Pentathalon Semester 1

As an experiential component of College Park Arts Scholars, I attended a selection of five art events during my first semester. These events ranged in art mediums and each sparked dialogue among my peers.

#VisualArt

On September 16, 2020, I painted a sunflower on a dark blue background. I chose to paint this because I love flowers and other aspects of nature, and I also have not painted in a while. Painting brings me a great sense of joy, but it also relaxes me in a way that most other activities cannot. I have found that painting flowers is very difficult for me, but I was proud of how this piece turned out, especially given my limited access to paint and materials. Doing this activity helped me to stop stressing because I was focusing my energy elsewhere.

#VisualArt #ArtsScholars

On October 2, 2020, I virtually visited The Walters Art Museum with two of my fellow peer mentors and our mentees. This museum intrigued me because while many museums I have visited before have more paintings and such, this museum was mostly about artifacts. There were many different categories to choose from. A few that stood out to me included the Ancient Americas, 18th and 19th Centuries, and the Japanese Military Armor exhibits. Each of these exhibits showcased time period pieces that represented the overall collection title, whether it be through the medium of iron, basalt, watercolor, alloy, ceramics, and more.

#Film

On October 16, 2020, I watched a movie called "The Mask You Live In" (it was supposed to be through Kanopy, but they would not grant me access, so I found it on a different site). This movie is about boys, their social identities, and how they were shaped as they grew up. In interview settings and close ups, many of the boys said that feel and have felt pain and anger, but they had never really been able to express that anyone else. Many teacher figures feel that it is their job to help set these boys on the right path because they were never truly given that chance when they were younger. The expectations the boys had were carried with them wherever they went, but they have now been able to be altered because of new methods they are learning to cope and express themselves/their masculinity.

#Presentation

On October 24th, I watched a Ted Talk about how art and drawing relates to visibility. In a place where Shantell Martin felt invisible, she decided to pick up a pen and start drawing to see where it would take her. It took her around the world and allowed her to ask herself "who are you?" as relates to her person. The lines she drew started unfolding her life in ways she never expected and taught her to open her eyes to not only see what is, but to see what she can become. Drawing taught Martin a new way to enage in the world through the language of drawing that connect people from everywhere.

#Literature

On December 8, 2020, I read and listened to the short story, "Harrison Bergeron," by Kurt Vonnegut (1961). This story is about a world of complete equality where people are academically, physically, and mentally at the same level. This means that those who are too smart, too pretty, too talented, and more are given handicaps (usually physical ones, like weights, or mental ones, like a permanent radio to blast sounds every 20 or so seconds). This story, to me, is a lesson in that equality is not about attributes or beauty or intelligence, but of rights and these characters were stripped of their rights to do anything above average. This story, even though it was written about 60 years ago, is still powerful and my question is why? Why is it that we have to be constantly warned about a future that we in theory should know is devastating? This relates to my psychology courses because everything I learn in these classes relates to how people present themselves to others and themselves and this story is all about the opposite. These concepts do not matter in this story because everyone has to present themselves in the same way and their right to do so much as think for themselves has been taken away.

Pentathalon: News

Pentathalon Semester 2

Follow along this semester as I document my arts experiences this semester.

#Film

January 28, 2021 in my room for a movie night

I watched the movie "What Happened to Monday," directed by Tommy Wirkola and released on August 30, 2017. This movie is about a dystopian future where siblings are not allowed, so when identical septuplets are born, they have to be hidden. They were named after the days of the week, but the name they all used when going out is "Karen Settman." As they grow older, it is found under wraps that there are seven children that have made it into adulthood, so the government attempts to capture them. It all starts when Monday does not return home after work one day, so each day, the siblings try to find the captured ones. By the end of the movie, each sibling has a tragic death except for two of them who reform the government so that siblings are allowed. This movie really made me think about the psychology of interpersonal relationships between families because just because people have the same blood does not mean that they care for each other the same way, which is something I am currently learning about. In Arts, I have learned that we need to cherish out unique abilities, so I wondered throughout the whole movie how it did not become apparent to those around the septuplets that they were unique because while they looked the same, it became easy to tell that each sibling was very different. This movie made me reconsider the importance of fashion because of how the septuplets dressed at home since that was the only time they could express their individuality.

