Carnival ah!
A celebration of the arts sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Division at Austin Community College
By John Silvey
When you say “college fair” to an American student, images of a boring collective of college recruiters with fancy brochures in some outdated meeting place provokes images of bored horror — stale coffee, nervous parents milling around, and shy students huddling in tight knots of apprehension complete the cast. To say the same to a Japanese student, invokes images of an actual fair — complete with food, booths, and displays of various college clubs and departments throughout the university. For the Rio Grande Campus of Austin Community College on April 2nd – 4th, the Division of Arts and Humanities will do something even more than those annual Japanese College Fairs. Called “Carnival ah!,’ the Division of Arts and Humanities has actually sponsored a true carnival, complete with Community Arts Partners, various performing Austin musicians, food, local films, as well as exhibits and performances representing a myriad of Austin Community College departments.
Carnival ah! began as the vision of several ACC faculty members: Lyman Grant, Matthew Daude Laurents, Marcus McQuirter, Maxine Beach, Gail Folkins, Veronique Mazet, Ericka Domatti Thomas, and Joe Hoppe. Managed and promoted by ACC faculty member Arthur Adair, this seemingly small project grew in scope and size to include over 60 events, 15 booths and exhibits. With the additional organization and creativity of ACC faculty member Jodi Jinks, Carnival ah! has grown to include more than a dozen Community Arts Partners representing the local Austin community as well as the central Texas regional community.
Located on the historic Rio Grande Campus of Austin Community college, formerly Austin High School in downtown Austin, Carnival ah! will take place from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. April 2nd – 4th. For more information, please contact the Division of Arts and Humanities at (512) 223-3352 or view the Carnival ah! website at www.austincc.edu/carnival for the carnival schedule, event listings, booths and exhibits, and more.
