ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Central Question

How do we effectively combine similarities and differences of all of the programs in the College Park Scholars program through one visual display? Our project aims to address this by pulling symbols that represent each program and painting them on canvas boards oriented to spell out the word "scholars." We used a treble cleff for the first "s," a crescent moon for the "c," leaves on a branch for the "h," a gear for the "o," a microphone for the "l," a globe on a tilt for the "a," a flag for the "r," and a money sign for the last "s."

​

Literature

We used a variety of research methods in order to gather information for our project such as interviews, articles, books, and journals, though we will focus on our interview with Mayu Mishina and an article about the events of Summer 2020 from which we drew inspiration (Mishina, 2020). Ms. Mishina, who played a large role in the designing of the new scholars logo, told us her preferences about how to use and how not to use the Scholars logo in our design. We had a discussion about potential symbols we could use and what each one would represent (Mishina, 2020). People paint murals for many different reasons, but according to Jane Golden (2020), “without a mural, we wouldn’t be a community," (2020). An article we drew inspiration from was one that spoke on the recent creative outburst from a healing community following the death of George Floyd, especially through the form of murals, with the intentions of bringing the community together. This source is yet another example of the importance of the meaning behind murals as well as how murals can help in uniting a community. This information can be used in our project as we continue to think about more ways that it can serve to unite our large and diverse Scholars community (Martin, 2020). Taking inspiration from this, we also wanted to create a visual reminder of all that the Scholars community at the University of Maryland has in common through symbols, rather than focusing on what divides us.

​

Methods

The main method we will use will be acrylic painting to convey the message felt behind the word “scholars.” There are many different methodologies typically used in the discipline of art, usually studying and constantly questioning and reassessing the art process. This is done because art constantly changes and evolves into new and unique meanings. Additionally, our research methods have included a variety of different sources relating to art as relates to history and social movements and the physical aspects of our project. A big part of our research came from speaking with Mayu Mishina, the Assistant Director for Communications for the College Park Scholars, who suggested ways to implement our artistic ideas with realistic execution styles (Mishina, 2020). Aside from this, we have done extensive research on materials, projects similar to ours, costs, and locations. Since Scholars is filled with programs focusing on science, business, journalism, art, the justice system, and more, we have set out to include all of the aforementioned topics in our project, combining multiple methodologies.

​

Audience & Impact

This project aims to reach current University of Maryland students who engage with the College Park Scholars program and also all prospective University of Maryland students to showcase what we are all about. First created in the 1990’s, Scholars was thought of as a way to foster education differently. Many programs have been added since the start and they were all to encourage higher learning and learning in a different way (Cadet, 2020). We want to make sure everyone can understand what the Scholars programs represent. This audience will likely be diverse in many ways including, racially, generationally, with regards to life experiences, interests, and backgrounds, so this project will incorporate as much inclusivity as possible, but it also may exclude people who are not part of the Scholars community (Spanierman et al., 2013). That being said, the symbols that will be used are widely known symbols that most people should be able to relate to on some level. To us, it represents a wealth of knowledge in many different areas of our community, which is what we will be showcasing through the use of symbols. The goal of this project is to connect as many people with the Scholars programs as possible and also to recognize what can come from it, such as this capstone project. This project serves to show a culmination of what we have learned over the course of our two years in Scholars. We have learned that Scholars connects people through different opportunities and allows everyone to explore niche interests, which is why we want our project to show how Scholars can connect people with vastly different interests. This project may not empower as many people as a social movement does, but it is meant to connect people together in the same ways. Our goal for the project aims to show that while every program is different, we are all connected through community, service, and empowerment. The Scholars programs force us to come together and this artwork will force everyone to see what connectedness looks like, even in a smaller setting. By completing this capstone project, we have learned to become more appreciative of the community that we are a part of at the University of Maryland. By researching the history of the College Park Scholars program and implementing feedback on our project from others in the community, it allowed us to reflect on the diversity of people, interests, and talents that make up our community.

​

​

References

J. Cadet, personal communication, October 29, 2020.

Martin, F. E. (2020, September 25). Op-ed: Preserving the memory of what just happened. Retrieved September 28, 2020, from https://www.archpaper.com/2020/09/op-ed-preserving-the-memory-of-what-just-happened-minneapolis/

Golden, J., Scobey, D. M., Rice, R., & Kinney, M. Y. (2002). Philadelphia murals and the stories they tell. Temple University Press.

M. Mishina, personal communication, October 21, 2020.

Spanierman, L. B., Soble, J. R., Mayfield, J. B., Neville, H. A., Aber, M., Khuri, L., & De La Rosa, B. (2013). Living learning communities and students’ sense of community and belonging. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 50(3), 308-325. https://doi.org/10.1515/jsarp-2013-0022

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Harold Burgess and Heather Bremenstuhl for being instrumental in getting our project up and running, while also helping us communicate with everyone we needed to throughout the process. We would also like to thank the Scholars Central team, including Marilee Lindemann, Dave Eubanks, Mayu Mishina, Ben Parks, Jeany Cadet, Jessica Lloyd Krenek, and Carolyn Seward for taking the time to listen, give us feedback, and approve our capstone idea. The program directors all played a crucial role in the approval of our project as well, particularly David Tomblin, Alison Burns, Robert Koulish, Thomas Holtz, Alan Peel, James Glass, Elisabeth Maring, Beth Parent, Susannah Washburn, Tim Knight, Mark Wellman, and the director of our program, Harold Burgess. We would like to acknowlege Henry Dickson and his team for helping us with the actual installation of the project in the Cambridge Community Center, as well as Andrea Crabb for connecting us to him. Lastly, we would like to thank all of the Scholars Advisory Board for providing us with feedback.