Katie Harris
Arts Scholar
Semester 1 (Fall 2020)
Art is a powerful and emotional source of information that often influences viewers’ perspectives. Throughout this Arts Scholars semester, I have been introduced to an abundance of new sources of political and cultural knowledge, each with distinct experiences and views of the world. Art can be used as a universal language, through which people of all backgrounds can relate and understand. By looking at the world through the lens of artistry, it is possible to reach a wider audience and provide unique perspectives. One artist that “visited” us was a muralist who shared his experiences with the world through public art. This accessible medium is extremely useful in spreading knowledge to people of every kind, and sharing a message which otherwise may not have surfaced. This outdoor message affects the individual beliefs of viewers, and has societal impacts as it brings the community together.
Creativity is the key to forming any kind of art. The creative process can be daunting, but I’ve found the methods introduced by our Scholars staff to be helpful. Breaking up the process into individual steps makes it a lot less scary to form new ideas. We had to use this strategy in creating our Capstone project proposals, as many steps were taken before actually deciding on a single idea. It can also be beneficial to jumpstart creativity by thinking outside the box in other inconsequential ways. We would often begin our Zoom classes with a Warm-Up, such as drawing something or typing in the chat. This was a fun way to get ideas flowing and get me in the mood to create.
There were a lot of opportunities to get constructive criticism this semester, for which I am grateful. I often find myself too invested in the specifics when I am working on a big project on my own. With the constant sharing of ideas and peer reviews during class, I was able to think more clearly about each step of the Capstone process. I learned that my peers are encouraging and want the best for me, not to hinder my success, and that their help is crucial in forming effective ideas. I also find that I can be a little ambitious with art projects, so when one of my advisors warned that I might not be able to create a whole movie within the constraints of our Capstone time, I was actually relieved. I also could focus more on the artistic elements of my project, as opposed to just trying to figure out the logistics of my overwhelming plan. This advisor also instructed me in refining my overall theme, and finding a sweet spot between specific and too broad. This helped me narrow down my topic so that I could concentrate on one goal.
Almost all of my engagement with art has been online this year, so I have been following a lot of art pages on social media to stay involved. During the peak of the racial justice movement, I saw on Twitter a work that had been created to express the horrifying scope of police brutality in the USA. The artist had written the names of every person wrongfully killed by police and pasted them on a huge wall, each name in small print. This piece affected me more than reading news articles or Tweets usually did, because visual art is so powerful in relaying messages that words cannot fully describe. Due to the importance that Arts Scholars places on diversity and inclusion, I know that in many cases, art is used as expression when voices of minorities have been silenced. In this case, the people whose names were listed on the wall sadly cannot speak for themselves anymore, so the artist must speak for them.
Many of my courses this semester had me thinking about connections between art and people. When I was younger, I would despise sharing my work with others because it was personal or I was embarrassed. In my digital art class, I had to post each assignment for everyone to see and give feedback on others’ works. It turned out to be so beneficial in honing my skills and creativity in the course, as I was inspired by my peers’ artworks and influenced by their opinions. This made me more willing to share my ideas during Arts Scholars class, as I knew that it is a necessary step in forming your best work. I was also able to give clearer and more helpful advice to fellow Scholars with practice. Regarding my Capstone project, the course Psychology of Happiness influenced my project theme. I wanted to focus on the ways to reach a happier life through support and therapy, among other methods used to treat mental illness. This course taught me how important wellbeing is in every aspect of life. I also had to do weekly “happiness exercises” for the class, and I often chose art-related tasks to induce creativity and further implant art into my daily life.
Personally, I enjoyed the virtual classes a lot, and found them much more enriching than other online courses. For this class in particular, learning would not be very effective without my peers there to add input and participate in the activities. I liked the breakout rooms because my TA and classmates were laidback and fun, though of course it could be awkward at times due to the nature of Zoom communication. Just knowing that the community was there for me was reassuring, if only for my mental health. It was nice that I was already familiar with everyone, because I felt comfortable talking with them and being goofy sometimes. This makes it easier to learn new ideas because I can ask questions if I am confused and share ideas with others. During discussions I would spark interesting conversations with people I hadn’t talked to often before, which enhanced my learning process and social skills. I would say the only downside to our community could be the similarity of everyone’s views, as most of my classmates are artsy and liberal. Though I would consider myself part of this category, it is important to gain diverse perspectives from your peers. This was countered by the introduction of guest artists and lessons on inclusion, though, so I wouldn’t say that Arts Scholars failed at this at any rate.
