Semester 1

Arts TRYathlon #1: NextNOW

Event Logistics 9/6/24, Clarice Courtyard UMD, Jordan Ward concert

#music

Jordan Ward, an R&B artist from St. Louis, performed live at the Clarice. Accompanied by his DJ, Jordan played several songs from his discography, focusing heavily on his most recent album, FORWARD. I have been a fan of his music for quite a while despite him being a lesser-known artist. His music has a wide range of moods; songs vary from feel-good to somber and reflective. A significant factor in what makes something art is if it is made to induce a feeling/emotion. Therefore, his music is good art. The concert had many qualities that made it objectively "good art." Jordan kept the crowd engaged, often taking breaks between songs to pump us up. He even got the crowd to participate through phone flashlights and call-and-response. On top of this, his live vocals were astounding. All of these make his performance good art.

Arts TRYathlon #2: Choose Your Own Adventure

Event Logistics 10/6, Art & Sociology Building, Are you a perfect speciman.

#contemporary #performative

A projector was displaying this performance outside of the Arts building on campus. This was a video where the camera was behind an oversized keyboard that we could somewhat see the woman through. The artist would type several sentences on this keyboard by pressing each key with her tongue. Messages included "spit in a tube and take someone's spit with you" or "it's your body it's your fucking right." The performance lasted for about 14 minutes. It was uncomfortable to watch, the sentences were confusing and unnerving, and yet the performance was incredibly interesting. This piece definitely challenged my definition of art, and especially what makes art 'good.' I believe that a key aspect of good art is its originality; it has to be novel. This piece was certainly not something I had seen before. This compels me to say that although this piece was not conventional in the slightest, this is good art.

Arts TRYathlon #3: Arts Scholars Event

Event Logistics 10/13, Xfinity Center, John Mulaney Show

#comedy #standup

Recently, renowned stand-up comedian John Mulaney came to UMD as part of homecoming. Me and my roommate had been collecting posters and hanging them up in our room (23 to be exact) in anticipation, as pictured above. Security made everyone lock their phones in a pouch for the entirety of the show, but they did not take my pocket notepad and pen! During the hour and change, I waited for the show to start. I drew my view from the lower bowl, and I wrote down some of the bits I didn't want to forget during the show. I was excited for this show because Mulaney is considered one of the greatest comedians. In searching for what makes "good" art, I could see firsthand what makes him a "good" comedian. He was very captivating the entire time. With each word his inflection drew me closer and kept me engaged. He was so incredibly funny, too. In this art form, the clear objective is to make people laugh. Therefore, the delineation between good and bad art is distinct yet remains completely subjective. Even if the majority of audience members found him funny, there still may be some who didn't think this was "good art."

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