SunSet Fest: a shiny alternative for scholar artists

Because the solar set on Wilbur Area on Thursday, Neighborhood S held its first-ever SunSet Fest — a jam-packed outside occasion with a wide range of sights together with meals vans, stay performances and wellness teams. The night additionally featured cubicles for scholar artists, organizations and small companies.

On the west aspect of the sector, crowds of excited college students in summer time put on waited in lengthy strains for meals vans and tents. Attendees mingled within the heart, the place a stage featured stay performances by scholar teams equivalent to Stanford Improvisors, musicians like Charlie Kogen ’26 and outdoors performers like Cello Joe. Lengthy strains additionally shaped on the east aspect as college students availed themselves to tarot readings, massages and caricature drawings.

Whereas many individuals got here for the meals vans, the ample foot visitors offered scholar creators with loads of clients for his or her artwork prints, stickers, jewellery, hand knit clothes and snack luggage. 

“Folks have really been shopping for us out…which is superb and sudden,” stated artist Melissa Ran ’24, who was promoting prints on the Stanford Storyboard Membership’s sales space.

For some artists, SunSet Fest was their first time promoting their creations. “I’ve by no means been in a position to put myself out like this, so I actually admire having the chance to do one thing like this,” stated Lisa Ing ’26, promoting sticker sheets of her cartoon rat and duck character designs.

The competition additionally gave organizations just like the Taiwanese Tradition Society an opportunity to publicize their membership in a manner that instantly engages college students with their tradition.

“We’re a fairly small group,” Matt Hsu ’26, a member of the group, stated. “It’s at all times good for folks to see that now we have a Taiwanese Cultural Society on campus.” Whereas the group offered snack packs with Taiwanese treats, the sales space additionally gave them an opportunity to tell college students about their upcoming Might 13 Night time Market.

This 12 months, Residential Schooling (ResEd) is funding one all-campus occasion for every of Stanford’s Neighborhoods. SunSet Fest has been within the works since fall quarter, deliberate by the Neighborhood S Neighborhood Council of scholars, resident fellows {and professional} workers. Pat Lopes Harris, Stanford’s Senior Director of Communications, stated in an e-mail to The Day by day that the council particularly wished to “spotlight scholar artwork and efficiency in a enjoyable, relaxed, and casual atmosphere.”

ResEd has obtained backlash for the implementation of the Neighborhood system — particularly, how the neighborhood council funds have been allotted and when occasions have been scheduled. College students on Fizz criticized the seeming lack of communication between neighborhoods as high-budget occasions have been slated again to again. Neighborhood S held SunSet Fest on Thursday, shortly earlier than the Neighborhood R Carnival on Friday and the Neighborhood D Carnival on Saturday.

One standard Fizz submit a number of days after the fest learn, “Neighborhood Admin fucking suck, whose thought was it to approve 3 carnival/massive neighborhood applications on the identical day… do they not discuss to one another?” The submit has netted over 2.3k upvotes.

Whereas not everybody thinks the neighborhood system deserves to be counseled for the occasion, some scholar distributors shared a optimistic sentiment relating to its execution. Rebecca Grekin Ph.D. ’25, proprietor of Re-becca Jewellery, a hand-crafted eco-friendly jewellery enterprise, commented on how these occasions have helped revitalize her enterprise. 

“I began doing this enterprise in center college, and it’s been nice to rekindle it with these types of alternatives, each right here and on the farmers markets Stanford has began opening to scholar companies,” Grekin stated.

Scholar vendor Christina Qin ’24 stated, “The Neighborhood system sucks, however this occasion is the form of occasion that’s open to everybody.” Because of this, she added, “It lets folks help the small folks… I hope this sort of factor occurs yearly as a result of it’s superior.”