The Purdue University North Central Alumni Association kicked off the month of June with their first Campus Art Walk this evening at PNC! The walk was open to not only PNC students and alumni, but also to the community at large. PNC partnered for this event with Northwest Indiana Leaders Young Professionals Network.
“We are a young professionals group and run events all over Northwest Indiana,” stated Andi Baruffi, representative of NWI Leaders. “This is about socializing, networking, meeting other young professionals in the area, expanding our horizons, and getting involved in the community. Erika Jones, Alumni Coordinator for PNC, has come to a number of our events and reached out and invited us to co-host tonight’s event,” Baruffi said.
Upon arrival at the fountain mid campus, guests were invited to partake in Hors d’oeuvres and drinks. This was a great time for fellowship and networking.
“An event like this draws different types of crowds in. It’s not only important to get alumni, but also community members and students involved. It’s a really great opportunity to get everyone out here to see the gorgeous campus!” shared Erika Jones, Alumni Coordinator for PNC.
The walk lasted about an hour and was lead by Judy Jacobi, the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Campus Relations. She led the tour of the PNC sculpture and art collections around campus. The tour included eighteen different exhibits. Both the outdoor large-scale sculptures as well as some of the artwork on display inside the campus buildings were among those visited.
“This event represents one of a series of events that are designed to bring the newly emerging and evolving Purdue North Central and Purdue Calumet together as the fifth largest university in Indiana, Purdue Northwest,” said Judy Jacobi, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Campus Relations. “We thought it would be valuable for the alumni departments of both to host an event to display our beauty. Art is important for every community and is a great portal for learning. We also want to educate students and the greater community in art and its importance because if we’re going to graduate world-ready students, we are kidding ourselves if they don’t know something about art. Most importantly, as we have entered the twenty-first century, we think it’s important to continue to emphasize the great ideas that humanity has brought us and not leave them behind a we move further and further at a faster pace into a highly technological world,” Jacobi further explained.
Jacobi shared interesting facts about the artwork displayed and also gave background information about the artists. The tour became more personal and intimate as she shared the inspiration behind some of the pieces. A piece of one of the 9/11 World Trade Center buildings was displayed inside along with a complete art display dedicated to September 11th, 2001. This made for an emotional and moving stop.
Tonight’s Art Walk was a great opportunity for PNC to share the beauty of their campus with those who haven’t yet experienced its intrigue. It was also a time of nostalgia for returning alumni to relive their college experience and join together with old friends over the common interest of art. This event also brought inspiration and joy to the community visitors involved. Creativity flowed as all involved were united with the beauty of the evening.