Potential Novelty and The Loose Associates opened for BEE! The Band at GoDance studio in downtown Goshen this past weekend. The crowd was filled with Goshen College students and both bands found themselves thriving off their hometown roots. “Being back … it’s always fun to be playing in Goshen,” said Isaac Fisher ‘23 and BEE! band member. “Where we got our start in front of people who were there from the start and supporting us from the start.” The event took place over the span of three hours. “I think it went well,” said Jocsan Barahona Rosales, a junior music...

By Charlie Aldrich • February 1, 2024 • Arts

On Saturday, the Goshen College choirs performed in South Bend, alongside UZIMA! Drum and Dance Company and nine additional choirs at the Debartolo Center.  The event was called ASHE: A Celebration of Voices, and also featured the Pokagon Band Ribbon Town dancers and over 40 individuals from the Michiana area, coming together in a tribute and celebration to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  A solo portion was performed by Bongiwe Ncube, a senior biology major at GC and member of Voices of the Earth. “I think that this was a rich experience for our choirs because we all got to...

By Katie Dunderman • January 25, 2024 • Arts

After 22 years, the longtime interdisciplinary and arts professor Merrill Krabill announced his retirement from Goshen College effective May 2024.  Krabill ’79 started his employment in September 2001 and has been a professor of art since being promoted to the department chair in 2009.  When asked about what he was most proud of in his time at Goshen, Krabill responded with no hesitation.  “In the end, it’s all about people,” he said, “both as … a person and a parent and a teacher. When my kids do well … that’s the thing that … makes it feel worthwhile.” Krabill’s office...

By Charlie Aldrich • January 25, 2024 • Arts

Over the course of MLK weekend, Allison Joseph, an award winning-poet, professor and editor, ran a poetry workshop for GC students. In this workshop, Joseph covered everything from the purpose of poetry and rhythm rhyme to how repetition leads to buried truths.  Joseph was raised in Toronto and the Bronx. Her parents are of Caribbean origin, and she was born in London, England. Allison earned a B.A. from Kenyon College and an MFA from Indiana University. Next fall, Joseph will move into her 30th year of teaching English at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Joseph has released eight full-length poetry collections,...

By Grace Stevens • January 18, 2024 • Arts

Last week, on the snowy campus of the University of Michigan-Flint, theater students from across the Midwest gathered to participate in the Region 3 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. This year, nine students represented Goshen College in a variety of acting, design and production areas.  Two students participated in the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions throughout the festival. Dontaye Albert, a junior theater major, and Hermione Bean-Mills, a junior history major, were nominated by a KCACTF respondent for their performances in Twelfth Night this past November. Both students participated as semifinalists, with Albert becoming one of 16 finalists in...

By Sarah Bailey • January 18, 2024 • Arts

This past week, a new art showcase opened in the Good Library Gallery. It features sculptures, paintings, drawings, and other forms of art created by GC students. The exhibit will be open until March 3. Photo by Lukas Bontrager-Waite for The Record

By Lukas Bontrager-Waite • November 30, 2023 • Arts

As snow gathers on the ground and Christmas approaches, students from all levels prepare for their performances of A Festival of Carols. Accompanying the adults on stage are dozens of junior-high singers from around the Goshen area: Shout for Joy, the Community School of the Arts’ choral ensemble for grades six through eight. Sandy Hill, in her 16th year as Shout for Joy director, said she loves working with kids in junior high: “I feel a calling to work with this age group, and I really enjoy inspiring them and motivating them and learning all this music with them.” Members...

By Lukas Bontrager-Waite • November 30, 2023 • Arts

This Friday, Umble Center’s doors will open to present the first showing of Goshen College’s fall mainstage: “Twelfth Night: Or What You Will.” The play is a staple of Shakespeare’s canon, and GC’s production has a backdrop of London in the 1980s with a post-punk twist. Director Amy Budd, assistant professor of theater, said that her idea for this rendition has been waiting for 10 years and it seeks to emphasize and explore the gender issues in the play.  “Goshen College is the place to be thinking about gender,” Budd said. “I really enjoy working to figure out how to...

By Lukas Bontrager-Waite • November 9, 2023 • Arts

In my junior year of high school, I created this graphite piece that marked the beginning of my fascination with the surrealist movement. This moment led me to shift my artistic focus from “mundane” subjects like still life and portraits to exploring the world of the impossible.

By Jacob Dixon • November 9, 2023 • Arts

Last Saturday, Goshen College’s Art Club hosted Artober, an arts workshop featuring painting, printmaking and ceramics. Art Club members led the three stations, and for two hours, GC students could float between them. The goal of the event was to offer an opportunity for students to create art and increase interest in the department. Shayne Wassell supervises the printmaking workshop. Jackson Steinmetz for The Record Sarah Corbitt, a senior art major, was one of the organizers of the event. “We wanted to do a day with just open workshops for people who aren’t art majors or [are] a little intimidated...

By Annika Alderfer Fisher • November 2, 2023 • Arts

Honorable mention: Conrad Liechty (left) and Hannah Lehman as Westley and Buttercup from “The Princess Bride.” Photos contributed by Howell House Honorable mention: Miguel Pineda Vasquez, Quinn Wyse and Anna Kauffman (left to right) as characters from “Nacho Libre.” Photos contributed by Howell House

By Record • November 2, 2023 • Arts

On Thursday nights, the sizzle from welding, the screech from cutting aluminum and the laughter from warm faces resound in a small workshop tucked away on the edge of campus: the Chairman Building, home to Goshen College’s sculpture studio. John Mishler (left) helps Mounsithiraj use a blowtorch to bend a tree limb. Seth Smith Kauffman for The Record “This place allows you to relax and use a different side of your brain,” said John Mishler, associate professor of art. He has many sculptures installed in Goshen, including “Dream Chaser” on the Millrace and “Broken Shield” at GC. “I started sculpture...

By Lukas Bontrager-Waite • October 26, 2023 • Arts Seth Smith Kauffman • October 26, 2023 • Arts

The city of Goshen held a downtown arts tour on Oct. 6 as a part of First Fridays. Artists had 22 locations downtown to display art, and Goshen College students set up shop where there are usually baked goods and produce for sale: the farmer’s market. Among the onions, apples and Amish cheese were collections from eight student artists showcasing and selling their work. Mira Yoder sold mature paintings while she knitted. Lukas Bontrager-Waite for The Record Meanwhile, on the opposite end of town, fast-paced drum beats, smooth saxophone solos and uproarious brass resounded in the halls of the Goshen...

By Lukas Bontrager-Waite • October 12, 2023 • Arts

“Neat Snail” contributed by Saroj Kauffman Saroj Kauffman is a junior environmental science major with a focus in ecology from Oregon. He started drawing in middle school, but has never taken any classes. Outside of drawing, he enjoys disk golf, birding and frolicking.

By Saroj Kauffman • October 12, 2023 • Arts

The residents of Kenwood House lift Phillip Witmer-Rich during their performance of “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie.” Photos contributed by Comm-Mar Jocsan Barahona Rosales and Fatima Shana prefaced their piece with “In the beginning, there was the groove.” Photos contributed by Comm-Mar Dimestore Folklore (Luisa Dutchersmith, Ana Yoder, Maddie Bollinger and Tyson Miller, left to right) perform “Dancing in the Moonlight.” Photos contributed by Comm-Mar The Queen Singers, the first act to perform, sing “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan. Photos contributed by Comm-Mar The baseball team carries on their yearly tradition of cheering from the front row. Photos contributed...

By Record • October 5, 2023 • Arts