SOFA Liaisons

The SOFA liaisons program brings together a small group of arts-minded students from each department to serve as ambassadors between their peers and the Smith Office for the Arts. This program is all about student leadership and creating space for their feedback—empowering them to shape the future of the arts at Smith.

Current Projects

Throughout the academic year, liaisons will spend time each month sharing campuswide insights, co-designing small-scale events, and helping promote SOFA programming.

Five Colleges Performance Calendar

The SOFA liaisons from the theatre department have created and maintain a calendar of all student theatre events taking place across the Five Colleges. The calendar includes a range of performances, including major departmental performances as well as performances hosted by student organizations. The calendar is a living document which is updated throughout the academic year. If you would like to have your organization or department’s events added to the Five Colleges Performance Calendar, please contact sofa@smith.edu.

Music Department Night Teas

The SOFA liaisons from the music department organize recurring gatherings for students to come together and learn and share about their experiences and opportunities with the music department. Dates will be announced each semester.

Smith Arts Day Liaisons

Smith Arts Day is a daylong celebration of the artistic and creative community at Smith College that brings the arts together—across disciplines and across campus. SOFA liaisons will be present during the day at the buildings of their respective departments to help community members, admitted students and their families, and more, navigate the events of Smith Arts Day and learn more about the arts at Smith. They can be identified by their “Ask Me About…” buttons for each department.

Pop-Up Activities

Throughout the year the Smith Office for the Arts (SOFA), with the support of the SOFA liaisons, will offer pop-up arts activities either as standalone events or as an addition to some of the many larger campus events, to encourage students to participate in creative making and endeavors throughout the year. This has included but is not limited to: zine making, button making, puzzle making and decorating, tote bag decorating, and more!

Film & Media Studies: Behind the Scenes

The SOFA liaisons from film and media studies are currently working on a “behind the scenes” of their department and the resources and support available to all Smith students through the department. This “behind the scenes” will give students, regardless of department, an opportunity to learn more about film and media studies and how they can engage with the department and all film-related activities on campus.

Smith Arts Alumnae Events

Throughout the year SOFA liaisons from each of the SmithArts departments will plan and coordinate events for alums to engage with what is going on in the arts at Smith and see how the Smith Office for the Arts is supporting those activities and more!

Current Liaisons

Kaia Austin ’26

Art

Kaia is an art history major with a museum concentration and works in the SCMA. Kaia loves spending time making, discussing, and being surrounded by art.

What do you hope to bring to the Arts Liaisons program?
I hope to bring some joy and whimsy. Art institutions can feel stale or pretentious, and I would like to demolish any semblances of that at Smith.

What’s one thing you love about the arts at Smith (or the arts in general)?
I love the access we have to the museum. I love seeing a work of art in real life as opposed to on a screen.

Sophie Biderman ’27

Dance

Sophie is an interdisciplinary student working toward a dance and biology double major. She practices street styles, contemporary/modern, composition, and ballet across the Five College Dance Department.

What do you hope to bring to the Arts Liaisons program?
I hope to bring appreciation for my peers and the wider artistic community at Smith, as well as information about Smith and Five College Dance events, performances, and more!

What’s one thing you love about the arts at Smith (or the arts in general)?
I love the connections that the arts at Smith and in general have brought to my life! I’m so grateful for the wonderful community of artists I get to build.

Sophie Chamblin ’27

Music

Sophie is a singer, composer, audio engineer, and filmmaker. She loves collaborating with others on creative works and learning from the people around her. She’s very passionate about engaging her community with the arts.

What do you hope to bring to the Arts Liaisons program?
I hope to bring a positive and inviting attitude. I’d love to engage as many students as possible with the arts, regardless of whether or not it’s in an academic capacity. I’d also like to help bridge the connections among the arts and humanities departments at Smith!

What’s one thing you love about the arts at Smith (or the arts in general)?
I love how supportive and passionate the arts community is at Smith. There’s always an opportunity to work with new people and form connections.

Aurelia Lindkvist DuShane ’27

Film & Media Studies

Aurelia is a junior majoring in film and media studies and economics at Smith. She serves as the president of the college’s one and only film production club, Don’t Blink Media, where she has worked as a writer, director, producer, production manager, and animator. She hopes to take her experience as a queer creator to the film industry after she graduates. There, she hopes to work in production and development advocating for multidimensional representation and inclusive storytelling.

What do you hope to bring to the Arts Liaisons program?
I want to make arts accessible to all students and remind them that there is a space in the creative world for all people. I hope that through my work with the Smith Office for the Arts students know that there is a place to create, to engage with, and to learn from the arts, not just on campus but in the world around them.

What’s one thing you love about the arts at Smith (or the arts in general)?
I love the community, and the fact that you can engage with any sort of medium you want. Whether that be dance, acting, filmmaking, or traditional fine art forms, such as painting, sculpting, or ceramic, there is a creative medium for you.

Ajika Sawyer ’28

Music

Ajika is a sophomore pursuing a double major in music and education. A musician, composer, actor, and playwright, Ajika is deeply invested in the arts at Smith.

What do you hope to bring to the Arts Liaisons program?
I hope to collaborate with my fellow Arts Liaisons to bring our communities closer together and collectively envision the future of the arts at Smith.

What’s one thing you love about the arts at Smith (or the arts in general)?
I love connecting with people within the arts community at Smith—working on projects together; sharing our artistic practices; discussing new ideas, concepts, or articles; and inhabiting and co-creating a shared community of artistic innovation and collaboration.

Audrey Weir ’26

Theatre

Audrey is a theatre major and education minor with a passion for performing arts education. In theatre, they have experience acting, directing, teaching, and more. They think everyone can and should be involved in the arts!

What do you hope to bring to the Arts Liaisons program?
A passion for creating arts access to people of all abilities and interests, especially by focusing on visibility of events and uplifting student groups.

What’s one thing you love about the arts at Smith (or the arts in general)?
There are so many opportunities to get involved in arts at Smith if you know where to look. Even if you aren’t involved in a department, you can still pursue and learn about so many disciplines and meet awesome artists as you do!

Katie Carrington Wilson ’26

Theatre

Katie (she/her) is a senior at Smith College pursuing a B.A. in theatre and computer science. As a playwright and actor, she creates work that uplifts underrepresented voices and explores themes of identity, community, and belonging. Her recent projects include PICKLED and Ziona, both produced through Smith’s Theatre Department New Play Reading Series (NPRS) and one produced by Smith’s BIPOC theatre org, Thank You, Five.

What do you hope to bring to the Arts Liaisons program?
I hope to bring a collaborative spirit and a commitment to amplifying diverse perspectives in the arts. Through my experience as a playwright, performer, and student leader, I want to help create more accessible, inclusive, and engaging spaces where students can see their stories reflected on stage and across campus.

What’s one thing you love about the arts at Smith (or the arts in general)?
I love that the arts at Smith encourage experimentation and authenticity, they invite us to take creative risks while building community through storytelling. The collaborative energy here reminds me that art is not just about performance, but about connection and shared imagination