About

Discover Our Story

About

Photo by Mallory Bowman

Mission Statement

We believe that Art Walk expresses the values that a Liberal Arts education strives to achieve: an education filled with creativity, interdisciplinary projects, and collaboration. Art Walk provides DePauw Students with the opportunity to enhance their education with creative and intellectually stimulating projects created for and by DePauw Students. Through any medium, inspiration, or collaborative process, participants in Art Walk will leave the event with a sense of ongoing creative inspiration.

Art by Ian Brundige
  • Values
    • To focus on creativity and collaboration for the betterment of our education
    • To create meaningful projects and exhibits that inspire ourselves and those who interact with them
    • To build a connection between the School of Music and the College of Liberal Arts 
    • To create a space that actively includes people of all races, cultures, genders, sexualities, and abilities
    • To create a student-generated, student-run art experience which encourages unrestricted creativity and inspiration

Art Walk was formed in 2020 out of a desire to see live performances and art during the months of a pandemic that shut down the creative world here at DePauw university. A group of music students came together to create a virtual Art Walk that could display works from students all across campus using QR codes and be accessible to anyone on or off campus.

After that first virtual Art Walk 2021, the student organizers set to work planning an even bigger and better Art Walk 2022 that now featured dozens of live components: musical performances, curated art exhibits, live artists talks and workshops, pop-up concerts, jam-sessions, comedy shows, and more. Art Walk 2022 was a huge success, drawing incredible involvement from the across the DePauw and broader Greencastle communities, highlighting the incredible interdisciplinary creativity that exists on and off our campus. This year, with Art Walk 2023, we are absolutely committed to reaching new heights of interdisciplinarity, collaboration, community engagement, accessibility, creativity, and fun!

Goals

  • To provide a platform for the DePauw community to showcase their artistic talents across multiple disciplines and ultimately bring together the various communities present at at this university
  • To offer the DePauw and Greencastle community with an educational and engaging weekend of artistic exploration
  • To inspire creativity and collaboration among individuals
  • To explore the interdisciplinary project opportunities found within the various departments at DePauw
  • To begin building a better connection between DePauw and the Greencastle community
Art by Xingyi Wang

Our Team

Hailey Short

President

Hailey Short is a senior at DePauw and will be graduating with a BMA in saxophone with a focus in the field of Arts Administration. She is active in University Band, Jazz Ensemble, and the saxophone ensemble and quartet. Hailey is also involved in Delta Gamma in which she is Vice President: Social Standards and helps keep members in her chapter safe and happy. She works also as a production manager for the GCPA production team. Her future goals include helping produce events within the arts in whatever communities she is involved in, living on the Northwest coast someday, and having dogs.

Rachel Schmitt

Vice-President

Rachel Schmitt is a Sophomore Music Education major graduating in 2025. At DePauw she is actively involved in various ensembles/activities and is currently the Personnel and Communications Coordinator for the DePauw University Pep-Band. During her “free-time,” she has discovered a love for photography and has even started working as a photographer on the side during the summers.She also enjoys golf, game-nights, and hiking. After DePauw Rachel intends to teach middle school beginning band, specifically in an unprivileged school district, then work to get her Masters in Music Education, in order to pursue a professorship at a college.

Cameron Wallar

Treasurer

Cameron Wallar is a Junior Music Education Major is graduating in 2024. Cam is involved with multiple ensembles and student organizations, including being the Treasurer of Contemporary Ensemble. In his freetime, he likes to compose, play dnd, hang out with friends, and recently run his radio show on WGRE 91.5. After graduating, Cam plans on teaching high school band and making music more accessible to those who need it in their life (everyone).

Elise Martinez

Marketing/Social Media Coordinator: Elise Martinez

Elise Martinez is a sophomore Vocal Performance major planning on graduating in 2025 with a BM. Other than being the Marketing/Social Media coordinator for Art Walk, Elise is also the Vice President as well as the Marketing/Social Media Coordinator for Contemporary Ensemble. Outside of the SOM, Elise enjoys spending her time learning about sustainability and the geological world around her and is considering a possible double major in sustainability or geology. Elise also enjoys hiking, composing, doodling, and playing video games.

Paige Burgess

Events and Outreach Coordinator:

Paige Burgess is a sophomore instrumental music education major in the class of 2025. Besides being involved in Art Walk, they are the Student Government Chief of Staff, an Honor Scholar, an Admissions Ambassador, a First-Year Mentor, and the Pep Band Student Director. In their free time, Paige enjoys reading, hammocking, raising plants, cross-stitching, and spending time with their cat, Arbólito. After graduating, they plan to teach high school or elementary students, as well as private students in clarinet and piano. 

Dr. William Pearson

Faculty Advisor

William Pearson is a composer, organist, and Instructor of Music at DePauw University where he teaches Composition, Theory, and Musicianship courses and advises the Contemporary Ensemble and Art Walk. William has degrees from SUNY Purchase (B.Mus in Composition) and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (DMA) and has studied composition with Suzanne Farrin, Erin Gee, Du Yun, Huang Ruo, and Erik Lund. Recently he has completed several short film scores featured on Aeon Digital Magazine (aeon.co), and has had three of his chamber works released as an EP titled Half of My Life/Love on experimental music label No Thank You Recordings (https://nothankyourecordings.bandcamp.com). He lives happily in Greencastle, Indiana with his partner, Carly, and their dog, Carly (no relation). You can listen to William’s works and puruse his scores at www.willpearsonmusic.com .