Semester 3

Arts TRYathlon #1: NextNOW

Event Logistics (10/24/2025, Kappa Alpha Theta CASA, KATS and Dogs Banner Painting)

#visualart, #acryllicpaint

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

For my sorority, I had the opportunity to design, sketch, and create a banner for our Philanthropy event on October 24, 2025 “KAT’s and Dogs”. At our event, we fundraised money by selling $5 unlimited hot dogs to go to CASA PG County, which is an Acronym for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children. CASA is an organization dedicated to ensuring children in foster care receive unwavering support from compassionate volunteers advocating for their needs. This piece of art functioned as a mechanism for building community in various ways within my sorority and also outside of my community among the donors and people who attended our event. I was able to work with many people within my sorority to complete this banner, which created an arts community in and of itself. I worked with the Fundraising Director to see what design she was going for and asked for advice from the previous Banner Chair about the logistics of getting the materials and everything done in a timely manner. I also worked with other girls in my sorority who were apart of the Banner Committee to paint the banner and got to learn a lot about them and their creativity which I hadn’t known before. Once the banner was hung as well, this drew people into our event and created a community among people who were dedicated to the same cause.

Arts TRYathlon #2: Choose Your Own Adventure

Event Logistics (10/21/2025, STAMP Art Gallery, Bubble by Sarah Anne Johnson)

(#visualart, #photography)

How does this artwork illustrate the ways in which artistic production and consumption are shaped by culture, government, history, and/or the economy (choose 1)?

On Tuesday, October 21st I decided to visit the STAMP Art Gallery. I came across a piece called Bubble by Sarah Anne Johnson, and was drawn to the beautiful landscape that included a glacier surrounded by the ocean, captured in a bubble. In the description of the work, Johnson describes how she contemplated the possibility that human beings would eventually destroy it. This artwork demonstrates how artistic production is shaped by the government, because the government plays a significant role in protecting the environment as they are responsible for creating regulations and funding environmental research and programs. With the public’s increasing concern for climate change, many expect the government to intervene and take action to protect the planet. However, there has recently been drastic budget cuts to environmental agencies and cancellations of clean energy grants and projects, meaning little to no advancements are being made in combatting this issue. Through Johnson’s work, she emphasizes the beauty of nature by capturing a real photograph of a glacier she came across in the Arctic Circle and manipulated it with paint and photoshop by adding a bubble on top. The bubble resembles protection for nature and shows how art can be used to challenge political ideas, as it represents a call for the government to take steps to protect the environment. Viewers can also take in the beauty of the landscape and reflect on how the government may not be doing enough to protect the environment causing them to speak up against the government to take more action.

Arts TRYathlon #3: Arts Scholars Event

Event Logistics (10/20/2025, Studio A in Stamp, Clay Creations with Studio A)

(#visualart, #claymaking)

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

On October 20th, I attended Clay Creations with Studio A and created a clay pinch pot. I was with a group of about 15 other students who also created pinch pots, yet each of our pinch pots incorporated different styles which also communicated unique messages. For example, I created my pinch pot with the intent of it being a pencil holder. I included patterned designs that reflected Indian henna art style that I have worked on in the past. This shows how clay art can carry cultural traditions. Other people however, created their pinch pots for different uses. For example, one student wanted to use their pinch pot as a ring holder. Therefore, they included a peg that could hold their rings in the middle. Another student wanted to use their pinch pot for a plant, so on the outside they carved their pot with nature designs. There was also the option to add different color glazes to the pot, and this student painted their nature designs green, which together represents their strong connection to nature, Using clay art, there were various ways students communicated their messages using different designs, colors, and textures. Using clay in different functional manners also showed the different lifestyle and cultural practices of others around me.

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