I took part in many Arts Scholars events this semester which involved bonding with my Scholars community. During class breakout rooms, it would be fun to add to the discussion with my own examples or ideas, to keep the conversation interesting. I attended the drum lady field trip which was exciting to play instruments for other people, which I hadn’t done in a while. I went to two Scholars Pentathlon Zoom activities, where I talked with other members from Scholars. I watched the election reflection with my roommates who are in the Scholars program. I could have tried to get to more Scholars events to interact more with the group, or participated more often in class discussions.
I learned from people about many different experiences that I had not heard about before. I thought it was interesting to have people from all around on my computer screen sharing about their lives. We met people with various professions, opinions, and stories, and learned about events and works from around the world. In particular I remember the drum lady coming and telling us her tales about music and people. It was very cool to converse and learn from people from afar. This taught me about widening my horizons to educate myself about all the parts of the world. I need to remember how diverse society is so that I am open to new beliefs and information, and am more able to effectively communicate with people dissimilar to me. In this way I appreciated the new task of drumming, and could enjoy my time learning with the group.
Semester 2
Since the beginning of the school year, I believe my communication skills have grown immensely. With each assignment we had I was able to refine my idea of an effective presentation. For example, my preliminary Capstone First Look now looks pretty silly to me. I got all my ideas across, but it isn’t the most interesting or appealing video. I do not sound excited and the slides are sort of all over the place. That being said, practice is the most important part of improvement, so creating multiple iterations of the same idea is key in perfecting it. By my final video, I think my oral and aesthetic skills had shown great leaps toward professionalism and effectiveness. A similar pattern is seen in my Pentathlon write-ups, where I started off with simple reflections of the activity, while later on I processed more deeply how each artistic event applies to life.
This program has definitely reshaped my outlook on the definition and interpretations of art. For one thing, each Pentathlon or field trip I took part in was related to art, and yet I rarely sat down and sketched or painted or something like that. Art can take so many forms that it is easy to overlook its impact on society and everyday life. During our meetings we’d always look at how our lives are affected by different aspects of artistic expression, specifically discussions of social rights. Whenever we would talk about current events or issues it would somehow be brought back to creativity and expression, and everyone was very open and accepting. That is what I love about the Arts Scholars community, you are not afraid to share your opinions and ideas.
My Capstone project was inspired by the freedom allowed in Arts Scholars: I was not against trying something completely new in fear of not doing it “right.” There is no correct way of making art or expressing yourself, as is heavily emphasized in the program. With this is mind, I chose to follow the untread path of filmmaking, which was exciting and intimidating, but in the end, I reached my goal and feel better about entering a new medium. The intersection of art with other topics that we talked about in class showed me that art can tell many different stories and can bring about change. This is why I wanted to introduce my field of study, psychology, into the project, and have my movie revolve around mental health. I also learned some important research methods, and that the research process is just as crucial as the creative process. Being held accountable for learning about the backgrounds of film and bipolar disorder made the project run much more smoothly and added realism. Most importantly, I learned how to make and accept critiques, which are so helpful in forming ideas.
Arts has undoubtedly increased my appreciation for all forms of art. I did not even realize how many things could be considered art until engaging in the class. I have tried so many new media while on board, and witnessed even more. I was able to participate in technological art, weaving, drumming, origami, and many other activities that I would not have been introduced to otherwise. It has made me realize how many options there are for showing yourself to the world through your creations. I learned that it is not always about having stellar technical skill, but rather focusing on the new experience. This made me less stressed when I consider art, and more excited. Of course, practicing my existing skills is also necessary, so I am glad when I can do something that I am not bad at too. I’ve been given opportunities to delve into my passions and share them with my classmates, which is very rewarding and enjoyable.
There are many different types of people in Arts Scholars, as there is such diversity in the world. Each classmate I’ve spent any time with has had their own unique perspective and personality that I enjoy learning about. I remember in my freshman year we had a colloquium assignment as a group where we each added a piece to the collection. We had to all interpret the idea of “connections” in our own way and discuss how we’d put everything together. Because each of us had different skills and perspectives, it was interesting to talk over our thoughts and create an amalgamation of all of them. We all accepted each other and made something together. I also remember playing games a few times in workshop, where my peers and I would have to figure something out or work together. It is fun to get to know new people and be comfortable around them even if you don’t know them very well.
This program has made me want to continue my love for art throughout my life. Of course, I’d always known I enjoyed making and absorbing art, but it was hard to see it in my career path as I didn’t think I could be successful at it. Being a part of Arts Scholars has taught me that art is in everything, and you can create all the time. I’ve decided to minor in Art History so that I can continue my arts education and have a deeper knowledge of the subject, and use those interpretative and analysis skills in my life. I’ve learned to appreciate everyone’s differences, and be more accepting and welcoming of others’ opinions and ideas. This is necessary in any field. I am excited to continue learning about and creating my own art.
Artifacts in Gallery Format
