Kari Maygers
Arts Scholar
Semester 3
The following questions have been part of the underlying themes of this semester's colloquiums and related activities. How has your experience this semester helped you to interpret and address each? Provide an example to support your conclusions for each.
How can art reshape or recontextualize an understanding of our (individual and societal) learned history, biases, and beliefs?
One thing I have learned from Scholars is that art is a very powerful tool. Especially with the availability of social media and the internet, it is much easier to access a wide variety of art and artists. This makes it simpler to use art as a tool for change as well because it allows for people to view art that they might not have been exposed to otherwise. Looking at work done by a variety of diverse artists gives you a richer, more fruitful experience and keeps your mind open to different perspectives. For example, I have spent some time looking at artists who not only use different mediums than I normally do, but who have different experiences. I strive to keep my art intake scope wide so that I do not fall into the pattern of only consuming art that relates to me.
What are the theoretical models and practical strategies for initiating the creative process?
I think that everyone’s creative process can be a bit different. Some people are better at the “sit down and plan it out” method of creating while others simply wing it. I am more of the second type; I tend to get an idea and go ham rather than plan it out. In colloquium, we went through steps of creating a capstone proposal that more closely resembled the planned-out approach to the creative process. We spent time brainstorming and then working with those ideas to get a more cohesive idea before next semester when we will begin working on our capstones. While this is not my normal creative process, it was helpful to slow down and look at this project in parts. Doing a capstone project can seem overwhelming at first, but by breaking it down and planning it out I have been able to make certain decisions ahead of time that will help me finish my project on time.
How can we effectively incorporate feedback to revise and refine our ideas with greater depth and clarity?
In order to effectively incorporate feedback, you need to be open to what others are telling you. It is important to be open to hearing what your peers may have to say because they may have some interesting additions that you did not think of. Another way to refine an idea is by experimenting. If you have an idea for a project you should try it out. The worst thing that happens is it does not work out, but that’s okay. I did these things during this semester with the pieces of my capstone proposal. When we submitted new pieces, we were given peer feedback and were able to make changes for the final proposal. One aspect I asked for feedback on was the subject of my final paintings. I got some ideas from my peers and I will experiment later to find out which idea I like best.
Provide an example of a news-related item that you encountered outside of the colloquium dealing specifically with art as a mechanism for expressing one’s values, beliefs or lived experience that has captured your attention during the last few months. Indicate how (or whether) your engagement in the Arts program helped you understand it better.
An idea I have seen a lot recently is people using art to cope. Due to the pandemic, people have been turning to different forms of art to stay sane including Netflix, baking, or other art related hobbies. Because people could no longer go out, they had to find other ways to spend their time and many of those people turned to art. People were drawing, painting, learning new instruments, and watching new shows and art-related activities were being used as coping mechanisms. I remember in one of our colloquiums this semester someone mentioned that artists should also be considered essential workers during this time because of this. I am also speaking from personal experience considering I did many of the things listed above. I spent more time drawing/doodling, watercolor painting, and learning to play bass.
From your experience so far, what Arts supporting courses, and/or courses you are taking towards your major, show the most interesting, surprising, and revealing intellectual connections to what you have learned or experienced as an Arts Scholar? Cite at least one course and describe the synergies connecting the knowledge you acquired in that course with that acquired in Arts Scholars.
Even though I am now an anthropology major, I spent the first three semesters as an architecture major. Some of the arch classes I have taken have been design focused and allowed me to make art in the forms of drawings and models. The broken-down creative process I discussed before actually helped me with my designing and allowed me to slow down. I was able to think more about the pieces of my projects along with the big picture rather than just the finished product.
Discuss how or whether your learning was improved by interacting (in or out of class) with fellow Arts Scholars. Please use particular examples of how being a part of this living-learning community (virtual and otherwise) aided in expanding your learning and conversely, where it fell short.
My learning has definitely improved by interacting with my fellow Arts Scholars. Many of my close friends are Art Scholars and this program has allowed me to build relationships that I would not have had otherwise. Having a community that I was a part of made my transition to college much easier and I am very grateful to have had that. This was also one of the things I have missed most about being online. I am upset that I will most likely only get one full semester with that experience given that classes will most likely be online for a large part of next semester, if not the entire time.
Scholars encourages active contribution by students, either in academic settings (e.g., colloquium discussions and projects; field trip activities; etc.) or as part of the larger Scholars community. In what manner have you contributed to the Arts program and community the semester? What opportunities do you wish you were able to leverage to contribute more or in alternative ways?
Despite everything being online, I was able to have great conversations with my TA group during colloquium. While it was not the same as seeing everyone in person, it was still nice to have TA time where we could ask questions or just talk about random things. I also went on the Strathmore field trip where Gabi led us around the exhibits and told us about the art and the artists. This was a really great experience because I have not been able to visit any museums during the pandemic and it felt like I actually got to go somewhere new.
Discuss whether being in Scholars brought you into contact with people or concepts that challenged your previous beliefs or opinions. What is the value of exploring perspectives that are different from, or challenge, your own? Please provide an example.
