Emma Brown
Arts Scholar
Pentathalon 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.
College Park Art Scholars Game Day
- September 12th, Art Scholars Zoom, Game Day
-#Presentation
- This event was very interesting to observe from an arts perspective. Particularly when we begun to play skribbl.io (a game similar to pictionary. I found that under pressure, even the best of artists can have trouble creating something sufficient that makes sense. And because of this, it made me wonder what the difference is between someone who can draw faster and others. Just because they can create something accurate in a short amount of time does that really make them better than someone who takes more time to create something of the same quality?
Abstract Art Project
Golden Rectangle Activity
#Visual Art September 29th, 2020
This project was an interesting exercise. The point of it was to use the golden rectangle as a way to inspire my art. The viewer's eye is meant to follow the spiral. Abstract work isn't something I usually do so it was interesting seeing how I could create the impression of something using just a few blocks, colors, and lines. Abstract art really does seem to be the epitome of what we were talking about in CSPA earlier which was that are can be anything the audience decides it to be.
Scholars Vote!
#Presentation October 22nd, 2020
At this event, I had the opportunity to learn from experienced members of our UMD community about how to vote safely, responsibly, and informed. I not only learned about how to stay informed but how to vote as a first year college student. This was very enlightening since I always had questions about how voting would be conducted on a college campus. Furthermore, in the light of COIVID-19, this presentation opened up a dialogue about possibly anxieties and worries for this year's voting.
Movie Night!
#Film December 12th, 2020
Streamed Big Hero 6 on Disney+
For my last Pentathlon of the semester, I decided to stream one of my favorite movies of all time. Big Hero 6 became an instant love of mine not just because of the beautiful animation but because of its STEM premise as well. Growing up I always felt split between my Engineering and Arts interests but this movie showed me that it is possible to combine both. It takes what I love about animation and fantasy worlds and combines them with real world STEM methods and capabilities. If I were to give one reason about what inspired me to pursue art scholars along with my chosen engineering major, I would say that it was this movie. And now that I have watched it again, it has only solidified this fact.
Semester 2
Blind Contour Drawing
Event Logistics: February 1, 2021; Home
Pentathalon Category: #visualart
Reflection:
For the first Pentathalon of the semester, I decided to do a visual arts project. Blind contour drawings are usually done as a way for visual artists to improve their hand-eye coordination. However, sometimes these practices result in beautiful pieces of abstract art. To enhance this element, I decided to draw 3 layers of blind contour drawings, each a different medium, each a different object. The beauty comes when these lines intersect to create something entirely new.
Specifically, blind contour drawings consist of an artist not looking at the paper while the draw the outline of that object. They must be staring at the object the entire time and never lift their pencil off of the paper. This element was particularly hard for me since I am such a visual person. I found myself struggling to not check on my progress. Yet, this is also why the concept of blind contour drawing is so special. The idea that you should focus on exactly what is in front of you instead of what you think it should be. This is something I’m hoping to focus on this concept for the rest of the semester. Since art involves so much self-expression, it’s easy to have an unconscious bias about what something should be like (whether it’s visual art, music, writing, etc.). I want to be able to represent something for what it truly is and go against my entire nature as a cartoonist.
2 for 1 Pentathlon Event
#ArtScholars #Dance #Music February 28th, 2021
For this Pentathalon I decided to attend the Art Scholars 2 for 1 event. The first event I attended was the TikTok Kpop dances room. Here, the hosts would lead us through a popular dance to a Korean pop song and we would follo9w their movements. TikTok, to me, is a very interesting social phenomenon when it comes to art. Typically, the attitude towards art expects others to create something from scratch. However, the very idea of TikTok challenges this by allowing users to remix, or “duet”, other videos. This allows for many variations of a similar trend. This introduced me to a concept that Art Scholars has repeatedly worked into their lectures which is that the nature and values of art can change over time. Just as the status quo is one thing one day, it can change to something completely different in the blink of an eye. This, I feel connects to anything in life, whether it be engineering or art.
The second event I attended was the Guessing Music room. Here, participants would receive a prompt and we would have to choose one of our favorite songs that matched it. The hosts would then play these songs while only providing the title. Players would then create a list guessing which songs were who’s. I only got one other person’s right while the winner only got 4 out of 9. These low numbers made me realize that music is so subjective that it’s unlikely for one person to have a specific “brand”. I found that songs I never would’ve guessed belonged to someone did and vice versa. Artists are often the ones to implore stereotypes on others but rarely do we follow these stereotypes ourselves. It definitely gives me another thing to think about when creating stories and worlds where I would have to portray nuanced characters.
Bachata Class!
#Dance February 22nd, 2021, UMD Studio A
For this pentathlon, I decided to attend a weekday Bachata class. Bachata is a type of traditional social dance from the Dominican republic. It takes many influences from Latin and African styles of music and dances. For this class, I was instructed through about 7 different dance steps, each building upon the last. Understanding bachata as not just a style of dance but a social dance was very interesting. Bachata is a dance that you can do as a duet or solo. At first, I thought doing it by myself would feel silly but as I got into it, it began to feel natural, Although I was taking this class over zoom, I still felt very connected to my constructor and those in the class. As I went on, the African influence became very apparent to me. The rhythm of the music coupled with the dance movements involved reminded me a lot of dancing with my family modern Ghanaian music at our family social gatherings. In this way, I began to understand what they meant by a social dance.
