51茶馆儿

The Skidmore community celebrated its third annual Lovefest, an event honoring love in all its forms, at Wyckoff Center.  

Coinciding with Valentine鈥檚 Day, Lovefest reflects Skidmore鈥檚 commitment to the health and well-being of the community and aims to offer the community a welcoming space for all.  

For the past two years, the tradition has explored themes from 鈥淎ll 51茶馆儿 Love: New Visions,鈥� by acclaimed author and activist bell hooks.

This year鈥檚 theme was 51茶馆儿淩arely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation.鈥疕ealing is an act of communion.鈥� 

鈥淟ovefest is a moment to come together and celebrate love and connection as community,鈥� explained Wyckoff Center Director and Lovefest organizer Mariel Martin. 鈥淚 think at a time where there鈥檚 all this tension 鈥� socially, nationally, internationally 鈥� thinking about how we come together to support one another and heal in community is so important.鈥�

Community members from the Counseling Center, Peer Health Educators, and Human Resources spread the love through tabling efforts with crafts, self-care opportunities, and goodies to spare. joined with a 鈥渂lind date with a book鈥� booth, inviting attendees to choose from a wide selection of wrapped texts, with many featuring Lovefest-themed student artwork and decorations.

Associate Director for Employee Relations and Organizational Development Lovelyne Pierre hosted a table with Administrative and Human Resources Assistant Brittany von Schiller.   

鈥淲e have a lot of professional development that employees are not aware of, so we wanted to come here to spread the word. It was a good time to engage with staff and students,鈥� Pierre said about the event.

The open house also featured relaxing chair massages, a tea lounge, breathwork and feng shui mini-workshops with local practitioners, and delicious treats for all to enjoy.  

鈥淚 think Lovefest gives students a safe place to come and celebrate love in all of its different forms, whether that's love for their friends, family 鈥撯�� if it's romantic. Lovefest is just a positive place.鈥� said Abigail J. Lewis 51茶馆儿�27, who serves as the Student Government Association director of communications. 

Other attendees echoed Lewis鈥� sentiment, citing the gathering as an opportunity to connect with friends 51茶馆儿� both new and old. 

鈥淭he word I would use to describe Lovefest is 51茶馆儿榗ommunity,鈥欌�� said Jaria Fofana 鈥�28. 鈥淎s a first year, I'm here to meet more new people and being able to see others that I'm not usually able to see every day was nice.鈥�

Nora Jackson 鈥�26 helped run a table for Skidmore鈥檚 Peer Health Educators. Visitors were invited to write heart-shaped affirmations for themselves and other eventgoers.  

I think everyone deserves to feel loved, and people come here to give back to the community and their friends and just feel a sense of love. A large part of what I enjoy doing is being to speak to being able to speak to other students face to face and spread support and caring and love.

Nora Jackson '26

Peer Health Educator

鈥淟ove means everything,鈥� reflected Martin. 鈥淚t means connection, being seen and seeing 鈥� honoring the wholeness of who we all are.鈥