Semester Reflections

Semester 4

Looking back through my previous work in Arts Scholars, I feel as though my growth is very evident. To start, I looked at my TRYatholon logs from semester one. In these logs I explored what makes art “good” and I experienced a wide array of mediums while answering this question. This isn’t bad at all, but I never really asked anything else of the art I was viewing. 

Now, I believe that I am able to think about the nuanced factors that aren’t mentioned with the question of good art. Things like historical contexts and specific artist choices or exhibition styles are the greater focus. As a freshman, I liked to explain how all art is “good” art, and I used these logs to defend that. Now, it feels irrelevant to the enjoyment of art if I even mention this discourse. Through field trips—such as mine to the Museum of American History and my viewing of Postcards From the Border—I got the opportunity to see so many forms of art that the question of good/bad was completely useless to me. Instead, I am able to focus on the story behind it. I also was able to appreciate how art can be just about anything.

For my capstone project, I created a physical “carnival-esque” game. Someone who saw this would probably say that this isn’t art because it doesn’t fit into their surface-level definition. It wasn’t a painting, nor quite a sculpture, so it can’t be art. But through my time as an Arts Scholar, I have realized that art is not just about its physical representation, but more so about its meaning. Through social commentary or narrative, anything can be art. I will always remember how we spent our first semester on “what is art?” and the answer is anything that wants to be.

Going into Arts Scholars, I (naturally) had an appreciation for art. But like I said earlier, I think this appreciation may have been limited to things that are innately art. Arts Scholars made me realize that so many things can be art, and my appreciation grew even more for these works that make people question how it’s art. On top of this, experiences during colloquium made me further appreciate various forms of art by being able to participate in them. Colloquium activities and breakout rooms helped me develop teamworking strategies and the “yes and” mentality, making collaborative work fun and enjoyable and making sure everyone was heard. My peers in Arts Scholars have such incredible ideas, and it was rewarding to be able to work together on things that incorporated everyone’s unique perspectives.

Overall, I think my experience in Arts Scholars will continue to influence the way I approach both architecture and everyday life moving forward. The program pushed me to think beyond aesthetics and really consider how art and design affect people through commentary and narrative. I learned that creative work can shape the way people understand issues that might otherwise be ignored. As I continue studying architecture, I want to carry that mindset with me and create work that doesn’t rely solely on appearance, but telling a story.