Semester 2

Arts TRYathlon #1: Choose Your Own Adventure

UMD Gamer Symphony Orchestra

Sunday, February 2nd, 2025

Dekelboum Hall at the Clarice, College Park, MD

#music #orchestra #videogames

For my first Arts TRYathlon event of the new semester, I attended the UMD Gamer Symphony Orchestra's winter performance. This was my first time seeing this orchestra and I was impressed by the quality and recognizability of the compositions. The music reminded me of a discussion topic we had in class: art promoting compassion and empathy. The beauty of music is how it captures the feeling of being in a certain place and makes the listener feel like they are in that place, even if it is far away or fictional. This performance explored a variety of musical styles from upbeat and happy to powerful and tense. The use of different sounds to shape the world-building placed me, as a listener, into the worlds of the different games. These games often contain storylines that make the player reconsider their view on life and enter new realities. This can help them expand their perspective and become more compassionate for people living different lives than them. Video games also allow people to connect with one another through playing together, talking about their experience, and building a community centered around the game. These connections open the door for people to gain lifelong, compassionate relationships. To relate these topics about video games back to the performance, the music elevated the feeling of fantasy and being in a new place. It perfectly embodied the enjoyable experience of playing a video game for the first time and having a wide range of emotions flow through you, such as joy, surprise, anxiety, nostalgia, or excitement. Art in general, as we have defined it, is made to evoke emotions in the listener or viewer. This video game music performance captured a variety of these emotions, improved my compassion for others, and transported me into new worlds!

Arts TRYathlon #2: Choose Your Own Adventure

Craft and Chat: Soda Tab Buddies, Hosted by TA Elena of Arts Scholars

Wednesday, February 26th, 2025

Bel Air Hall Lounge, College Park, MD

#visualart #craft

During this Arts TRYathlon event, I attended a "Craft and Chat" event where we made "soda tab buddies". This craft is a small person-shaped keychain made from the base of a soda tab as the body, thin metal wire, and many kinds of beads. To connect this activity to what I have learned in my college education so far, it reminded me the importance of colors schemes in visual art, as well as the concept of "what is art". Before beginning my soda tab buddy, I collected a variety of different beads that were all unique, but fit into a cool color scheme. This helped the final design look cohesive without being bland. The colors and shapes complemented each other well. For example, I used the star shape as a motif in the head and hands of my craft. The importance of color schemes and unity in art is something that I have further developed this year in my Studio Art major, and I was happy to apply it here, even to a simple craft. Additionally, the college experience, particularly Arts Scholars, has taught me the importance of letting yourself be who you are, and to not hide your identity. I made the colors reflect how I feel as a person, adding another layer of meaning. Lastly, while making the soda tab buddy, I thought about one of the main wicked questions we have studied in Arts Scholars: "what is art". The definition that fits best in my view is "anything that is made to evoke an emotion". This craft, although it doesn't offer a complex message, it does evoke feelings of joy, cuteness, and delicateness. In that way, this is a perfect example of how even simple art can add meaning to life.

Arts TRYathlon #3: Arts Scholars Event

Craft and Chat: Clay Beads/Free Crafting, Hosted by TA Queen of Arts Scholars

Friday, March 28th, 2025

Bel Air Hall Lounge, College Park, MD

#visualart #craft

This Arts TRYathalon event did not go as expected, but it was a fulfilling opportunity to learn the importance of readjusting around obstacles and keeping an open mind when making art. The original workshop was supposed to be about making clay beads for jewelry, but unfortunately, the clay was crumbling and not able to be used. The TA reorganized and we all headed over to the Scholars Arts Closet instead, where we would adapt to the change in plans with a surprising eagerness. Everyone was excited to jump back in to art-making, even if it was not with the materials they had planned on working with today. I was inspired by the willingness of all the attendees to adapt in this way, and it gave me extra motivation to make the most of the experience by exploring the supplies available to me. I made a few pieces of art with round paint stamps that I had not used since I was younger. It reminded me of how much I have grown as an artist, and that even if the materials I have never change, the beauty of growing as an artist is being able to improve the art regardless (and to make art with whatever is available to you). Being open to change lead me to create a new type of artwork and I was able to explore art through my own creativity alone. As I have been learning in Arts Scholars so far, it is important to stay in touch with my community, as it will inspire and support me, and to put full effort into any discipline of art I am making. Surrounded by this creative and passionate community, I was able to exemplify these ideas and make the most out of a change in plans!

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