected spaces. The massive, full-day event was planned and executed by over 30 student organizers in collaboration with multiple student clubs and over 130 volunteers, which included students from local Scarborough high schools.
U of T Scarborough students Laura Enriquez and Kali Banner led the festival this year as General Manager and Artistic Director, respectively. "Shaping a vision for the 10th year anniversary of ARTSIDEOUT has been an honour and a privilege," says Banner. "ARTSIDEOUT, in nature, is rooted in storytelling and the team worked hard to highlight that aspect this year."
A founding student member can still be found at U of T Scarborough—Angela Tran now works as a staff member in the Department of Arts, Culture and Media. "In 2007, we did a smaller interdisciplinary event prior to ARTSIDEOUT called ARTBAR. Besides wanting to challenge ourselves, we truly believed that we needed to celebrate the arts at UTSC," Tran recalls. "The team did something that people thought couldn't be done, which was to cover the campus with art where art was not normally presented. It was the first and we didn't hold back."
Tran notes that ARTSIDEOUT has grown over the last decade due to expanded community outreach efforts, which see local high school students becoming involved as volunteers. This year, local nonprofit organization Scarborough Arts loaned the popular "Scarborough" letters to the festival, which were placed on a grassy hill by the Student Centre for the day.
The large-scale event is a chance for students to build networks across disciplines and academic programs, as well as work closely with faculty and staff. "This year was a great learning experience for us," says Enriquez.
Tran calls her experience as a founding student organizer one of the most intense event planning experiences.
"I can see it from all the students who take on this annual challenge. It’s one of the largest events on campus, run by a new student team each year with a lot of hours put into making it happen for one day. It pays off in the end. You learn to be a better leader, listener and planner. At the same time you learn to be patient, assertive, and creative. I’m a stronger and better person because of my experiences with ARTSIDEOUT."