Semester 3

Arts TRYathlon #1: Prisms and Pals, DIY Suncatchers

Event Logistics  (10/3/25, Maker mixer, Bel Air Lounge)

#visualart #crafts

On Friday I attended the Prisms and Pals: DIY Suncatchers Maker mixer in the Bel Air Lounge.  I arrived a few minutes late, and was surprised to see all the tables already full.  This was probably the most people I've ever seen attend a maker mixer/craft and chat before.  The atmosphere was very lively, and I got to hang out with people I am familiar with and also people who I didn't even know.  I felt like I subconsciously got pushed to be more social with how many people there were, and I really had a good time.  I definitely think the fact that all the students attending were Art Scholars and had similar interests as me, I felt more comfortable being myself.  This also reminds me that being social is a part of attending college, and a big part of it is not just learning, but creating connections and bonds that will last through my career.  I think this also applies to Art Scholars in the way that we are a tight knit community, more so than other scholars groups in my opinion.  These maker mixer events are a great way to bring us closer together and help strengthen the bonds we already have.

Arts TRYathlon #2: Trip to the Museum 

Event Logistics  (10/11/25, Washington DC, Smithsonian American Art Museum)

#visualart #sculptures #museum

On Saturday I took a trip to D.C. to visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum.  Since the government shut down it was hard to find any museums that weren’t closed, but I found this one that was still open and free to the public, and it was full of people.  I entered the museum on the first floor, which featured many historical paintings, small sculptures and portraits each sorted by year.  Interestingly, they looked very similar to each other, with the portraits always displaying famous people usually in the same position.  But as the years went on they started to evolve, with more sculptures appearing than portraits.  I also went to the second and third floors of the museum, which featured more modern art and a restored paintings archive.  I enjoyed learning more about American history through real art pieces that were created during that time, and I find it a very interactive and engaging way of learning history, compared to sitting in a classroom.  I feel like Art Scholars also does a good job of interactive learning, in relation to this experience.  Many of the classes we attend are workshops and hands-on learning, which makes me feel like I absorb the content of the class a lot easier, and I feel like these experiences help me learn more about arts that I am not as familiar with.  

*This is a photo I took of my Dad at the event

Arts TRYathlon #3: Festival

Event Logistics  (10/12/25, Kentlands Gaithersburg, Octoberfest)

#music, #dance #literature #visualart

On Sunday I attended Octoberfest, a festival hosted every year in my city.  It’s a tradition that originated in Germany and is something still celebrated today in many places around the United States.  I discovered it by chance while driving through the neighborhood two years ago, and this was my second time attending this event.  The festival featured many artist vendors, selling handmade clothes, candles, and jewelry.  There weren’t just vendors too, at least 3 live bands were playing around the neighborhood with hay bails you could sit on to watch, singers, volunteers doing demos, and even people in costumes walking around on stilts.  The atmosphere was lively and the streets were full of people, some also dressed in costume.  I found the experience very entertaining, and I enjoyed seeing the art people around my neighborhood were making and selling.  I felt a sense of community as everyone was enjoying their time together, and it was very interesting to do the many demos there were.  In my opinion I can see how this ties into my major.  Since it’s a closed major, there are very few people in my class and we basically all know each other.  Like the festival, we may not be always interacting, but we are around each other for most of the week and we learn new things together.