One affordance of a small liberal arts university is the possibility for students to thrive in multiple disciplines and pursue unique opportunities to showcase all of their diverse passions.
Three such students here at Ohio Wesleyan are doing just that, taking their passion for art and turning it into a platform that bridges the gap between countless artistic fields including film, dance, fine art, theater, and music, as described by one of the platform’s co-founders, senior Olivia Anderson.
As a result of the efforts of three talented students, including Anderson, junior Anna Edmiston, and sophomore Gabby Deacon, In the Moment Magazine was born.
In the Moment is a new student-run art magazine that plans to begin publishing by the end of the fall semester.
From the beginning, the magazine aimed to create a zine, or a small circulation of self-published, original work, of different illustrations as well as writing.
Deacon explained, “Anna’s poetry and prose was going to be the source of all the illustrations I would create, but we wanted a cohesive theme, as well.”
Edmiston added, “We were discussing how there was no special place to display all the art by students on Ohio Wesleyan’s campus and, with the idea of the zine with Gabby already in the works, I came up with the idea to create a student-made and run magazine that would exist solely to show these pieces.”
Though other publications exist on campus that display students’ writing, these three students hope to create an additional platform and safe space for students to showcase their talent for the campus community.
Anderson added, “To me, the magazine is one step closer to making art more accessible. It frustrates me that a lot of people don't engage in artistic spaces: a pristine art museum or elegant symphony may be free or open to the public, but not everyone is going to feel comfortable or welcome in such a space. [In the Moment] is one small but powerful way to break down this invisible barrier: proving that art is made by and for everyone.”
Any student at OWU can submit their work to In the Moment via their email (inthemomentmagazine@gmail.com).
The magazine hopes to begin publishing at the end of the semester, and with that, generate greater awareness, accessibility, and excitement surrounding art on Ohio Wesleyan’s campus.
