Semester 3

Arts TRYathlon #1: Choose Your Own Adventure

Event Logistics 10/06/2025, Stamp Gallery, "Lights off at 8pm" Exhibition

#visualart #gallery

How is the artist using their work to communicate a message to the audience?

This piece, titled "Storyboard 01," by Lolo Gem, particularly marked my interest in the gallery. At first glance, it seems to simply be a representative of traditional cartoon and storyboard method: the unfinished frame, sketchy details, and 90's style are all hallmark of old comic and animation. However, when looking at this piece as a part of the greater gallery, it gives a better perspective on the work. "Lights off at 8pm" featured artists specializing in pieces that invoke memory: whether marking grief, joy, anxiety, or fear, they focus on the emotions that play into one's past. This piece clearly portrayed joy: it features bright colors, expressive gestures, and lots of fluidity and movement. The cartoon style might play to nostalgia, and the fond memories of childhood.

In order to illustrate this, the artist included many details that made the viewing experience fun and exciting, contrasting other exhibits which were more serious in nature. The emotions and sketches drawn in the margins make the piece fun and childish, mimicking doodles one might find in an early sketchbook. In addition, the overlapping details add chaos and whimsy that's more less common in traditional gallery art. Overall, I had fun analyzing this piece, and that was the point! It provided a meaningful break in the busy gallery, and allowed me to step back and think about how valuable memories include many different emotions, but one of the most important is joy.

Arts TRYathlon #2: Choose Your Own Adventure

Event Logistics 9/17/25, Jiffy Lube Live, Hozier Unreal Unearth tour

#music #concert

How can the arts function as a catalyst for social change? Provide an example from the artwork you experienced to support your response.

The arts are one of the most meaningful ways to share opinion and discourse on a variety of topics, including social change and issue awareness. This concert was no exception: Hozier's music often speaks to a variety of social issues, and many were featured in his show at Jiffy Lube Live. Music particularly works to bring awareness to issues of all kinds, especially because of the vast audience reached by many artists. In my opinion, one of Hozier's most notable and moving examples of this is his hit "Nobody's Soldier," from a 2024 album that focused on anti-war and anti-establishment messages.

"Nobody's Soldier," as the name suggests, depicts how oppressive systems and governments force individuals into destructive choices, noting Hozier's refusal to go along with this choice. Lyrics state having to "choose between being a butcher or a pauper" and "choose between being a salesman or a soldier." This dichotomy uses powerful imagery to connect warfare with product and commerce, and portrays to the audience that these destructive systems can be hard to escape. The song received over 60 million streams, which speaks to the efficacy of the song in bringing awareness to this issue- and overall, it is a great representative of how the arts can become a catalyst for issues in the real-world.

Arts TRYathlon #3: Arts Scholars Event

Event Logistics 10/16/25, Craft and Chat, Suncatcher Craft

#arts&crafts #diy

How does this artwork function as a mechanism for building community?

Arts scholars craft and chats are a great example of how the arts can bring people together and provide a means for building new friendships. In particular, I felt the Suncatcher craft and chat was perfect for this, as it was easily the best-attended arts scholars event I've been to so far. It was extremely popular, and while this added the challenge of sharing tools and splitting materials evenly, this process had me talking more to other students than I may have done otherwise. In addition, the craft, DIY suncatchers with beads and jewelry tools, had my neighbors and I constantly collaborating and asking for others' opinions. Students were consistently asking for others' advice on color schemes, different patterns, and bead layouts, and it was great hearing everyone collaborate in such a creative way.

In this way, it's clear that arts events provide ample opportunity for individuals to bond and have fun. Crafts are also perfect for this, as they allow people to participate equally reguardless of prior arts knowledge or skill level. It was fun having everyone on even ground in attempting to create their suncatchers, and I had a great time making new friends and learning in a new medium.

Page updated

Report abuse