Concert for a Cause confronts campus hunger through art
A haunting reality echoed through the halls of Utah State University’s Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall on Jan. 22 — over 60% of USU students struggle to find their next meal. To raise awareness and funds for food insecurity on campus, USU art students hosted a “Concert for a Cause.”
The one hour and 45-minute event was designed to highlight a significant issue affecting the campus community. According to a Utah Public Radio article published in October 2024 which cited a 2024 survey by the Student Nutrition Access Center, also known as SNAC, “The survey findings reveal that over 60% of students reported low or very low food security, with many saying they had trouble accessing proteins specifically. More than half of the students also said that hunger both sometimes or often made it hard for them to stay focused in class.”
In response to these findings, the Caine College of the Arts implemented a new initiative. Dean Nicholas Morrison announced, “We’re starting a program in our advising office where students can either bring their own lunch and warm it up in a microwave or, if they don’t have lunch or dinner, there’ll be some small food items available to help bridge them through to the next meal.”
The concert featured 11 performances, each accompanied by a unique piece of art. Junior vocal performance major Lily Takemoto performed “Au Cimetière” by Gabriel Fauré, alongside a display of her sister Anna’s artwork, “The Orchids.”
“‘Au Cimetière’ by Gabriel Fauré is a non-poem piece for the singer lamenting those who have died by sea and how those who have been able to bury their loved ones on land should feel lucky that their loved ones get to rest peacefully. This piece is full of dramatic shifts in the music when comparing mourning on land and mourning by sea. In the middle section, you can hear the tension build in the music as the singer greets their loved one, leading to the end where you can feel the sense of bitterness in the music,” Lily Takemoto said.
Anna Takemoto shared the inspiration behind her artwork titled “The Orchids.”
“‘The Orchids’ was a piece I had painted for my mom as a birthday present because of all the orchids she kept while I was growing up. Orchids always reminded me of her and my sister who is singing,” Anna Takemoto said. “Since I’ve moved away from home, I wanted to paint something that would remind me of home, but then knew that my mom would appreciate this piece more. One of the main meanings of ‘The Orchids’ is thoughtfulness, which is one of the best words to describe my mom, and makes this painting feel very representative of her.”
Another piece featured was Megan Freeman’s artwork, created with watercolor and graphite, displayed during Adam Bowen’s piano performance of ‘The Rocks of Uch-Kosh’ by Sergei Bortkiewicz.
“Created using a combination of watercolor and graphite pencils, this piece explores the profound effect color has in art, using it to emphasize the importance of nature and its intricate relationship with the human experience. The interplay between the softness of the watercolor and the precision of the graphite draws attention to the delicate balance between organic forms and the environments they inhabit,” Freeman said.
Bowen introduced his piano piece by Sergei Bortkiewicz.
“On a vacation to the Crimean Peninsula, he was inspired by the beauty he saw and decided to write a set of pieces. The one I’ll be performing, ‘The Rocks of Uch-Kosh,’ reflects a very beautiful rocky landscape right on the shore of Crimea,” Bowen said.
Lily Takemoto shared her thoughts on the beginning process of Concert for a Cause.
“When we originally started planning this event, it really inspired me,” Lily Takemoto said. “I come from a family of artists and musicians, and I’ve always thought it would be cool to do a performance with art and merge the two together.”
Lauren Tougas, CCA senator, spoke about the event’s purpose.
“Our cause is to help students, especially on this side of campus that don’t really get a whole lot of funding for food, to have a place they can come and feel safe to get food. We really truly are a humanities — we’re for everybody. We’re what make things human, and in that same vein, we’re helping the students know that they have a place that they can come to and belong,” Tougas said.
Morrison concluded by addressing the event’s contribution to the broader community.
“So how does this event contribute?” Morrison asked. “It’s one amongst many, many options, and for me, the coolest thing is it’s focused on the students and folks that want to do this for their livelihood.”