Semester Reflections

Semester 3

Through this semester, I learned a lot about how art can change our perceptions of identity, history, and ideas. I found that art does not have to use words to convey its meaning. It can use techniques such as repetition and emotion to get the message across. In the field trip I attended, which was the Kayla Farrish Dance Put Away the Fire, Dear at the Clarice, the phrase “there is a bomb outside” appears in the performance. “Serve the meal. Serve the tea. Do not look.” These phrases caught my attention because they showed how women’s freedom was restricted by the strict societal roles they were required to keep up. I experience this performance through music, movement, and dialect, which makes the past seem closer to the present rather than being further away. It allowed me to view history in a way that is memorable and empowering. Through my TRYathlons, I leaned more into how the arts are developed. It was important to learn that the arts start with genuineness and motivation, rather than “needing someones approval”. Listening to Rick Rubin’s podcast made me realize that art should be authentic to the artist, and the end product should not be changed due to worrying about how others might view it. Similarly, the Peacock Room online exhibition I looked through showed that creativity can elevate spaces. The color, pattern, and design of every art piece in the exhibition room had their own importance and uniqueness in contributing to the entire environment. A room that is just a dining room evolved into something much more expressive. These two experiences taught me that there is no one right way to be creative and that genuine art is what makes it stand out and be unique. The feedback I received this semester was essential in helping me improve and also gain a deeper understanding of the arts. I was able to hear how various individuals understood the same work in different ways, and how listening to these perspectives opens up how I view my art as well. Particularly, people asking me questions I could not necessarily answer on the spot helped me to expand how I thought about certain things, which allowed me to research further and made me more knowledgeable.  As for the supporting course, my Fiction, Poetry, and Drama transfer credit class showed the most connection to what I have learned as an Arts Scholar. In this class, I had to write medium blog posts. By doing this, I learned a lot about what it meant to have intention when writing and the creative process behind making a genuine art piece. As was mentioned earlier, this is akin to when I saw the exhibitions through my arts scholars TRYathlons, where the design and uniqueness of the art pieces allowed me to see into what went on when creating them. When I wrote my medium blog posts, I had to do extensive research to support my arguments. Inside the colloquium, I saw an increase in artists expressing lived experiences through performance and visual art. When we did the class session that revolved around culture and drums, it was eye-opening. That interactive experience improved my learning, because it not only taught us a new art form I had not yet learned, but also informed us of its history and significance in their own lives. This was very impactful. In addition, my relationship with my art scholar peers has improved my learning experience because I have people to share it with. Not only am I able to talk about what went on during lecture and my project specifically, but having peers to connect with on a personal level makes the learning experience a lot more fun and interactive. My experience as an arts scholar is somewhat related to the courses I took and am taking for my Public Policy major. I am currently taking a class on pluralism, and I was able to see how the arts have shaped our society into what it is today. I was able to perceive art as a reaction to actual systems and histories in our unity on social structures and inequalities. The concepts discussed during my policy classes are more humanized when I view them in terms of the arts, and I often think about how the arts could help in combating social problems. Social change occurs through consistent efforts of advocacy, and in a lot of ways, I see art as a voice of advocates. I contributed to the arts scholars community by actively participating and reflecting. In addition to this, I was a part of many conversations in which my perspective either opened up a new idea or challenged one, which is meaningful in each of its own ways. To leverage this experience, it would be cool to consider getting more involved in opportunities such as leadership positions, or just by interacting more than I am currently with my peers. My preconceptions about how art conveys change were tested through my experience as an arts scholar. For example, I never deeply thought about how the arts could really have that much of an impact in creating lasting social change. Specifically, through my capstone project research, I came across the source on the Homeless Adults Engagement in Art. This source discusses how art programs for homeless people have positively impacted homelessness in Australia. People said that they enjoyed having art sessions, as it was a great outlet and cognitive task for them. It is interesting to encounter this source because it shows the powerful impact the arts can have on people. This is important to recognize, as it shows that the arts play a huge role in American society due to their positive effects.