Madison Mazer
Arts Scholar
Semester 3
This semester in Arts Scholars I learned and experienced many things and ideas. I learned that art is imperative to developing social, political, and economic change. This was taught to me during our social activism panel, where various artists detailed how their work contributes to movements and inspires people. Some of this art even transcends the political or social issues at hand in an effort to bring people together. But mainly, art for a movement is meant to educate people about or rally them behind a social cause. An example of this we have seen very recently is artists coming together and creating works to combat racial injustices and support the Black Lives Matter Movement. Another thing I took away was taught to me by the guest artist, Alanna Reeves, art is also an important tool that people use to help define themselves. Reflecting back to the class activity where we drew objects relating to who we are, I realize we draw to create a deeper connection with ourselves and the “history” behind the object--even if it is only a personal history.
While developing our Capstone projects, I was able to craft what works for me during the creative process. I realized how important a simple word web or idea brainstorm was in figuring out what I wanted to do. In using outlines each week, I was able to refine my ideas and build a capstone I was genuinely passionate about. Also, often times when I work on a project—like my Capstone--I am so close to it that I overlook certain details. This is why it is crucial to receive feedback and be mindful of what others have to say about your work. In class, we use the critical response method, which is my favorite way of refining my ideas, because it focuses on objective questioning and developing of ideas rather than opinions and personal comments. A recent, and slightly famous, piece of artwork that reflects this concept is the Disney commissioned mural of Chadwick Boseman—made to commemorate his passing. Chadwick was and still is an important figure in the black community as well as a hero to most young black boys--as he starred in a movie that represented a group of people marginalized from the cannon of action films. This is why, to symbolize Chadwick’s forever impact, the mural featured him in his costume with a young boy dressing like him.
Due to online learning--and no longer living in the Cambridge Community--I feel that I don’t get to interact with my peers as much as I would like to. Last year, I definitely reaped the benefits of being in such close contact with my fellow Arts Scholars as we would work on collaborative assignments together and easily create a discourse about topics overviewed in class without even trying. Now, the only time I really feel that I get to interact with peers is during TA time. I really appreciated how dedicated each colloquium was in reserving time for our TA groups, as I enjoy discussing things beyond our regular class. I think this was a great way to make sure students stay in touch with each other, and my only suggestion--time permitting--would be to make TA time longer!
While I cannot say I have ever come into contact with someone in Scholars where my beliefs were “challenged” --as most students I have interacted with share politically progressive views. I understand the importance of having conversations with those who have polarizing beliefs. Discourse is a critical factor for progress. It allows people to account for other’s experiences and acknowledge new perspectives, which in turn forces them to look beyond their personal scope of the situation--and possibly change their views or opinions.
I have contributed to the Arts Scholars program through my engagement in colloquium and field trips. I am an avid participator in our group discussions during TA time, and not only share personal experiences but also enjoy listening to others. I also recall engaging with the instructor and classmates in my Zine Making field trip to Studio A. I loved sharing my work as well as commenting on other’s creations--and finding more about their creative process. I wish I was able to contribute more to Arts Scholars community service wise. Last year, I felt a part of a community--not only here within Scholars, but College Park--when we were able to paint murals for the elementary school. Covid-19 has definitely set me back and held me from contributing to many of the ways that I would have liked to, but I have made a promise to myself to contribute more next semester!
Lastly, one supporting course I took last year that connected to Arts Scholars was, Music 205 or History of Popular Music. In this course, we learned not only about the chart-topping songs of each era, but also how music shapes cultures and an individual’s identity. We would learn about genres ranging anywhere from country rock to jazz and the correlation between their “sound,” impact, and the region it originated. Overall, this class highlighted how popular music, a form of art we tend to overlook in Arts Scholars, connects to the world and ourselves.
