Semester 4 Reflection

My responsibilities throughout Art Scholars involved pentathlons, field trips, and capstone developments. These assignments encouraged me to think deeply about what I’ve learned in those events or processes, and articulate it to presentations on my website. For my capstone project especially, I’ve had many opportunities to practice my public speaking, communication, and interpersonal skills, improving on all each time I presented. With the pentathlons, I utilized metacognition to analyze what I’ve learned in the event and connect it back to core lessons in practicum. 

In colloquium, we’ve always considered how art cannot fit into a strict category because of how perspectives and composition can transform anything into something. During my first experience with ArtsFest, I perused the exhibits and acknowledged the diversity of everyone’s work, but didn’t sit to appreciate them in depth. This semester, actually going through the creative process myself alongside my peers helped me realize the diversity around me. Each project was vastly unique and required a variety of skills, but that didn’t take away from how special each one was. I now have a newfound appreciation for the arts, and value it as a part of my life. As for field trips, I attended the Jaha Koo performance at the Clarice with rice cookers as the main characters. Although I did not understand the art during the event, I still knew the importance of the artist's message.

My capstone project drew upon colloquiums about interpreting art. I remember one lecture where we had an activity where we viewed a piece of art and communicated our initial thoughts and feelings about the purpose and effectiveness. My capstone project relates to this because I had audience members interact with my exhibition with their own interpretation of mental health. We also learned about time management and iteration techniques which helped me structure my project, apply feedback, and improve my efficiency.

I have always wanted to stick to crafts I am already familiar with. When choosing a workshop to be a part of, I considered my skill level in each and felt less inclined to select a workshop I wasn’t artistically talented in. Ultimately, I chose the clay jewelry workshop because it was interesting, but I still didn’t feel confident. I am grateful I selected this class because even though my clay jewelry was not as polished as it should have been, and my designs were simple, I practiced patience, optimism, and learned new techniques. Now I am willing to dip my toes into different art forms regardless of my talents to explore new interests.

During CPSA 250, the individual capstone project class, students were often split into groups to discuss each of our project’s developments. Everytime we shared our project, we posed clarifying questions and critiques to the artist. This exposed me to other opinions as well as the work of my peers.

Art Scholars has solidified my appreciation for the arts, assisted me with my public speaking skills, and allowed me to feel more comfortable sharing my work. Before this program, I was apprehensive about receiving criticism, communicating with others after presentations, and eloquently expressing aspects of my project. Arts Scholars gave me practice with all my shortcomings and influenced me to be more open minded. This is valuable to my future endeavors as I will have plenty more projects, presentations, and uncomfortable professional situations to overcome. There is still a long way to go to settle my nerves on these activities, but I am glad I got to experience all of it through this program.