Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture

Review: Amy McCullough unearths the connections between clay-making and life in new Plunkett Gallery exhibit

By Ivy Marie Clarke | April 14

Amy McCullough has been an artist for over two decades, specializing in large-scale ceramic sculpture. She sculpted the magnolia pod finials that crown the brick columns at the entrance of Tattnall Square Park. She has also instructed Mercer students in her craft and owns Macon Clay downtown, where ...

Lifestyle

Here’s everything your sex ed class didn’t cover

By Rose Thorne | April 3

Well over half -- 65% -- of Americans have their first sexual encounter by the age of 18, according to reproductive rights group Guttmacher Institute. But in a country where high school sexual education classes usually fail to include key issues such as consent, contraception, general sexual wellness ...

Lifestyle

I tried no social media for a week

By Ivy Marie Clarke | March 26

We live in the digital age. It is rare to come across someone who doesn’t have some form of social media. While apps like Instagram and Twitter can be useful for keeping us in touch with our loved ones, they are also notoriously breeding grounds for insecurity as we compare ourselves to the highlights ...

Arts & Culture

The roadmap to Macon art gallery hopping

By Ivy Marie Clarke | March 25

Macon is known for nourishing several musical legends, including the Allman Brothers Band, Little Richard and James Brown. However, the visual arts are also blooming in the city, and you can find locations to view them less than a 15-minute drive from Mercer. Check out the following locations and get ...

Arts & Culture

Tattoos and piercings: Decorations of the body and stories of the soul

By Natalie Yaeger | March 24

The true importance of art lies in its power to bring people together and tell a story. From the stunning paintings hanging in museums to the street art in Atlanta, art has power. In recent times, there has been an increase in creativity and self-expression as art — including body modifications. ...

Local News

Record realness: Vinyl records are taking over the music scene... again!

By Jacqueline Lamothe | March 12

Before the reign of streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, vinyl records were the primary way to listen to a favorite artist uninterrupted in the comfort of one’s home. Now, both music artists and music lovers alike can utilize these products for nostalgic, artistic and expressive purposes. Whether ...

Arts & Culture

Mercer Artist: Black beauty and power in Zianah Marshall’s artwork

By Ivy Marie Clarke | March 12

Third-year student Zianah Marshall got her start in visual art this past summer, when she found a blank poster board at a George Floyd protest she was attending and began to draw. Since then, Marshall’s passion for art has only grown. Black beauty and Black power are two of the most prominent themes ...

Lifestyle

Keeping a connection whilst in a long distance relationship 

By Lidya Dereje | March 11

When one hears the words “long distance relationship,” it initially stirs a bit of intimidation. Well, at least it did for me. Think about it, you’re not able to see your significant other the way you normally would. Not only is the distance intimidating, but the ability to maintain a connection ...

Arts & Culture

Editors' Choice: Recommended reading from The Cluster’s editorial staff

By The Cluster Editorial Staff | March 11

With all this beautiful spring weather we’ve been experiencing here in Macon, you may be looking for a good book to curl up with in the sunshine. Here are what some of our editors are reading. Emily Rose Thorne - Editor-in-Chief “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe “Some people are born in the mountains, ...

Lifestyle

Tips for landing the perfect internship during a pandemic

By Rose Thorne | March 10

If you had an internship offer revoked last summer as COVID-19 swept the world, you’re not alone: a National Association of Colleges and Employers survey in May 2020 found that 22% of employers rescinded internship offers due to the pandemic. Nearly a year later, the United States economy still hasn’t ...

Arts & Culture

How art students are utilizing the studio spaces at the McEachern Art Center

By Ivy Marie Clarke | March 10

A place to view and create art: that’s the intent of Mercer’s downtown McEachern Art Center, affectionately referred to as the MAC. The MAC’s gallery opened to the public in early 2019 with support from Teresa McEachern and the Griffith Family Foundation of Macon. It is directed by Ben Dunn, ...

Lifestyle

Here’s what it’s like to be an Honor Council Justice

By Mandi DeLong | March 10

While a warning about the Honor Council is included in nearly all syllabi, the experience of what it’s like to be an Honor Council Justice and what the Honor Council really does is shrouded in a kind of mystery. Part of that is because there are only three types of students who can attend Honor Council ...

Lifestyle

Five scholarships for LGBTQIA+ students

By Mandi DeLong | March 8

There are a wide range of scholarships available for numerous different categories, including university, field of study or demographic. For students who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community, here are five scholarships to consider applying to. The Point Scholarship The Point Foundation provides scholarships ...

Lifestyle

Making the most out of your Instant Pot

By Sarah Moore | March 7

Like many college students, my food budget is somewhat limited. So when Instant Pots first started getting popular, I was skeptical. They cost between $50 and $100, and I couldn’t see them being very useful. I assumed that it would just take up the already limited space in my dorm. However, after ...

Arts & Culture

What Amanda Gorman and Jericho Brown show us about funding the humanities 

By Ashley Pemberton | March 5

In a nation divided, the humanities may be the saving grace of the human spirit. Two artistic visionaries offer a light at the end of the tunnel. Poets Amanda Gorman and Jericho Brown give insightful perspectives on the ebb and flow of the human essence. Amanda Gorman is a Los Angeles native who began ...

Arts & Culture

Museum of Arts and Sciences revisits the dreamlike pieces of its ‘Emerging Voices’ series

By Ashley Pemberton | March 4

The Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon is showcasing some of the past works of the “Emerging Voices” art series. The series focuses on amplifying the voices of many artists and accentuating the effort put into their work. One of the artists featured, Alex Kraft, beautifully captures the art of ...

Lifestyle

Finding inspiration after losing it

By Lidya Dereje | March 3

Living in a world permeated by COVID-19 has affected many areas of our lives. Our health, education and occupations have changed in some capacity, making many of us wonder what is next. This sort of questioning has affected the way in which many people go about their lives. Uncertainty leads to a lack ...

Arts & Culture

Review: Netflix’s Bridgerton is a classic period piece with a few modern problems

By Mandi DeLong | March 2

Based on the book series of the same name, “Bridgerton” follows the titular family in Regency-era London during the “social season,” the period during which young women came out into society in search of a husband. The first season of “Bridgerton” adapted the first book of the series “The ...

Arts & Culture

Daft Punk: The robots who rocked the world

By Jacqueline Lamothe | March 1

For nearly 3 decades, the Parisian duo Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo branded themselves as “Daft Punk,” the robotic electronic music icons that were greatly influential and essential to pop and dance music. 

Arts & Culture

Review: 'We Can Be Heroes' isn’t the next 'Endgame,' but it’s a fun superhero flick anyway

By Mandi DeLong | February 21

Robert Rodriguez has spent much of his directing career switching between adult-oriented action films like “Machete” to exaggerated family movies like “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D,” the predecessor to his newest film. “We Can Be Heroes” is his first foray back into similar ...