Welcome to a new year of Arts and Culture at The Varsity! My name is Milena, and I’m a third-year political science major. The arts have been my creative outlet my whole life: whether it be doodling at the dinner table as a kid, or taking a break from the endless, cynical foreign policy debates I encounter in class now. I understand how special Arts and Culture writing is for so many of you; it is where we find joy, rest, reflection, and self-expression. I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to amplify your thoughts, discussions, and creative pursuits. 

One incredible tradition in the Arts and Culture section that I look forward to continuing this year is the promotion of student art, whether it be visual art, theatre, or music. What student papers do best is represent their communities. In this spirit, we are launching a “featured artist” section in The Varsity, where a short profile of a U of T-based artist will be published regularly. If you are an artist — fashion designer, painter, filmmaker, anything! — looking to make greater connections, I encourage you to reach out to us at [email protected]. 

Speaking of connections, I don’t want the Arts section to be composed of isolated individuals. I hope to host more frequent in-person writers’ socials going forward — these will be advertised via our section’s mailing list. While our section has a variety of articles reporting on Toronto’s art scene and beyond, an equally crucial part of our section is cultural criticism and reflection pieces on issues at the forefront of campus life. The key to writing a great piece of commentary is receiving feedback and sharing ideas with other thoughtful people. Let’s make the Arts and Culture section into a family of creative minds!