Logo designed by Jessi Pervola (BA '02)

“Jimmy Carter was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize;” “Chicago the movie was released in theaters;” “Barack Obama was re-elected to the Illinois State Senate”

By Heidi Marshall

The strong winds and scattered showers did not dampen the spirits of those attending the first collegewide celebration of the graduating class, MayFest, on May 23, 2002. MayFest evolved into today’s Manifest celebration.

In the decade since its inception, Manifest has become an established and integral part of the Columbia student experience.

Some artists featured on the three music stages of the inaugural MayFest included the Columbia Jazz Ensemble, saxophonist Fred Anderson, blues singer Thornetta Davis, Zimbabwe Afro-pop artist Oliver Mtukudzi, and the North Mississippi Allstars. The Morris Minors, who are on Columbia’s AEMMP record label, also performed.

As with Manifest today, the campus galleries for MayFest hosted ArtWalk studio exhibitions, performance poetry in the Hokin Gallery, and Art + Design exhibits in the Glass Curtain Gallery. All student organizations were represented, and the Fusion dance troupe held a live performance.

There was also a puppetry parade, “Moving Pictures,” which included a large snail, a walking merry-go- round, and a man on stilts. Trolleys provided transportation between the events and exhibits.

According to Vice President of Student Affairs Mark Kelly, “the electricity of Columbia came to life” at MayFest.

Heidi Marshall is Columbia’s college archivist. If you have photos or materials you think might be of interest for the archives, let her know! hmarshall@colum.edu / 312.369.8689. Visit the Columbia archives online at lib.colum.edu/archives.