River Campus Turns 10: Going beyond the stage

Over the past 10 years, Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus has gone to great lengths to foster artistic growth and expression, not only in education but in the Cape Girardeau community as well.

Each arm of the River Campus has proven capable of attracting top-tier talent.

Music festivals such as The Clark Terry/Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Festival have enabled local jazz aficionados to witness performances by artists such as Michael Dease, Reggie Thomas and Peter Nero.

The theater department has hosted performances by Hal Holbrook, Ed Asner and Garrison Keillor.

Similarly, the Crisp Museum enables the local visual-arts community to attract pieces and guest artists that otherwise might prefer larger markets.

Southeast Missouri State sophomore Jessica Alvey, front, worked on the set of Big River with fellow crew member Alex Martin on Sept. 27, 2007, in the River Campus Scene Shop. The set will incorporate more vertical elements than usual Southeast Missouri State productions because of more space with the Bedel Theatre.Kit Doyle ~ Southeast Missourian archive

The Crisp Museum has hosted the art of Andy Warhol, but also that of local high-school artists.

The River Campus' proximity to the local arts community serves to invite participation from a wide variety of contributors.

During a presentation by Rhonda Weller-Stilson, associate dean and director of the Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts in January, the past decade has seen striking growth, most notably in the River Campus adding the Conservatory of Theatre and Dance.

The River Campus holds credentials as a member of both the National Association of Schools of Theatre and the National Association of Schools of Dance.

Weller-Stilson said it continues to strive for corresponding qualifications in the fields of music and art and design.

In outreach events such as the annual Summer Arts Festival, local residents of all ages are encouraged to support, enjoy and even create a little art.

The roughly threefold growth in that event's attendance since its inception in 2014 shows how much Cape Girardeau residents appreciate the arts.

And that appreciation goes both ways.

In the same presentation, Weller-Stilson said the continued support of the commnunity is essential to the work that faculty, students and visiting professionals perform at the River Campus, and for that support, the River Campus personnel are deeply grateful.