Semester 4

Arts TRYathlon #1: Choose Your Own Adventure

February 5, 2026 @ the Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum, Washington D.C. 

#visualart #presentation

I visited the Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum mainly to get some work done in the courtyard. From noon to 6, I did two main things - I completed the work I came to do and filled my study breaks with sketching the building around me. This careful observation allowed me to better appreciate architecture and interior design as art forms. Afterwards, I left the courtyard to look around and stumbled upon an exhibit of Grandma Moses' work, which challenged the notion that art must be technically masterful to be "good".

As I looked closely at the decorative stonework, I was reminded of what I learned in my art history class last spring. The interior walls of the courtyard reflected a neoclassical style reminiscent of ancient Greek and Roman architecture, lined with ornate flourishes and enhanced by the beauty of natural stone. The marble planters that held small garden beds tied this classical architecture to more modern design elements, including dark tiled flooring, geometric water features, and the iconic glass canopy. The intentional combination of styles helped me to more deeply appreciate architecture and interior design as art. I tend to look past these disciplines in favor of smaller, more traditional pieces, so focusing on the artistry of the structure expanded my understanding.

After I finished my work, I went to see an exhibit in the American Art Museum featuring paintings by Grandma Moses, an untrained landscape painter who started her craft at age 78. Her paintings often exhibit unconventional perspective and amateurish brushwork, but the heart behind them and the emotions they conveyed made them stand out to me. This sincerity helped me challenge the notion that art must be made expertly to be considered “good”. Grandma Moses’s works and her portrayals of joy helped me understand that, often, art doesn’t have to be “perfect” to resonate with its audience.

Arts TRYathlon #2: Choose Your Own Adventure

February 11, 2026 @ the Clarice 

(UMD Gamer Symphony Orchestra Fall-bruary concert)

#music

How does this event illustrate the ways art can function as a mechanism for building community?

I went to the Gamer Symphony Orchestra concert with Kendra, Ella, and Ella’s family. We all enjoyed the music and performances on stage, and it gave us a great opportunity to talk about the music we liked together. Kendra was especially excited that they were playing a song from Breath of the Wild, and it was great to learn more about her interests and build community through that. This orchestra provides a welcoming space for both its members and its audience to talk about shared interests like specific video games or music. This performance was a lot of fun, and it seemed like a lot of fun to be a part of the orchestra as well!

The Gamer Symphony Orchestra is unique in that it is student-run, student-conducted, and student-managed – basically by students, for students (and anyone else who enjoys their music!). Their pieces are even all student-transcribed! As someone who has been a part of an orchestra for most of my life, I understand that each and every ensemble is a tight-knit community, and I believe the Gamer Symphony Orchestra creates a wonderful environment for like-minded individuals to come together and play beautiful music. This orchestra draws together all sorts of people, from both music and non-music majors to staff, families, and alumni, taking a common interest – video games – and making it into a beautiful, cohesive program. Additionally, listeners are able to connect with the performance in a personal way that they may not be able to in a traditional orchestra concert. Some audience members were there because they wanted to hear their favorite songs from games in person, like Kendra, and this gave them the unique opportunity to do so and bond with others in the audience over shared interest.

Arts TRYathlon #3: Arts Scholars Event

February 19, 2026 @ Bel Air Lounge 

(Maker Mixer: Thread and Trinkets with TA Kaylin)

#visualart

How does this event illustrate the ways art can function as a mechanism for building community?

I originally went to the Thread and Trinkets Maker Mixer for fun instead of for this assignment, but since I missed my original Maker Mixer due to an excused illness, I'm writing about this one now! At this event, we sewed patchwork keychains from scrap fabric that was in the Arts closet. This is something I've done since I was a kid, and I really enjoyed partaking in a shared hobby with some of the friends I've made in the program. I knew before that we were all interested in textile crafts like this, but it felt like great community building to have the opportunity to make things together. 

When I went to the Portrait Gallery in DC, I stumbled upon a similar event taking place there. There was a group of older women who came together for coffee, chatting, and crocheting, which I thought was a great thing to see. Group crafting events like this are a wonderful way to spend time with your friends and maybe even meet new people who are also interested in the same hobbies. Maker Mixers function as a method to get people with similar interests to partake in creative hobbies in a low stakes environment and allow students in the Arts Scholars program to foster long-lasting relationships amongst ourselves. Another perk of this event is that I came out of it with a really nice keychain to put on my bag!