Semester 4
Throughout the process of developing my capstone there were many revisions. I would always receive comments that I was not exactly getting my point across and there were questions about what I wanted to have presented as a final piece of work. This was until I learned to keep things simple and explain important things in a few sentences. Each time I turned in my artist statement it got shorter and shorter--yet it still retained the same ideas as the original. Also, in my pentathlon alone there is an improvement with each post. If you go back and see my progress from semester one to two you see my writing becomes more clear and concise. I no longer dwell on points, but actively make sure what I am writing has a purpose and it is adding meaning to my response and overall pentathlon.
My perception of art has changed in two ways. The first is that it was redefined through field trips such as “learning to weave.” I used to believe art had a definition and there were clear rules for what could and could not be considered art. Through learning about weaving’s history as an art form I was able to appreciate it in a cultural sense. My opinion about weaving and crafts -- such as bracelet making -- has completely changed. I used to believe crafting was more of a hobby, but this class has allowed me to not put limits on art. Secondly, this class influenced my perception of interdisciplinary art. The first time this happened was last year during a colloquium where we had guest artists who performed poetry with music. I always thought of art like this (such as reading poetry over instrumental) as two separate mediums. I never realized that when combined they can be their own new form of art. After that class I was able to appreciate the hybrid creations of art that come with interdisciplinary work. I also came to realize my field trip first semester, Zine making, had a minute of mediums. There was binding, which felt like a form of sewing, and drawing and creative writing.
My capstone project drew on the theme of art and activism, which was something we learned in both colloquium and the guest panel. Not only was I inspired by this panel to make my project educate my audience, but I learned how to do the research needed for creating social movement art. Before starting my project, I dedicated a lot of time to researching the expression of feminism in different forms of media. One form of media that I felt particularly drawn to was art and writing. I read literature by many iconic feminist writers such as Sylvia Plath and Simone De Beauvoir. I also looked at many murals dated throughout the 3rd and 4th wave of feminism to provide context for my understanding of the modern feminist movement.
I have strengthened my existing artistic talents through workshops such as “the you in music.” I have always been passionate about music (singing) and theatre, but this class allowed me to understand why. I learned about how music helps people relax and destress while also allowing others to pump up and get hyped. Music can influence emotion -- depending on the genre or chords used -- and to some it is intentionally used to control happiness or sadness. Music is also extremely important when it comes to identity. This was the key piece of information that furthered my artistic talent. I always sang pieces correctly and hit all of the right notes, but I was not able to connect to my audience as an artist because I was not reading the music for its emotion. I did not think about emotion as a huge part of songs and scenes in plays, which helps me get into “characters'' and sing the song on a deeper level. I have also deepened my interest through pentathlon and field trips. My first year in the program, I attended plays and dance shows such as Black Grace Crying Men that sparked my interest for more interdisciplinary work and influenced me to audition for a musical on campus.
During these past two semesters, I collaborated with Sophia Averza on our capstone project, Women v. the World. Although coming from very different backgrounds and having separate target audiences, we were still able to come together and execute our project using a common theme: Feminism. We held weekly meetings where we researched the background for our works and created pieces together for that week's progress check. After countless dialogues and hours of work, Sophia and I were able to combine our interests and abilities and come out with our 6 final pieces and Instagram story graphics.
I believe I will continue using the information I learned through my capstone project and even elaborate on the Instagram account. After taking a gender and communication class last semester I had the foundational knowledge to start this project, but I learned so much more through my own research. My capstone project is what sparked my passion for women’s rights and creating art that educates audiences on social injustice. I want to continue learning about this topic and maybe even minor in women’s studies. I will also always most definitely use the critique method we learned. I am specifically referring to the “pat on the back” and then “step forward” example. I enjoy that there are both complimentary comments and helpful ones that allow individuals to improve their work from an objective standpoint. I find this method specifically beneficial because it is constructive rather than opinionated or mean and it is very direct/specific: i.e. you did this and it had this effect. Overall, I have personally found this method to be one of the most effective forms of giving feedback.