Art Scholars has given me the opportunity to meet many new people. I not only got to interact with my fellow scholars, TAs, and teachers but also with the guests who have been brought into colloquium. Meeting these people and having these experiences is important because everyone goes through life differently and there is a lot you can learn from others. It is very valuable to explore other perspectives and being open to those perspectives will allow you to grow as a person.
Semester 4
Review your ePortfolio (pentathlons, semester reflections, capstone, bio/resume) and provide one or more example(s) of how these assignments demonstrate your growth in presenting your ideas through oral, written, and/or artistic forms of communication.
There have been many opportunities for me to improve upon my oral, written, and artistic communication skills. My capstone as a whole was a great chance to work on all three areas, but the first and second look presentations allowed me to specifically practice my oral communication skills. For these assignments, we had to present our capstone ideas and progress using a visual aid, such as a PowerPoint presentation. These were done in the form of recorded videos given that classes were online. The ideas in my second look presentation were more solid and well defined than the ideas in my first look presentation, showing that I improved not only on my capstone but also on my speaking skills as the semester progressed.
Provide two or more examples of how your perception of art has been influenced, challenged or redefined as a result of your program experiences. Be as specific as you can and consider interactions with guest artists through class discussions or activities, field trips or pentathlon events you’ve attended or collaborations you’ve encountered as part of your coursework.
My perception of art has been redefined as a result of my program experiences in two main ways. Firstly, I learned that art can be whatever you want it to be. Coming into the program, I did not have much confidence in my artistic abilities and was more of a casual doodler. I did not really consider myself an artist because I wasn’t a painter or a very good drawer and I thought that those were the bare minimum requirements of being an artist. But being in the Arts Scholars program surrounded me with people who used a wide variety of mediums and created a wide variety of art. By interacting with my peers, I was able to explore other forms of art and learned that art is not just one thing.
Secondly, I learned that you do not have to make a masterpiece in order for your art to be “good”. Unfortunately, I am quite the perfectionist which means that if I do not think what I created is perfect than it is not good. For a while, this stopped me from showing any art I created to anyone because I felt that it was not good enough. Scholars has helped me work on this mentality by guiding me through the artistic process and giving me a space to discover what does and does not work for me. A specific experience that helped me with this as well was the virtual field trip I went on my spring semester of sophomore year with Pyramid Atlantic. The activity of the field trip was creating foam stamps and the leader of the field trip had us create two stamps using random shapes and minimal planning. The point of this was to show that making art can be easy and simple and does not have to require a long, thought out process.
In what ways did your capstone project draw upon what you have learned throughout your two years in the program (including colloquiums, supporting courses, and co-curricular activities)? How did concepts or techniques introduced to you through the program translate to or support your capstone project development?
The main way my capstone drew upon what I have learned throughout my Scholars experience is the medium I used. While it is not necessarily a direct link to specific topics in colloquiums and other activities, watercolor painting was something I started getting into my first semester of college. As a freshman in art scholars, I was trying to find an artistic medium that I enjoyed and someone had suggested I try watercolor painting. I practiced a lot and even used watercolor to make one of my final projects for colloquium. So, while it may not be a direct link to something I learned in class, it is something I started doing because of Art Scholars that I was able to improve upon because of the support I received from my peers, instructors, and TAs.
Arts Scholars recognizes that all artistic disciplines have intrinsic value (e.g., theatre, dance, visual art, music, design, etc.). In what ways have you deepened your existing artistic talents and interests through participation in Arts Scholars? In what ways have you expanded your creative abilities and interests?
As I mentioned previously, I started watercolor painting my first semester and have deepened that artistic interest throughout my two years in the program. I have also deepened my overall drawing skills during my time in Scholars. However, I have also expanded my creative interests, as the workshops I participated in freshman and sophomore year gave me opportunities to try out different art forms. The workshop I was in freshman year was about upcycling clothing and how fast fashion affects the environment. For my final piece, I took an old denim jacket that I rarely wore and upcycled it with new fabric and embroidery in order to make it something I would want to wear again. The workshop I was in sophomore year was about art therapy and one of the final pieces I created was a sculpture made of clay. Both are examples of me stepping out of my creative comfort zone and creating things I would not have if I had not been part of those Art Scholars workshops.
Looking back on your experiences in Arts Scholars, in what ways have you demonstrated an ability to collaborate effectively with those holding diverse artistic perspectives, interests, and abilities? Please describe at least one, specific example.
The first example that comes to mind is a piece a group of my peers and I created during our first semester in the program. I do not fully remember the prompt that led us to creating this piece, but I know that the class put ourselves into groups and each group had a specific topic they had to create a piece for. It was a quick class exercise and my group’s topic was mental health. Together we created a drawing to represent that topic and each of us added words that related to the struggles of different mental health issues.
Finally, how do you think your Scholars experience might inform your future? Are there lessons, methods, events, or other aspects of the Arts program you expect to draw upon academically (as a junior and senior, in post-undergraduate education), professionally (as you consider your career path) or personally (with respect to your own growth)?
My scholars experience will definitely inform my future. I have learned many valuable skills from my time in art scholars that will be beneficial to me, such as communication skills, project management skills, and time management skills. All of these will be helpful in my future academic and professional endeavors. I have also learned more about my creative process throughout my time in scholars (especially during the capstone process) which will greatly benefit me during my next long-term creative project.