Dance was just part of the celebration of Sacramento State artistry during the annual U-Nite! collaboration with the Crocker Museum on Oct. 18. (Sacramento State/Andrea Price) | More photosPerformance, art, readings and, yes, a lesson or two converged on Oct. 18 during U-Nite!, Sacramento State’s annual celebration of arts and humanities – and the talents of the University’s students and nationally recognized faculty – at the Crocker Art Museum.
The 33 performances included traditional and modern music and dance, academic lectures and four film screenings and were greeted enthusiastically by more than 850 attendees from the University and the community at large.
Jacob Bailey, a junior dance major at Sac State, was there to support some of his performing peers. He said the impact of U-Nite! was a point of pride and that an increased arts presence downtown further legitimizes not only the University, but Sacramento as a whole.
“Arts give a city life,” he said. Alluding to the U-Create! event in spring, he said, “That Sac State gets two events like this in a year, it’s a big deal.”
The University’s College of Arts and Letters and the Crocker collaborate on U-Nite!, bringing to the museum’s galleries and spaces performances in dance and music, artwork in various mediums, scholarly and artist talks, and literary readings.
The event illuminates the faculty's artistry, said Erin Dorn, the Crocker’s coordinator for U-Nite! as well as adult education. Students, she said, often don’t think of their teachers in that context.
“They’re writing books, they’re finding out new information about history, and it’s really exciting for the students and the community and the Crocker membership to find out what these faculty members have been up to,” Dorn said.
“And what it does for the Crocker is, it makes this whole museum come alive.”
The event is a key element of Sac State’s expanding cultural imprint throughout the city but especially downtown. The University’s recently opened Sac State Downtown facility at 304 S St. includes offices and meeting spaces for Arts and Letters faculty and administrators to interface with arts entities nearby.
Sheree Meyer, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, observes that U-Nite! complements the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission’s recently adopted Creative Edge Plan. That plan’s goal is to facilitate participation in “an arts education consortium” that includes colleges and universities, school districts, arts organizations, teaching artists, foundations and private donors, and the city of Sacramento.
“Such collaborations enhance and broaden the scope of our efforts to engage the community in a vibrant exchange of cultural and artistic experiences,” Meyer said.
U-Nite! began in 2012 but had a two-year hiatus, returning in 2017. Meyer says the event is a needed bridge between the campus and community, pointing out that some of the University’s students haven’t visited the Crocker and, conversely, much of the community hasn’t been to campus.
“U-Nite! brings our students, staff, and faculty to the Crocker, while at the same time, it introduces community members to the rich and culturally diverse programs Sac State offers,” she said.
For more information, visit the Crocker’s website or call 916-808-7000. Learn more about the College of Arts and Letters at csus.edu/al or call 916-278-6502. For media assistance, call the Office of University Communications at 916-278-6156. – Ahmed V. Ortiz