Semester 2

Arts TRYathlon #1: Legacy in Lines

2/5/2025, University of Maryland Art Gallery,

Legacy in Lines: Prints and Drawings from the Martin W. Brown Collection

#visualart

I visited a recent collection displayed at the University of Maryland Art Gallery entitled, “Legacy in Lines”, featuring the drawings and prints donated to the Art Department in 1955 by Martin W. Brown. Notable works I found most intriguing were Mildred Burleigh’s 1887-1956 lithograph entitled, “Clown” (bottom left), which I admired for the interesting subject matter and the somber and whimsical gaze of the subject, which was both eerie and enticing to me as a viewed it. Additionally, William Gropper’s 1897-1977 lithograph, “Sweatshop” (right), was a look at labor through a very cartoonist lens, the composition of which I found intriguing with its minimalism and specific comic-esque style. The most striking piece that drew my eye as soon as I entered the exhibit was the very dark, “Hail and Farewell” (top left) by Rockwell Kent, which features a naked form climbing a ladder in a work of deeply intense contrast that looked horrifyingly beautiful to me in its simplicity. The entire exhibit didn’t speak to the specifics of what I have done, but it does speak to what I hope to do with my art, as someone interested in printmaking. The gallery's themes, specifically, spoke to the deeper meanings of art and the beautiful and creepy images that can be created in such immense detail, even as early as the 1800s. The innovation of the gallery and the beauty within are connected exactly to what we have covered in colloquium regarding the politicization of art and whether personal opinion influences the perceived quality of a piece. The entire exhibit serves as a significant piece of American art history and the variances in artistic mediums lend it to demonstrating a wide variety of perspectives and ideas, like with the clear labor-rights encouraged “Sweatshop” contrasted to the horror of “Hail and Farewell”.

Arts TRYathlon #2: Drag Bingo & Student Drag Competition

2/7/2025, UMD All Niter, STAMP Grand Ballroom,

Drag Bingo & Student Drag Competition

#theater

I attended a Drag Bingo event as part of the University of Maryland All Niter at the STAMP Student Union, wherein I played many rounds of bingo hosted by a drag queen, Crimson, and watched a variety of drag performances by UMD students as a part of their Student Drag Competition. Pictured above are performances with queens Crimson and Devona Delight (top left), Crimson interviewing a bingo winner (top right), a drag king named Ambrosia (bottom left), and a drag queen named Chrysalis (bottom right). This event was incredibly significant to my personal identity as a queer person and connected to experiences in colloquium regarding vogue dancing and how art portrays identity and can be made to amplify marginalized voices. An event celebrating drag performance also connects to my interests in a historical context, considering how this event would have been surrounded by stigma and criminalized by law enforcement and government in the past. A celebration of queerness such as this, where students can be cheered by hundreds as they perform their art was incredibly significant and representative of where our culture is, at least at UMD, and I was proud to be one of the hundreds screaming for the anxious performers, who all did fabulously. The entire event cemented ideas surrounding consent and appropriate behavior towards queer people, especially in drag performances. It was wonderful to be a part of something that so joyously appreciated queer culture, while also being surrounded by others like me in such a massive space of overwhelming welcome-ness. Congratulations to all the performers, who all did wonderfully, and I wish well to Devona Delight, winner of the competition!

Arts TRYathlon #3: Bleach-Painting Clothes

2/28/2025, Art Scholars Craft & Chat,

Faded Fashion: Bleach-Painting Clothes

#visualart

For my Art Scholars’ event, I attended Belle’s Craft & Chat, “Faded Fashion: Bleach-Painting Clothes” in the lounge at Bel Air Hall. I utilized an old pair of shorts and the provided bleach spot pens to draw swirls and spots all over. The intended result was bleached designs permanently etched into the shorts, but, due to what the other participants of the workshop dubbed as expired bleach, none of the bleaching attempts worked. I suppose the entire experience most connected to our discussions in colloquium about failure and artistic methods not working out to perfection, but I also think there’s something to the method with which I drew the designs. Specifically, in my continued attempt to abstractly convey myself without planning or a predetermined design. I think having the space to simply draw on a pair of shorts I don’t particularly care for was valuable, regardless of whether the bleaching process worked. Regarding significance, I think the attempt itself was significant, as I tried a new artistic medium and would love to try it again with newer bleach. The medium itself is very interesting, and I think my design would have been very cool if it had worked, as it served as an outlet for the abstract designs in my mind.

Page updated

Report abuse