This year marks the bicentennial birthday of renowned American poet Walt Whitman. In celebration of Whitman’s life and creative works, a group of Adelphi University music, theater and visual arts students will perform and display their artwork during the Walt Whitman Bicentennial Birthday Weekend event on Sunday, June 2, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Adelphi students, along with their faculty mentors, created artistic works inspired by their favorite Whitman poems for the “Whitman in the Park” portion of the event at the Walt Whitman Birthplace in Huntington.

The Adelphi student performances and art for the festival were facilitated by Sidney Marquez Boquiren, Adelphi professor of music, Maggie Lally, professor of theater, and Kellyann Monaghan, professor of art and department chair of art history.

“Being involved in the creation and performance of community events such as the Whitman bicentennial gives students experiential training in being citizen-artists, sharing their talents in a meaningful way with community members,” said Lally. “Walt Whitman, in particular, has a real resonance for young people. They can relate to his words, passion, forward-thinking, struggle and bliss.”

Adelphi is one of five educational institutions participating in the event. Other schools include the Long Island High School for the Arts, Paul Gelinas JHS, Old Mill Road School and Walt Whitman High School.

Adelphi Student participants include: Theater performers Joanna Georghiou, Belgys Felix, and William Meurer; Laura Ryan in costume; Dori-Jo Gutierrez and Kevin Lubin on music; and Michele Civello, Dylan Coppola, Jessica Corso, Miguel Guerra, Bryan Levine, Juliet Milillo, Ashley Petti, Mariah Plakas, Laura Ryan, Savannah Taylor and Elise Weber in visual art.