I broke out of my comfort zone a couple of nights ago. I tried something new and went to Grandma Mojo’s Moonshine Revival Wednesday night. The experience got me thinking about the performing arts scene on campus and in Ames.

Music, theater, art exhibitions and other arts do not receive the kind of attention they deserve. Each group has their loyal followers. But on the whole, people on campus quite instinctively keep within their own comfort zone and I’m as guilty as anyone.

They aren’t inaccessible either. All of the events I mention below are all in Ames and all happening in the next week.

One of the big problems is awareness on the part of the student body. For instance, many more people know that the football team plays the University of Nebraska in Lincoln this weekend.

But how many people know that there is a concert on Sunday that brings together the ISU Symphony Orchestra, the ISU Wind Ensemble and Simon Estes, an Iowa-raised, world-class vocalist?

How many people know that the ISU Jazz Ensemble plays Wednesday at Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall? How many people even know where that auditorium is located?

Even if you don’t lay awake each night fantasizing about your favorite Chopin or Count Basie piece, fear not. Other options do exist.

When I went to the M-Shop with a couple of friends Wednesday for Grandma Mojo’s, it was a packed house for a night of sketch comedy. It was also extremely funny.

It was witty at times and just plain goofy too. The humor ranged from jokes about local news to raw sexual material. But it was funny. Grandma Mojo’s happens every other Wednesday in the M-Shop.

In terms of art, opportunities are also plentiful. Gallery 181, which is room 181 of the College of Design, has a fascinating exhibit of artwork inspired by students who studied abroad in Rome. The exhibit runs from Oct. 1-10.

In addition Brunnier, currently has a student exhibit showcasing the student work created to help cope with the recent traumatic events. It’s part of a collaboration with the music, dance and theater programs. It’s a clever idea and we should support it.

If world music and cultural dance performances is of interest, then you’re in luck this week. “River Rites,” an Indian dance drama sponsored by two Indian student groups, the Society for Indian Tradition and ARts (SITAR) and Sankalp and the Government of the Student Body. The show starts at 7 p.m. at Fisher Theater on Saturday.

The list goes on.

Wynton Marsalis, eight-time Gammy Award winner and Pulitzer Prize winner in music, is coming to town tonight with his band, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. It’s incredible that we are able to attract a world-class band here. I saw Wynton and his crew the last time they came to Ames and they put on a heck of a show.

It’s equally important to support local music. You can’t walk around campus without seeing posters for local bands covering boards and doors. That also doesn’t mean checking out the latest cover band to make its way through Ames.

We have talented musicians with their own, original material. Cover bands indeed have a place in the music world, but so do bands with their own content.

Don’t be intimidated by a concert just because you don’t know the name or won’t be able to sing along. Go check it out and you just might be amazed at what you hear.

We sit around and complain that there isn’t enough to do in Ames.

But in the same breath we don’t support what we do have. Showing up and supporting artists is required to nurture and expand the Ames arts scene.

It doesn’t have to be an intimidating experience. Muster up some courage and break out of your usual plans. Try a new arts event every couple of weeks. Heck, do it once a month to start.

College is all about experimentation, and this is one kind your elders will approve of. Whether it’s an Indian dance show or Gallery 181, grab a couple of pals and go see an event you haven’t seen before.

Give it a shot and there’s great chance you’ll be glad you did.

Omar Tesdell is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Slater. He is online editor of the Daily.