On Tuesday night, artists from all corners of campus came together at The Grad Club in honour of The Undergraduate Review’s newest instalment, Volume 29.
“Artfest: A Bohemian Night” featured the work of over 30 different artists, groups and publications. The Grad Club was decorated for the art buff, each room catering to a different taste in genre.
In one room, stands featured the art communities and publications on campus, such as Ultraviolet Magazine, Queen’s Comic Book Legion, The Undergraduate Review, and the highly anticipated ASUS Journal of Indigenous Studies.
Queen’s Comic Book Legion was selling their latest installment of the trilogy Gael Force, a hero comic book set in Kingston and based around Queen’s students.
The Ultraviolet (UV) Magazine offered copies of this year’s issue. The magazine was my personal favourite publication in the entire event, a thin book consisting of art, poetry, and prose by Queen’s students.
Karen Law, BFA’17, had her own stand selling beautiful, handmade greeting cards. The cards were another highlight of the night with intricate handwork and details for any occasion, from a birthday to anniversary and thank yous.
While the vendors were showcasing their art, more entertainment was to be seen on stage.
The night started with an open mic period, where contributors to The Undergraduate Review recited their poems, short stories and played music. As open mic nights go, some were pleasant to the ears where other were a little too close to the microphone.
A performer of note, Lorraine Lau, ArtSci ’17, kept the audience captivated throughout her recitation of four original poems, which varied in theme from remembering loved ones to womanhood.
But the highlight of the open mic for me was the last performer, Natalie Leung, Sci ’18, whose dreamy and tranquil voice and rendition of ‘All I Want’ by Kodaline, could’ve swept me off to sleep.
The second portion of the night consisted of live musical performances. Opening this section of the night was Masha Nazina, ArtSci ’18, who performed a set of original songs. Her eclectic voice had every patron’s attention in the room.
Following the musicians onstage, were Queen’s upbeat a capella groups. A favourite of the night was the all-girls a capella group, The Caledonias, wearing tricolour flower crowns in their hair.
The group captivated me right from the start when they sang Adele’s ‘Toxic in The Deep’ — a chilling and challenging song. The Caledonias sang five pieces in total, concluding their set with ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls. I was amazed by how many sounds could be captured using just the voice and mouth.
The sheer amount of talent that filled The Grad Club Tuesday night was breathtaking, and at times, slightly intimidating. I left the event with a newfound appreciation for Queen’s and the variety of talent this campus hosts.
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