#VisualArt

February 13, 2021 in the common room drawing with my roommates

I used chalk pastels to draw my newborn cousin, Caleb (born on February 7, 2021). I chose to do this because I wanted to learn how to use a different medium of art and this was entirely new for me. I struggled with it and asked for a lot of guidance from my roommates, but I ultimately learned that I need to use this medium more in order to become better at it. When you start something new, it is easy to become discouraged (which I did many times), but I know that I need to just keep trying. I kept wondering what the drawing would turn out to be and if it actually resembled my cousin. This event relates to what I have learned in Arts Scholars because Arts teaches us all to try new things and immerse yourself in different experiences. Seeing as this was an entirely new experience for me, I believe it connected to my time in Arts very accurately. Drawing in this medium reminded me of some psychology courses that I take because it can be difficult to make something turn out how you want it to, but it is much easier to mess up and have to backtrack. This made me change my perception of art and creativity by allowing me to appreciate different mediums of art. Since I have never taken an art class, I truly did not realize how difficult other art forms can be.

#Film #ArtsScholars

February 20, 2021; an Arts Scholars movie night hosted by Saxon, Jackie, and myself

I watched the movie, "High School Musical," directed by Kenny Ortega and released in 2006. This movie is about the star athlete, Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), who falls for the extremely smart new girl, Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens). Gabriella helps Troy understand that he can love basketball and theater at the same time. They help each other conquer their fears in order to break out of the small boxes that they had been previously confined to. This movie made me think about how art is going to play a role in my life because as I get busier, art is pushed more to the background, even though I do not want it to be. I learned that art is something I will need later in life to keep me sane, so I should find a way now as to how to incorporate it into my life more visibly. This relates to what I have learned through Arts Scholars because Arts is all about finding ways to incorporate art into whatever you do, whenever you can. Although it is a seemingly obvious that people can have multiple interests at once, it is always a nice reminder that people can have multiple passions and follow them in some capacity. The arts encourage people to step out of their box and explore. Watching "High School Musical" also expands our minds by incorporating singing, dancing, playing instruments, putting on shows, and more. This variety of musicality shows how far we, as artists, can extend ourselves.

#Music

April 9, 2021; Lil Nas X's showing of "MONTERO" hosted by Jackie and myself

I watched the music video called "MONTERO" by Lil Nas X. This song was released on March 6, 2016. This song talks about how it is a sin to be gay. In the song, he talks about he "can't pretend," referring to coming to terms with sexuality. There were many controversial thoughts on this music video. Some saw it as worshipping the Devil and a sin. Lil Nas X wanted to reclaim his sexuality and not push away the Church, like some pop stars. This becomes a question of a racial and sexual double standard. As soon as people who are not the "default" reclaim what makes them unique, it is always under intense scrutiny, just like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's song "WAP." It does not seem like other artists who put out such provacative songs, even if they not are super similar, get so much backlash, but people like Lil Nas X, Cardi B, and Megan Thee Stallion do. Lil Nas X just wants people to be confident in who they are and that no one should have to hide their true selves out of fear for how they will be perceived. Just as in Arts Scholars, students are expected to be their true and authentic selves, but there are always people try to put others down. The main message is that we have to love ourselves because we are the most important people in our lives. This song started an uprising of people in Gen Z to stand up for what is right, and that includes iincluding and accepting people for who they are no matter what.

#Presentation

April 15, 2021; Arts Scholars Open House

On April 15, 2021, I participated in the Arts Scholars Open House with some other Arts Scholars students. This Open House was supposed to educate incoming freshmen on The University of Maryland, but more specifically, Arts Scholars. Harold and Heather presented what our program is about, such as how we connect with each other, activities that we do, exploration that we do, and more. As a student panelist, I spoke about my time in Arts. I spoke about the activities that I have involved myself in through Scholars (such as Peer Mentors and Lakeland STARs) and also about housing in Bel Air. I told the incoming freshmen about how to approach supporting courses and their Capstone projects. This event helped remind me why I joined Arts in the first place - the community. I got to talk about how I built this community of amazing friends and explored the Arts with them. From my time in Arts, I have expanded my mind to all different types of art. I have gotten to witness drum circles, slam poetry, concerts, and more. Arts has taught me to believe in myself and try everything, even if I think I will not be good at it. Passing on this information to the next set of Arts students was almost liberating because I got to pass on any wisdom I have learned over the past two years and truly help other people.

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Pentathalon: News