By and large, when students move to Whitworth from elsewhere in the state or country, Spokane gets immediately pigeon-holed as lame and without much to offer besides maybe a meth addiction. Granted, Spokane is not New York, Los Angeles or Seattle, but it is not without culture and cultured people. It seems like, when coming from somewhere else to live in Spokane for only four years, we have a tendency to not want to invest in the city and its culture.
At Whitworth there is the disadvantage of being relatively far from all the action that goes on downtown. Some students claim that it’s too far, that they don’t have a car or that they don’t know what is going on off campus.
“Students here often assume that because Spokane is not Seattle that there is nothing to do,” junior John Kuhn said, “It’s funny, because I don’t think those people generally travel beyond two or three miles outside of campus, if at all. There is theater opportunity, operas in circuit, several art galleries that feature new shows monthly, bars, local bands, midnight movies and that doesn’t even cover the glory of the South Hill!”
With publications such as the Inlander available in the Hixson Union Building, it should be easy to discover a plethora of cultural events occurring all over the city.
For those without transportation, there are plenty of options. Spokane has a great transit system that comes right to the Whitworth area, and bus passes are available at the information desk in the HUB. The Artists’ Guild tries to organize transportation down to events on the first Friday of every month for people to see the art galleries, and it is open to all students, not just Artists’ Guild members or art students.
Spokane has many venues where both local and non-local musicians play. The Empyrean has concerts all the time, and Whitworth musicians frequently play there. We should support our fellow students as well as the Spokane music scene.
Caterina Winery also features musicians from Whitworth, as well as out-of-town artists. The information desk often has discounted tickets for musical and theater acts in Spokane as well.
“I went to ‘Sweeney Todd’ this December and got two tickets, at student cost, for $60. We sat fifth row and center. This professional traveling theater company performed two nights in a row, and neither night saw more than half of the seats filled,” Kuhn said, disappointed that such a wonderful theater opportunity was overlooked by the community.
Whitworth has always been committed to building community, evidenced by Community Building Day and the many clubs committed to helping the community beyond the infamous pinecone curtain. Building and being involved in community go beyond just feeding the hungry, clothing the cold and sheltering the homeless.
I am not advocating dropping those causes in order to go out on a Friday night to drink a beer and listen to a concert. I am advocating students putting an effort into getting out and enjoying the wonderful culture that Spokane has breeding in its widely disregarded art scene.
College students are a life-spark to a city. We are young, educated, cause-oriented and still stupid enough to think we can change the world. This is the kind of passion that gives cities like L.A., New York and Seattle the incredible cultural-mecca aura which draws people to them.
Spokane will never be an L.A. or a Seattle, but we can work with what we have here to make it the best it can be. Just because you don’t plan on living here forever doesn’t mean you aren’t living here now. It’s important to not just be a drain on your surroundings, but to put effort back into them. We are getting an incredible education from this city. We should embrace it for the small time that we are here, and give back what we can.
I don’t plan on living in Spokane for much longer after graduation, but I am dearly in debt to the city for helping me become who I am now versus four years ago. I went through what I believe to be some of my most influential years here in Spokane and those memories will be with me forever. For that, I thank the city. It has taught me much about life and living.
So give Spokane another chance, Whitworth. It may be frigid for most of the time you live here, and it may have less to offer than your hometown, but give it some credit. Spokane has a rich history and a thriving arts culture. Dig in and get to know your current home.
Johnson is a senior majoring in printmaking. Comments can be sent to elizabeth.johnson@whitworthian.com.
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