Serena Kemp
Arts Scholar
Pentathalon Semester 2
As an experiential component of College Park Arts Scholars, I attended a selection of five art events during my final semester as an art scholar. These events ranged in art mediums and each sparked dialogue among my peers.
Art Break! Wire Mushroom
February 10, 2021,
My favorite thing is to create wire sculptures so for my first pentathlon event i decided to create a wire sculpture as a therapeutic practice. i find this kind of art to be meditative and very grounding as you are working in the 3D space. i have begun sharing this with some other students through teaching my class and this was a nice break from work.
I think that taking time to do art in times like these is super important in keepinig my mental health in check and creating a sence of blalance. i have also seen how helpful it can be for people who do not even creeate or ingage with art regularly.
Coco Movie Watch Party
February 26, 2021, Disney + Movie screening
I had the chance to connect with a few friends and screen the movie Coco by pixar. I loved how this movie created such an immersive experience by conveying huge amounts of emotion and humanity in its characters. i thought that overall the art style is beautiful and breathtaking. this experience helped me connect with a culture that was not familiar to my which i really enjoyed. it had me longing for family traditions and a stronger connection to my family and ancestors overall. i think that this movie highlighted such an important aspect of humanity which is connection to our past. i think it was interesting that my friends and i were mostly silent during this movie because we were so taken in by the movie. overall i found that this movie and its style really attest to the ability of art to share not only stories but also emotion and culture. i thin k that it is super important to have experiences like this that open you up to alternate cultures from your own and allow you to connect with others on a deeper level.
Lavar Reads: "Kin" by Bruce McAllester #Literature
March 13, 2021
I am always one to love a good story, and Lavar Burton is of the best to present them. The story "Kin" i chose to listen to today is about a boy and an alien. There are heaps of description and detail that really drag you into the story and cause you to become immersed in this reality. The boy was not afraid of the alien as much as he was confused and intrigued by its presence. The alien asked the boy who he wants killed, and the boy answered with the man who is going to kill his sister. This proposition leads us on a journey to solve this issue. The author tells a compelling story. While listening I found myself invested in every part of this story. I believe that a good story should pull you in and capture you until it is finished, and this story did exactly that. i enjoyed the aspects of escapism that this story provided. for just a half hour i was able o get away from my every day life that has been so mennonites this past year. There is great value in escapism especially in challenging times like these. Having the story read to me helped in the escapism aspect of enjoyment. I was able to lose myself in the words in a way not possible when reading for myself.
"The Unexpected math of Origami" TED Talk
April 4, 2021
This TED Talk details the folding of paper used to find the model for a starshade of a giant camera in space. It is explained how the different rules of origami translates mathematically. These rules make origami both predictable and complicated. That is the beauty of the art. The talk goes on to give more examples of how this art form makes its way into science. There are new inovations happening every day based on this art. I think that this is a beautiful example of how art can change lives. Not only is origami beautiful, but it also has made many life changing devices such as stints that open up blocked blood vessels. It is important to observe art because it can lead to innovation all around us. This connection is everywhere in art and is further seen in different things like architecture and engineering. This TED Talk reminded my why I used to want to be an engineer. I saw so many problems that could be fixed with a creative solution, and i saw how art translates to innovation.
Chris Delia comedy special "No Pain"
April 25, 2021
For my final pentathlon event i decided to watch Chris Delia's comedy special. I have enjoyed his comedy for a while now, but i never got the opportunity to watch his special. I overall really enjoyed my hour of laughing and watching the special. This was another form of escapism that I have really enjoyed over the pandemic. I think that comedy is such a great way to let off some stress and enjoy something with others. There is nothing like sitting down and laughing with your friends. I found a lot of value in this art from because it was able to let me get out of my life for a bit and enjoy myself. I think its things like this that i have taken for granted in the past year. I haven't really taken the time to do something fun for myself because i couldn't really think of something to do, but this was the perfect way to spend an hour.
Use this Footer Paragraph to add Image Credits when needed.