By Kalyn Dunkins, Staff Writer

The Bryant Arts Center overflowed with creativity on Feb. 28 at the Denison Hearts the Arts Festival as crowds of people had the oppertunity to discover the artist within.

Various activities including henna tattooing, tie-dye, chalkboard painting, face painting, quick caricature sketching, koozie (cup holder) making, decorative card making where participants carved shapes into vegetables to use as painted stamps for their cards, and even dogs that were drawn by some of the artists or simply played with for enjoyment by participants.

The turnout for the festival was exceptional. Each station had lines and  crowds of people waiting their turn to see all that the art the stations had to offer. “It went a lot better than last year,” said Kinga Magiera ‘15, of Chicago, Ill. “It’s great to see everyone enjoying it.”

There was never a dull moment walking around the different areas of the festival. Both spectators and participants were full of anticipation and excitement no matter which form of art they chose to get involved in. “Art makes me feel like I can do anything,” said Analis Ibarra ‘16, from San Francisco, Calif. “It doesn’t even matter if other people understand or can picture whatever it is I’m picturing—just as long as I can.”

“The purpose of art is just to be able to express yourself,” said Ashley Cervantes ‘16, from Santa Ana, Calif., as she waited in line for a henna tattoo.

“The Denison Hearts the Arts event had such a great turn-out! It was great to see so many people in the Bryant Arts Center,” said Joyce Lindsey ‘14 from Chicago, Ill., who served as the event’s head coordinator. “This was the second event of the 2013-2014 year organized to break the isolation [of the campus from South quad] and have people from the Denison, Granville, and other communities engage with buildings on South Quad.”

“This event was also an attempt to collaborate with other fields of art like the music department,” Lindsey continued. “The Arts just has a wonderful way of relating and engaging others in a way that is specific to everyone’s interests and aesthetic.”

Photo courtesy of Shivani Mithbaokar, The Denisonian