Using creativity to bring the community together

As the room lights dimmed and the spotlight shined upon the stage, the eager murmuring of the audience came to a halt as all eyes focused on the artists.

Through the words of the poets, the lyrics of the singers and the movement of the dancers, every member of the audience is brought into an exhilarating spiritual journey of contemplation, self-reflection and inspiration. It’s The Nook Open Mic Night.

This Friday, The Nook will host its second Open Mic Night at the Mercado La Paloma, located just a few blocks from campus on Grand and 37th streets.

The Nook, started in September by several USC students, seeks to foster a sense of community for both campus and community members alike that allows everyone to express his or her values through art performances and storytelling in a safe environment.

The idea behind the event came about after the success of a similar open mic event held last semester, “Our City Our Stories.” Working with community member Damon Turner, who runs his own open mic event, “Freedom Friday,” at the Mercado La Paloma, each open mic night brings together a new set of stories, ideas and creative thought, which is carefully and cleverly woven together and displayed through song, dance and the spoken word.

But it’s not just a chance to showcase art, as the event’s content also addresses cultural issues such as gender, sexuality, race and social change.

“By providing an open space where both participants and audience members engage in these issues through art and expression, we’re trying to cultivate a culture that embraces new or unfamiliar ideas,” said Meagan Chin, a sophomore majoring in fine arts and one of the founding members of The Nook.

Although it might sound like The Nook is just another student organization on campus advocating a particular cause, it’s far from that. With a desire for collaboration in mind, The Nook has brought together a variety of students who work with different organizations on campus in the hopes of creating a strong example of artistic diversity.

“What we really want to do is to unite everyone,” said Johnnie Jung, a freshman majoring in business administration and mechanical engineering who works with The Nook. “We want to establish an event that is open to different people, different groups and really, just anyone who wants to be part of something amazing.

The main motivation behind The Nook is the idea of intimately connecting USC students and the neighborhood surrounding campus.

“Even though USC is in Downtown L.A., the contrast between USC students and its surrounding community could not be more contrasting,” Chin said. “We want to unite everyone together through a common experience.”

Jung echoed that sentiment, stressing the importance of being involved with the surrounding community.

“It’s so unique to work with community members and people not associated with USC in any way. I think that this area around USC is a great laboratory for social work and ideas,” he said. “[The Nook] is vested in the idea of coalition building and forming bonds and relationships that will bring together different groups and people. Really, we want to address communal issues in an interesting and engaging way.”

Because the environment of The Nook’s open mic nights is so intimate, the performers on stage are often inspired audience members. As the night progressed in the last meeting, the performances became more dramatic, with the emotional content of each growing more intense and the stories more personal.

“Storytelling is something we can all do — and it is something we can all relate to,” Jung said. “It is very uplifting to see people, who hadn’t prepared anything, step on stage and speak their mind. It takes a lot of courage to do so and it’s very heartwarming to know that we have such a safe environment for people to do so.”

The connection between the performers and audience is key, organizers said.

“We really want to bridge the gap between the community and the campus,” Jung said. “We really do have something special here — the unique opportunity to bring people together. It’s just awesome.”