Pentathlon

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.

Pentathlon 1: Maryland Night Live

Event Logistics 9/9/22 @ Kay Theater, The Clarice presents: Maryland Night Live

Pentathlon category #theater #music #film

I’ve never been much of a theater head, but when I attended this performance here at our very own Clarice, the heart of performing arts at this institution, I can definitely say that this was a truly unique and enjoyable experience. The amount of variety this show had was incredible, to say the least. There was everything from musical performances, stand-up comedy, film parodies, and quirky skits. There was something for everyone to enjoy. I especially enjoyed the horror film parody they did on UMD’s own mascot, Testudo. I wasn’t expecting anything big, but I ended up genuinely laughing all the way through some of these skits. The creativity from UMD’s very own students was incredible to see and very inspiring to someone like me who also wishes to create something as entertaining as the skits presented on Maryland Night Live. UMD isn’t known for its arts and humanities programs, but after witnessing the tremendous amount of talent present here at just the Clarice alone I am excited to attend and even participate in future events such as this.

Pentathlon 2: Craft & Chat Collages

Event Logistics 9/21/22 @ Bel Air Art Lounge, UMD Art Scholars hosts the first Craft & Chat!

Pentathlon category #visualart #ArtsScholars

The first-ever Arts Scholars Craft & Chat was a joy to participate in. As the name implies, I chatted with fellow arts scholars, including sophomore and alumni scholars, while crafting my own artistic collage. In all honesty, I didn’t imagine really immersing myself in the actual collage and I only allocated enough time to stop by before a class. However, what ended up happening was me skipping my class to finish my magnum opus that I was working so hard on. I was dedicated to completing it which I’m glad I did. It sits on my desk now as a reminder of the hard work I put into crafting it. I also got to learn a bit more and experience first-hand how collages are very intricate and skillful pieces of art. I got to see one of the sophomore’s capstone projects which was a full collage portrait of a theme of her choosing. It was actually very impressive and seemed like every little detail was given the proper attention it deserved. I got to see how impressionable we can be when it comes to artistic expression. Inspiration goes a long way after you experience or find something you like and are interested in exploring. I do now consider taking my own personal interests and creating a visual representation of those interests in a unique and imaginative way just like how I saw here.

Pentathlon 3: Pumpkin Function

Event Logistics 10/20/22 @ Cambridge Community Center, UMD Arts Scholars hosts a fun little pumpkin painting event!

Pentathlon category #visualart #presentation #ArtsScholars

I went into this event thinking I knew how to paint. I couldn’t be more wrong. I did go the previous day to another pumpkin painting event on campus, but I wasn’t with any friends that knew anything about artistic painting. I’ve never really painted anything, let alone painted a pumpkin. So when I started plastering on yellow paint right away onto my pumpkin, my friends in arts scholars all looked at me like I was crazy. They told me I had to first apply a white layer to allow the actual desired colors I paint over to be more vibrant. That explains why the pumpkin I painted the day before looked really bland. I took their advice and drizzled on a white layer and even learned how to dry the layer faster. I instantly could tell the difference with the new yellow layer I painted on afterwards. Everyone all had their own unique ideas as to what they wanted their pumpkin to be or represent. Lots of them were painted to be cute characters from different media, others were given unique patterns and visuals, and others were of course halloween themed. It was interesting to see how even something as unusual as a pumpkin could hold art that someone used to express themselves.

Pentathlon 4: Storytelling!

Event Logistics 11/4/22 @ Bel Air Art Lounge, Arts Scholars hosts Craft and Chat: Storytelling!

Pentathlon category #literature #presentation #ArtsScholars

This week’s edition of Craft and Chat was definitely made for me as I do enjoy a good bit of storytelling and writing. We even jumped straight in with a 10-15 minute free writing session with the fun prompt of writing about an alien who is learning about something for the first time. It took me a few minutes of brainstorming, but I was able to write a quick one-page little excerpt of a fun little world. I am quite proud of it and was excited to share it with the person next to me who also wrote an interesting piece himself. In fact, I found it very coincidental that he wrote about graffiti painting and how he had a hard time understanding why graffiti was so taboo. It made me think back to our first discussion of art being “good” or not and it was nice to hear from someone who actually spraypaints and hear his perspective on the whole subject. “An empty wall is just an open canvas” is what he told me. His story on graffiti helped me visualize and understand another perspective in a bigger, two-sided narrative using just words. My perspective on the arts has not changed after this event but instead has further made me more sympathetic to those whose form of art is either challenged or not given enough attention. Storytelling by itself is already not really considered an art to some people, as I overheard some of my peers questioning the validity of this Craft and Chat being for the “arts” or their view of what art is. So not only did I engage in what I do believe is an artistic medium, but also heard the perspective of another art medium whose validity was also questioned. I definitely consider this pentathlon event to be a crucial point in my discovery of what makes art what art is: a mirror for self-reflection.

Pentathlon 5: Craft & Chat Dorm Door Decorations

Event Logistics 12/7/22 @ Bel Air Art Lounge, Arts Scholars hosts Craft and Chat:

De-Stressing Decorations!

Pentathlon category #visualart #ArtsScholars

The final edition of Craft & Chat was quite the festive treat to attend. Christmas music was playing, hot chocolate was being served, and the holiday spirit was alive! Much like the first craft and chat, we were free to use any of the supplies we were given, so I went with a simple paper snowflake that I plan on hanging inside my dorm. While getting crafty, I took a look around the room and saw the rest of my peers’ projects. They were all doing something different and I couldn’t believe how creative everyone was. Some people were making Christmas-themed origami, some drew festive murals, and some were even making collages. The funny thing was that I was one of the only people in the room using a video tutorial on my craft. I was amazed at the fact that others could be creative without needing a tutorial to act upon that creativity. Maybe I just don’t have the artistic skills of someone who can draw or paint, but I wonder how artists can put their minds to hand when creating art on the spot. At least at the end of the day, I learned how to create a cute symmetrical paper snowflake using folding techniques and the precise use of a scissor.