Tyler Young
Arts Scholar
Semester 1
My time in College Park Arts Scholars so far has been an enjoyable and transformative one, for a number of reasons. Beyond the immediate effects of being a larger participator in art and art-related mediums, I have garnered a more extensive appreciation for art, its ability to create and draw out emotions, and how it can generate ideas and spark discussions. I picked up how much art can be a mode of self-expression, and as such, not everything is for everyone, but everything has its place. Art is great for many reasons, but these are what I understand to be the more important ones.
One way I’ve come to understand art’s influence in interpreting history, movements, and biases through Arts Scholars was through the art panel “Social Activism: Art as an Agent for Change.” I came to understand its roles and I appreciate the way that the panel provided lots of perspectives-- lending itself to a more diverse range of purposes. Art can be a vehicle for movements, so naturally there’s going to be many crossovers and clashes as personal bias and interpretation becomes a factor. In this way, art can help recontextualize history, and apply it to the present day. Furthermore, I learned that there are many methods to spark creativity and the creative process in art, the most relevant of which, to me, was taking a step back and reflecting on struggles. Art can be born from struggles, and though I live fairly comfortably, the mental taxation of a semester was quite effective at creating emotions and thoughts to work with, in a creative sense. Through Arts Scholars, I’ve also learned quite a bit about critical analysis and feedback that can help improve ideas and carry along creativity. Personally, I’ve taken much criticism throughout the semester, and the common theme with it has been its helpfulness and construction of new ideas. Particularly in the case of my capstone project, which has been my primary focus this semester, I’ve learned that all criticism has been thought-provoking, even the harshest kinds, which is important to consider. These themes have all been important during this semester in Arts Scholars, which has aided in understanding art as a whole.
Art is relevant in the world at large, of course, and in light of the ongoing social justice movements, Black Lives Matter, Campaign Zero, and so on, there have been a few examples of art that has arisen as a result of people’s values being outspoken and expressed on a large scale. In particular, pretty close to College Park, in downtown DC, there was a fairly large artwork-- the Black Lives Matter memorial at Lafayette Square. It can be seen from the street, and it’s an astonishing compilation. It’s a quintessential expression of the public’s beliefs and values, and though it’s been debated whether or not it’s “art”, it certainly accomplishes the same thing as an artwork would. It inspires an audience, and is a form of collective self-expression.
One course I took this semester that coincided quite often with the themes present in Arts Scholars was my Intro to Theatre class. No surprise, but analysis of artistic choices and creativity are elements of both classes. One interesting connection that I experienced was through the theatre concept of “mise-en-scene” - basically, everything in the performance that isn’t the acting: sound, lighting, props, costumes, and so on. Much like any artwork, a director has the ability to control the mise-en-scene, which has the effect of changing audience perception. The mise-en-scene is like the context to the acting, and it can affect the desired outcome quite strongly, which is something I learned in Arts Scholars. Context can be almost as important as the artwork itself, so it’s important to consider it.
As far as being a part of a living-learning community, I consider it to have been an absolutely vital part to learning and experiencing this class. Art is inherently based on communicating with other people-- and it’s far more enjoyable when experienced with other people. My experience talking with others, both in and out of class, about the topics covered in class, has been fruitful-- in my group discussions with my TA, I’ve found that, especially on topics of social justice, the theme of the class would be a stem from which our conversation would go, and a similar thing would happen outside of class. Having friends in the community has also inspired me to be more creative, which has helped with many things, including Arts Scholars.
Being in a community requires my own contributions as well, of course. So I made it my goal to participate in the group discussions as much as possible, which I feel that I achieved, as well as to provide criticism and feedback on my friends’ ideas. I wanted to feel a sense of community despite the online experience, and I think I came close to achieving something close to it by participating to some degree. I would have liked to participate more in the general class time, but social anxiety in larger groups of people wasn’t helpful in inspiring me to do that. That said, I still feel that I made some difference, however small it was, to the Arts program, through the few people I interacted with.
Lastly, I feel that I’ve changed a little bit through Arts Scholars. One thing that has carried me through this past semester has been my beliefs and motivations, and seeing injustice in the world. Experiencing artists and panels that directly address issues relating to this, as well as seeing how interconnected artistry is with movements, has strengthened my convictions. This is thanks in no small part to the different perspectives: I’m just one guy, with my own experiences. Seeing others through art has enhanced my knowledge, giving me more to work with. Overall, given the context of the past several months and beyond, Arts Scholars has encouraged me to continue thinking and exploring these convictions-- hopefully to a better world.
Semester 2
This semester in Arts Scholars, I rounded off my experience in the program with artistic growth. More than anything, I learned about how to start and finish an actual large-scale art project, which I’ve never done before, through my capstone. During the process of working on it, I learned about my own creative path, as well as the process by which I critique other artwork. This can be seen in both my capstone and the progression of my pentathlon assignments.
I definitely have a much more open-minded view of art after this semester, and I have a bigger appreciation for artists and their work. I realize my place as an artist and curator, which is leagues better than I used to be, but also through the process of seeing my friends’ and peers’ art, I really appreciate just how impressive it can be. In particular, I learned that one of my friend’s had a wonderful hidden drawing talent that I never knew of, and it inspired me to like a new type of drawing style I didn’t know about. Through my capstone, I also came to appreciate the importance of representation in art. As someone who made a history-based project, I came to understand just how difficult it could be to find resources that cover all the bases, and it gave me a new appreciation for what was there.
My capstone helped me draw upon my understanding of time management and my curation skills. I also learned how to use critique to alter my project in a beneficial way. I learned how to professionally communicate an idea in several different ways over the course of the semester. Additionally, through every capstone practicum class, I learned a new strategy that would help me in some way. Because of how much work my capstone ended up being, all of these strategies manifested in a pretty decent final product. I needed to focus on hitting all of my bases through photographs, and ensure that I was able to represent Maryland as well as I could, with limited time.
My main takeaway in terms of artistic interests and disciplines was through the variety of ways I went over the course of my two years. For example, I delved into a music production workshop in my first year, a wire sculpture workshop in my second year, a weaving field trip this semester, a photography and writing-based capstone project-- in addition to a variety of pentathlon subjects. By experimenting with so many types, I learned what I personally enjoy, and where I personally have better success. I’ve learned that some disciplines are easier than I’d originally think, and some are more impressive and difficult. I just have a bigger appreciation for the different types of artwork out there, and a much more open perspective on what counts as art.
My collaborative efforts in Arts Scholars came in the form of critiques, primarily. I learned a lot about different art strengths and perspectives, and I learned how to approach my peers’ work with intent in mind. During my wire sculpture workshop, I had a great time learning the different ways that people were approaching their game plan-- all very different from mine. This was a way that I learned how unique people’s processes could be, and I found that I was increasingly able to speak to them and their artwork.
Certainly, my biggest takeaway that I will have in professional and other future endeavors from my capstone creative process. I started very grandiose, with big expectations, and I scaled it back and used effective time management to meet the needs of a large project. Beyond that, my professional communication skills have improved, and my critique process is very different and influenced by each workshop and practicum I encountered. I’ve become more open-minded, more efficient, and I’ve developed my creative process thoroughly. Overall, Arts Scholars has been pretty excellent, and it’s helped me figure out a lot of things in my work process that I didn’t really understand previously.