Pentathalon Semester 1

Last Friday, Sidney and I hosted a peer mentor pentathlon event, including virtual games and a TEDTalk video. First, Sidney, Alejandro, Bree, and I played Scribl.io, an online game similar to Pictionary, where we worked to create quick art drawings to communicate an idea to each other. Then, we learned how to play an online version of the game "Codenames" where we split into peer mentor teams, my mentee Alejandro on my team and Sidney's mentee Bree on her team, to win the game and guess as many cards for our color as possible before the other team won. Lastly, we ended the night by watching a TED Talk by Merve Emre entitled, "How do personality tests work?"

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This event was super impactful for our group because we started out the night tapping into some of our creative side as artists, then we bonded with each other and built a sense of camaraderie through our team game, and lastly we gained more of an understanding of how to understand ourselves and others as humans. The personality TEDTalk was very insightful, as I learned what pseudo-sciences are out there and what we can gain from an understanding of our different personality types as a community. This sense of community building is essential in any atmosphere, which we will need to foster within our majors community and careers, but I feel like it is particularly important within the Arts Scholars program because fellow artists must encourage each other in their endeavors and feel comfortable and safe in order to fully express themselves. It is more important than ever to foster a sense of community with each other, and this event was able to promote connection that helps each of us to feel supported in our academic and creative endeavors as we begin the semester. I really enjoyed learning through the other artists about their creative passions, they inspire me to continue to become fascinated with my art and explore despite what may first seem as obstacles, but just may be extra challenges to overcome. 

This piece of art includes me! From right to left, I am the third actor in the above picture. For the past two months, I have been rehearsing for the show "Machinal" with the UMD Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies department. It has proved a challenge, as the show was cast last spring before the pandemic and was scheduled to be in person, but adjustments were made to transition to an online format. Although theatre virtually was not ideal, it proved to be a tremendous learning experience. The department aimed to have a live show, broadcast to look like the actors were on stage together- for this, we were given a greenscreen, webcam, and earphones with built in mics. We spent hours in rehearsals blocking our movements to make our scene look believable, even if the actors weren't in the room together. There were some very difficult rehearsals and many hurdles, but I think it made me a more patient and professional performer, and the cast and crew ended up growing together. We ended up with a great show that told the story of a how society's overwhelming oppression of a woman in the 1980's caused her desperate actions. I really enjoyed being a part of this new experiment, and think my biggest takeaway is that the effect of art can still be powerfully felt through a virtual setting.

I decided to dive into the art of film and watch Amy Poehler's "Moxie" for this pentathlon. The Netflix original film follows a girl who uncovers her high school's sexist underbelly and aims to bring awareness to the issue through a number of zines, which she distributes anonymously through her school. I found the plot to be empowering through its focus on intersectional feminism, but also found it needing to be more fleshed out. There are multiple plot lines throughout the story that were introduced but not given a solid conclusion. For example, the main character Vivian mentions her struggle with the absence of her father in one line at the climax of the film, but then there is no mention of this afterwards. In addition, Vivian's best friend in the movie, Claudia, brings up in conversation the privilege that Vivian possesses being white in one scene. Claudia, an Asian American daughter of to immigrants, expresses that she does not have the same freedom in her activism as Vivian does, and has much more at stake in her choices with her education, which her parents worked tirelessly to provide for her. This is a significant concept, but was only given a couple lines in the script. Including intersectionality in feminist work is essential, so it is great that this was included, but it felt like too quick of an acknowledgement in the movie. I can apply this to my activism in art in realizing the need to not just mention important topics, but delve into their significance and consequences, rather than doing it to check a box, which this instance felt like in the film. 
Overall, I did enjoy the cute film, but certainly also wish a film covering such an important topic could have been more polished. I can certainly relate this piece of art to what we have been learning about in Arts Scholars all year- the ties between art and activism. I do have questions on whether the producers had meant to include more detail on the plot holes and topics that I mentioned, and maybe had to cut certain parts for the sake of time, and how they view activism being expressed through the art form of film.  All in all, it was very interesting to view how activism plays out in film, and how a story being told can evoke much needed empathy for issues that people might not have much experience confronting.

This past Friday, I was able to attend Nicole's Capstone project event, focusing on art therapy and specifically coloring can reduce stress. We spent about an hour simply coloring together and I had been feeling very stressed before, having assignments due night still, but I left with my mind feeling more fresh and ready to do work, rather than feeling overloaded and agitated. It was helpful to see another student's capstone and how different each of our projects are in Arts Scholars, but still so relevant in the field of arts. We have each found something we are interested in, but so important, leading to my realization of just how vast and rich the field of arts can be. 
My biggest takeaway from this event was the therapeutic effect that art can have. I often forget how it is used so commonly in professional therapy and wellness programs. Music therapy, visual art therapy, and lots of different forms of art can be helpful to different people. Even relating it to my project, art can be used as a sort of therapy for those who are experiencing incarceration to help them cope with their isolation. Hearing testimonies of how art has helped people to escape and express themselves when they felt so low is extremely powerful and helps me to remember the power and effect of the art that we create and promote in our lives.

On Tuesday, I attended a poetry slam hosted by the Arts Advisory Board. In the event, we heard from a number of Arts Scholars students and their talent in poetry. I was lucky enough to read an original poem by an incarcerated artist from my capstone project, Derrick Grantley, and bring that perspective to the zoom room. Everyone was very supportive of each other and their work. I especially loved how many students in my poetry workshop, led by Saxon Brown, presented their poems that they made for our class. I am gaining a greater appreciation of poetry this semester through that class, and this event helped to demonstrate even further how relevant and effective poetry can be as a means of expression or activism. 
I had never attended an AAB event before, so to see the good work that the board is doing was very encouraging. It made me wonder what other events I can take advantage of during my time in the Arts program, since we have such an involved and engaged community. I would like to take my peer mentees to an event like this in the future, where we can both enjoy a social event and showcase our creative talents and passions. This balance, along with the support from students, made this event greatly successful in my eyes.