Semester 4

Arts TRYathlon #1: Choose Your Own Adventure

February 6, 2025 in the Bel Air Lounge               #crafting

TA Craft & Chat: Weaving Friendships (friendship bracelet making) with Elijah!       

I had so much fun making friendship bracelets with Elijah. He was my TA freshman year, so it was great to see him again! I love Craft & Chats because it gives me designated time to be creative. I am so often looking at the books on my shelf or the yarn in my closet and wishing I had more time for hobbies during the semester. Arts Scholars helps me keep creativity in my life which I am very grateful for. I think that by discussing art's importance in society in colloquium and our workshops helps ingrain this truth in ourselves—that art can be sustenance. My sister and I love to craft as a way to wind down and to express ourselves. I want to find a way to wind down at night with my hobbies like painting, crocheting, scrapbooking, and cross-stitching, but with school I find myself so tired that it's hard. We talked about this during the Craft & Chat, and came to the conclusion that prioritizing this time is not a bad thing. I have always believed that making yourself happy comes first, and I have felt this communicated in Arts Scholars as well. I also discussed my Capstone project with Elijah and the other sophomore there, and I was happy to find that we all found some way to bring our passions and creativity into that academic work.

Arts TRYathlon #2: Choose Your Own Adventure

March 12, 2025 digitally in front of Tawes Hall            #visualart

Online Exhibition: "The Book as Art: Unbound Books" (National Museum of Women in the Arts)       

In honor of women's history month, I decided to explore an online exhibition from the National Museum of Women in the Arts. This one is called ""The Book as Art: Unbound Books," and it caught my attention because it's not something that I have ever seen before. It also appeals to my love of book creation and reading as an English major, a member of the A to Zine workshop, and an Arts Scholar who is writing a magazine for her capstone project! My absolute favorite piece from this exhibition is the one called "TeaTimes," where the artist, Allison Cooke Brown, turned her daily ritual of journaling and having a cup of tea into a piece of art. She wrote journal entry fragments directly on the used and dried tea bags. When looking at this with an analytical lens, I see this piece as emphasizing the importance of reflection, and the mundane joys that life offers, like having a cup of tea. This piece also provoked my brainstorming of my ArtsFest project for the A to Zine workshop; it inspired me to try using objects, or atypical materials to create a zine. I might consider using tea bags, food wrappers, and paper scraps in my zine, as these are things that I typically scribble thoughts on when I am out and about (typically prompts that I come up with for poems, and have to write down otherwise I will forget them). I am so excited to have been inspired by a female artist in this way! I also absolutely loved being outside when scrolling through this exhibition, as the new vitamin D surge on campus is crucial to my well-being.

Link to the exhibition: https://nmwa.org/whats-on/exhibitions/online/book-art-unbound-books/

Arts TRYathlon #3: Arts Scholars Event

March 26, 2025 in the Bel Air Lounge        #crafting

TA Craft & Chat: Paperclip Jewelry with Sophia!

It was bittersweet to attend my final craft & chat! A bunch of people came to this one so there was a good community and more chatting than normal. Pictured is me and my Arts Scholars friend Natalie! We talked about our Capstone Project progress and how much I liked the charm she made. I have found it hard to be creative this semester, which is abnormal for me. Perhaps it is because I have been working so hard on my project and in other classes that my time at home is spent sleeping rather than doing crafts that I love, like cross-stitching and scrapbooking. It makes me sad! I love that these Craft and Chats force us to slow down and do something fun. I think that this is one of the best things about Arts Scholars. The community built! I know from colloquium that this is one of the program's pillars, and it is evident in moments like this. I made a pair of earrings that I will cherish because I made them with my own two hands, and with a material as convenient as a paperclip! I love finding art in the mundane, and I think activities like this make being creative more accessible and easy. Thanks to TA Sophia for coming up with this idea and finding cute beads for us. I will miss attending Craft & Chats.