Semester 2

Arts TRYathlon #1: Choose Your Own Adventure

Febuary 2nd, 2025, The Clarice Performing Arts Center, The Gamer Symphony Orchestra

#orchestra, #video games, #choir, #music

For the first TRYathlon I visited the Gamer Symphony Orchestra (GSO). As a video game lover, I found this event to be very beautiful and moving. I greatly enjoyed listening to songs I recognized such as Hyrule Castle, the Final Fantasy IIV song, and Mario Cart’s Rainbow Road in an environment with friends both playing in the orchestra and joining me in the audience. Even more than recognizing the music I already know and love, I loved finding new songs from video game media such as the Halo theme, and a song composed by one of the writers of the Star Wars franchise’s music. I was also particularly impressed by the addition of the choir and found another level of awe at the angelic voices merging with the instruments to bring a new level of beauty and epicness to an orchestra. Many of the pieces chosen and created reminded me of one of my favorite professional orchestral groups known as Two Steps From Hell who create cinematic songs based around war, magic, life, and death. Considering the GSO was able to inspire feelings of awe and epicness to rival Two Steps From Hell, I feel that the orchestra could only be considered an artistic success, both as an homage to video game lovers, but also to those interested in learning about new art forms. Throughout the event I pictured epic battles, magical scenes filled with peace and serenity, and beautiful lands. I am looking forward to putting my daydreams and ideas inspired by these songs into animations I will make in my Art Scholars Animation workshop. I hope my art and this music continue to reach more people to share with others just how broad and beautiful the spectrum of art is.

Arts TRYathlon #2: Choose Your Own Adventure

March 6th, 2025, The Ballroom Dance Club, specifically The Bridgerton Ball, hosted by SEE at the STAMP Grand Ballroom.

#dance, #music, #theater, #film, #formal dance, #costume contest, #tea party

For Arts TRYathlon #2 I joined the Ballroom Dance Club, also known as BAM. Art scholars motivated me to join because I have always been a visual artist and the lessons in scholars about expanding our comfort zones led me to try this new art form, and I have loved it! This club has made events such as formal dancing much more fun and elegant for me to partake in. A good example is the Bridgerton Ball I attended with other members of BAM. This event was one of the incentives that made me excited to go to UMD so being able to attend was very special for me. The first hour of social dancing and formal music felt like walking straight into a fairy tale as I danced with friends and made new acquaintances while dancing across the room together. Social dancing was one of the main reasons I love Ballroom Dance. It feels special getting to meet new people and gain dance partners, to learn about their experiences in dance and why they love it brings me closer to other people and gives me more insight into others' aspirations. I have been enjoying sharing the skills I’ve learned with my friends and family as well. Additionally as I am a STEM major I have had very little time to relax or work out in the week so BAM has been the light at the end of the tunnel, rejuvenating me for another long week of classes. I am excited to start joining dance competitions so I can demonstrate the skills I’ve learned through BAM and am even more excited to share what I’ve learned with my peers in art scholars and incorporate this new art form into my personal, social, and academic life here at UMD.

Arts TRYathlon #3: Arts Scholars Event

March 14, 2025, Art Scholars Craft and Chat in Bel Air Hall, Baked Pins

#visualart, #shrinkydink, #marker, #pins, #crafts, #painting

For the third ArtsTRYathlon I took part in shrinky dink pin making. This activity was a wonderful time for me because as an avid pin collector, it was so much fun being able to design and bring to life some of my own ideas for pins I would love to have. For the pins I made I designed a fox pin and a fairy pin. Both these designs are of subjects I greatly enjoy in art and media being my favorite animal and mythological creature respectively. The act of making these pins was also very nostalgic for me, I hadn’t worked with shrinky dinks since I was a young kid so this activity took me right back to my childhood doing crafts with my parents in the kitchen. In the project I applied and analyzed what I’ve learned in my engineering classes relating to material warping and reactions to heat when I watched the shrinky dinks shrink in the oven. I also applied skills from my art scholars animation workshop of drawing images in a quick stylized fashion, something I had to replicate with my shrinky dink pins to ensure I completed them on time with the level of detail I desired. I loved sharing my designs with the other students at the craft and chat and seeing the skills and creativity of my peers. I hope when I wear my pins I will inspire others to embrace their creative sides and design their own pins and creative outlets to wear and share. I am excited to get back into the craft in the near future to design more pins, buttons, keychains, and more!

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