Semester Reflections

Semester 2

Over this past year I have grown and developed a lot. Starting the new journey of college can be hard and scary but I believe that being a part of Arts Scholars my first two semesters has branched me out and made me fall in love with art even more.

Since Arts Scholar is such a tight knit community, there are many opportunities to connect with your professors and Teaching Assistants. Once a semester there is a mandatory “check in” meeting that is scheduled with either Harold or Heather to discuss the Arts Scholars requirements, Arts Scholars as a whole, and just anything else that’s on your mind. I really like how both Harold and Heather took time to meet with all of their students. For me personally it made me feel more connected to both of them as a person and also as a general resource. I really enjoyed learning how Heather has a background in architecture which is my major. She could be a person that I can lean on for academic advice with architecture or also in the Arts Scholars world. 

Not only in Arts Scholars are you able to get connected to the Professors and Teaching Assistants, you are also able to make friends! At the beginning of the year when it was overwhelming with all the new people, Arts Scholars was a place where I could sit down in a smaller group and get to know people very well. I also enjoyed how it was a class where you could talk and discuss with your peers instead of just watching a lecture. One way to connect with your peers as an incoming freshman is to just talk! Everyone is new and introducing yourself to people will spark a conversation where you may meet your best friends.

The Arts Scholars Community has a lot of opportunities. As an assignment, there is something called a “TRYathlon” where you have to go to different events on campus and reflect on them. Although this is an assignment, it really forced me to go to art events that were so cool and I would’ve never gone on by myself. Another opportunity that Arts Scholars had was the Media Team. Joining the Media Team was a way for me to do graphic design with a purpose. I like creating digital media and it has been so fun being able to get credit for something that I like to do. I am continuing to be a part of the Media Team next semester which I am super excited about since I will be able to use what I learned this semester in next fall as well!

My appreciation of art over the past year has skyrocketed. I knew that I enjoyed art but I never knew how versatile and how many medians there truly are. I noticed this at this past Arts Fest. Before joining Arts Scholars when I would go to a museum, I would not really enjoy the exhibits I was going to. I would just look at the art for a couple seconds and walk off to the next. After almost a full year of Arts Scholars I noticed that I truly enjoy art and the message behind it way more. At Arts Fest I found myself actually reading the note cards explaining the background and message of the art and spending time looking at each piece. I also noticed this when I went to the People’s House Museum for a field trip and found myself enjoying the museum as well as reading all the explanations. Arts Scholars definitely expanded my own definition of what art means to me by broadening what I believe art is. I can definitely see this same experience happening with incoming students as well!

Overall, I love how Arts Scholars made me keep art in my life. This past semester I have enjoyed my Recycle, Restyle, Rewear workshop.This workshop is where I met Kaylin and Zeina who were my workshop leaders. They both are architecture majors and I now know them as people to look to if I have any questions in regards to architecture or Arts Scholars. In this workshop I was also able to explore sustainable fashion which is a type of art I was not able to explore in my own time. I also have enjoyed being a part of the Media Team since I am able to take part in curating a professional instagram account while still being creative with it. As an incoming Arts Scholars I advise everyone to take advantage of all the opportunities especially reading the Newsletter and paying attention and participating in anything that happens during the announcements at the beginning of colloquium. Overall, there is so much you can find in Arts Scholars even if you are not interested in the “traditional” aspects of art!