This month’s Kent Stars are Jarman Jam, a group of Arts students who run a bi-termly creative showcase for students to share their artistic works, helping to build a fun and supportive creative community. Hear from Jarman Jam:
“We are a group of eight School of Arts students, ranging from first year to postgraduate. Our degree programmes include Drama and Theatre, Film, Comparative Literature, and History and Philosophy of Art. Together we enjoy sharing our love of the arts and having a laugh before class! We are talented dancers, painters, comedians, musicians, magicians, digital artists, and podcast producers!”
Tell us about Jarman Jam and how it’s helping strengthen the community within the School of Arts.
“Jarman Jam is a student-led, bi-termly, creative showcase providing people with a space for sharing their artistic works. The events bring in a myriad of performances as we are passionate about creating space for all different types of art including film, stand up, music, poetry, fine art, sketches, monologues, fashion, podcasts, and photography.
At the end of every Jarman Jam, we encourage people to share their passions by offering an open-mic slot. We find this boosts confidence as it is a chance to perform in the spur of the moment. We also leave time for audience members and performers to network with like-minded people. This not only benefits students by helping them create connections with students across courses, but also develops stronger bonds with staff and students in the School of Arts.
Performing work that is not assessed but is still open to feedback and constructive criticism is helpful for students to generate new ideas that they can take into their coursework. By holding the events in the Jarman building, a shared space for all disciplines within the School of Arts, we hope to turn the building into a space that fosters a lively and connected community.”
What advice would you give to other students?
“We would encourage other students to put themselves out there and share their work, no matter how confident they may or may not be. Performing and showing off what you have made can be so beneficial for your self-esteem and opens yourself up for developing new ideas. We would also say that you should never be afraid to try something new! So many members of the Jarman Jam team had no idea that they could run an event, be a successful compere, or create the perfect publicity materials before we threw ourselves into it and had a go!”
What are your plans for the next year?
“Three of our members will graduate this year and start to pursue other creative opportunities. The rest will continue their studies at the University of Kent. We also absolutely intend to run Jarman Jam again next year! Our team has a lot of great ideas, and at the end of the term we will be looking for new School of Arts students to carry on the important work we have started. We think we could really establish a culture of creative sharing at Kent!”
Do you know an inspirational student or student group? Let us know.