Semester 3

Arts TRYathlon #1: NextNOW

9-5-24, Clarice Preforming Arts Center, Silent Disc-Glo

#music, #dance

I returned to the Next-Now Fest’s silent disco this year. I got to the venue early this year, so I got to hear how the music adapted to the crowd. It seemed like the DJ’s changed what music they played based on what songs got the most people on it. It takes a good artist to understand the audience and adapt to it. Some art is meant to stand alone and not everyone will like it. Other art, like DJing and stand up comedy, require a skilled artist and a willing audience. After a half hour, the songs had everyone’s hands in the air and screaming into the quiet courtyard.

I’m not saying that other art forms like performance or painting don’t cater towards audiences. They just don’t have the immediate feedback that is felt if a bad song is played or a joke falls through. I think the key to an immediate feedback art is balancing familiarity and new-ness. If the audience doesn’t know a song, but it has the same beat as another, it is still easy to dance to. It also introduces them to a new song while muscle memory from the beat kicks in. On the flip side, if a familiar song is played in a completely random setting, it has a nearly one-hundred percent chance of being sung along to. For example, when Fireflies by Owl City came on, nearly every headphone was on the blue channel and singing along to the familiar tune. I really enjoy switching channels frequently to see what the “best” one is. There is never a consistent “good” channel, but I’d like to think we create one by switching through them ourselves, and finding an individually perfect mix.

Arts TRYathlon #2: Choose Your Own Adventure

9-29-24, Symphony Woods, All Things Go

#visualart, #music, #dance

I had a lot of fun at my first music festival! I didn’t realize that many people could fit in Colombia- let alone the Merriweather Post Pavilion. I battled in spring of 2024 to get the tickets for it, so I had a lot of time to listen to the artists and prepare. I was really lucky to get tickets in the first place, because a lot of Maryland locals were beaten out by superfans of the artists from around the country (and world!). This festival has gotten significantly bigger each year, which definitely gives me an appreciation for the supporting roles in the arts, which was highlighted during the professional practice panel we had in week 6. The marketing for ATG showed how powerful social media and influencers are.

The tickets for the event sold out in minutes, which was probably because of the major headliners of the event. Some wizardry must have gone on behind the scenes to get Hozier, Laufey, Reneé Rapp, Chappell Roan (replaced by Muna), The Bleachers, and Connan Gray into one place. Most of the headliners could sell out entire venues by themselves, which gives an insight into how popular this festival became when the set list came out. Even when Chappell Roan dropped out at the last minute due to her health, the ATG team found a replacement with a similar discography, Muna. The most entertaining set was hands down Connan Gray. His stage presence was contagious and even if you didn’t know the songs, you could sway and jump along to them. I also got really close to the stage for his performance, which added to the immersion into the set. Overall, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a rainy weekend than at a muddy and energetic indie music festival.

Arts TRYathlon #3: Arts Scholars Event

10-23-24, Arts Advisory Board, Pumpkin Painting

#visualart

This Halloween themed pumpkin painting event was a nice way to spend a Wednesday afternoon and was a great place to flex my creativity. The AAB had lots of yummy snacks and played Coraline in the background, which reminded me of classroom parties from elementary school. I was also able to catch up with my peers and meet some of the new class.

In art scholars this semester, we have been learning about brainstorming every option before committing to one. After deliberating many different spherical fall themed designs, I decided to go outside of the box and paint my pumpkin to look like a video game character named Kirby. At first, I painted my pumpkin completely pink and drew on details to make the face. I even added some 2D feet with red paint, but I felt like it was missing something. So, I went to the arts closet and pulled out some Model Magic clay to make feet and hands for my pumpkin Kirby. I had to paint the clay after I added it on since there was no red clay in the closet, but it made it consistent with the face, so it was actually a win-win. I wanted my creation to last and not chip, so I also added Mod Podge over my design to seal the paint. In the end, I was able to play around with the design and make a super unique fall decoration.

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