May has been a vibrant month for the Arts at Williams. This year’s bi-annual ENVIRO featured student-led, self-choreographed performances across campus, including in unconventional spaces like hallways. Alongside ENVIRO, visual arts students showcased their work during an evening reception in The Williams Room, highlighting a range of creative projects from photography to mixed media.
One highlight of ENVIRO was Score to Stage, a project where students visited the nearby Lyman Allyn Art Museum and composed original music inspired by specific paintings. These compositions explored the intersection of visual art and sound.
Jeffrey Reinhart ’28 drew inspiration from Richard Anuszkiewicz’s Emerald Square, a painting dominated by a bold emerald square. Reinhart imagined the square as a molecular prison with particles bursting out along its edges. This concept became a staccato, arpeggiated melody line that builds in tempo and intensity, ending in a final burst that symbolizes the molecules’ escape. He cited influence from minimalist composers such as Philip Glass, Max Richter, and Steve Reich, as well as TV shows playing in the background while he composed.
Other students also took inventive approaches. Hogan Porter ’28 based his piece on Abigail Dolbeare Hinman by Daniel Huntington, which tells the story of a New London resident who attempted to defend her town during an attack but misfired her weapon. Porter captured her sorrow not with somber tones but through a cheerful, music box–like melody that evokes nostalgia and a sense of unresolved history.
In addition to ENVIRO, the visual arts exhibit offered a wide-ranging display of student creativity. Galleries featured photography portfolios, 3D art combining digital and physical media, and the ever-popular radio essays—spoken narratives presented in a radio show format.
Williams’ Arts programs encourage students to explore a wide range of artistic disciplines and express their creativity with both innovation and personal depth.