As I continued to contemplate how this could connect to Art Scholars or even my major, mechanical engineering, I found myself having difficulty coming up with connections. However, I realized that something that has such social significance may not be able to be fully connected to my experience. Bachata is something that I took part in briefly and I can’t expect myself to understand it to its full extent immediately. Yet, in this, I learned a great lesson about how some art is not meant to be understood. Sometimes, it’s just meant to be taken part in. Bachata can be a great relationship builder and that’s all it really needs to be.
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"Canvas"
#Film April 25th, 2021, Netflix
For my last pentathlon of the semester I decided to analyze the short film “Canvas” on netflix. Although it is just 9 minutes, I decided to watch it twice to extend the experience and capture the deeper message. Overall the experience was about 30 minutes of critical thinking. The short film is about an elderly black man gaining his inspiration to paint again after his wife died. The representation is important to me because I don’t usually get to see characters that have similar hair textures as mine and it was nice seeing how the animators dealt with that.
The first time I watched, I wanted to absorb the overall message. I found it very inspiring as an Art Scholars student to see someone older, and who looked like me, struggling to find inspiration but persevering anyway. Seeing his family beside him and encouraging him when he finally put the brush to the canvas helped me feel seen. Inspiration as creators is one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome, and when it’s tied to a loved one who may have passed away it can only become more complicated. Reminding people that we’re there for them and that making our art is still worth it, even after the fact, is important to the cultivation of all creations, art or engineering.
The second time through I paused more often to catch certain details like how the film started and ended on a still of a brush on canvas. I realized that watching something a second time sometimes makes it more meaningful since I began to notice the little things and appreciate the artist behind the art. In the future, I hope something that I make could move someone so much that they’d want to see it twice not only to experience it but to experience me as a result.
Semester 3
Kpop Dance Workshop
September 18, 2021 #Dance - NextNow: Kpop Dance Workshop
For my first pentathlon of the semester, I attended a K-pop dance workshop and the NextNow festival which was held at the Clarice. The workshop consisted of an instructor who taught us the choreography to Twice’s (a popular Korean pop group) song “Fancy”. The session was then followed by a free dance where people were free to participate in dances to songs they may have known.
In doing this event, I realized the stark contrast between listening to and being a maker of music as opposed to dancing to the choreography. One would say I had a sort of personal stake in the event since my sister did kpop cover dance throughout college. Furthermore, upon hearing about this event, I was quite excited to participate since Twice is one of my favorite kpop groups. However, I had only sung covers of songs I enjoyed before. Dance is not often something I partake in to show my appreciation for a piece of music. Yet, with this event, I was given the opportunity to do that with a large number of people.
The sharing of a piece of art with a large group of people is something so personal and palpable. I had not really experienced in terms of this specific media. When dancing in that room of people I found it fascinating and empowering to be surrounded by people who loved something just as much as me, if not more. I believe that this phenomenon is what Art Scholars is all about. In creating a community and a shared space for those of similar interests, we create not just something tangible but an intangible feeling of belonging.
Come From Away in Concert
September 10, 2021 #Theater - Ford’s Theater Society: Come From Away in Concert
During my first week on campus and UMD, I was giving the opportunity to see one of my favorite musicals in concert live. Come from Away is a musical that was shown on broadway about the stories of those who were flying in US airspace during 9/11. About 7,000 people were taken to Gnader overnight and held there for several days. The community of Gander came together to provide for these people.
It was interesting to see this musical now, many years after I discovered it. I found myself noticing new things among all the old things I loved about it. Experiencing a musical you love so much around a large group of people who love it just as much as you is an amazing experience. Coupled with the idea of community running through the story, it was surreal. Seeing how the themes of this musical connected to the pandemic of today made the message hit even more. Along with the imagery of planes flying overhead and this massive group of people, it all felt very guttural. To see how this bit of good came out of such a divisive time (i.e the rise in discrimination that was seen after) I found myself gaining hope.
This is how this experience taught me something new about art. The setting the art is experienced in can change so much. Had I been watching in a theater, sitting in a chair, I would have never experienced the plane flying overhead at the end of the first song. And interestingly enough, a large part of why I got to experience it this way was because of the pandemic. In this, I learned that unprecedented circumstances can breed new kinds of art, even now.
AAB Arthouse
October 15th, 2021 #Literature #ArtScholars - AAB Arthouse
For the third pentathlon of this semester, I decided to attend the Art Scholars Advisory Board Art House. Although I contributed to the event by performing, I was also a part of the audience. I was able to see some amazing performances ranging from music to comedy.
The most interesting thing I was able to observe at this event was how anything and everything was considered an art form. Many people tend to limit what they consider as art, and when it comes to performance are that pool only becomes smaller. However, music was not only involved but poetry and comedy. It was interesting to see how someone just talking to the audience could be considered art in how it’s structured and how it makes other people feel. Comedy routines are usually prepared and practiced just like any other performance art so I was surprised to realize that I had not really considered it an art form until now. It was cool to see how the audience was able to bond over jokes about our shared experiences.
This occurrence brought me back to the question, what is really art and what is its impact. In this context, I believe art is something that brings people together over one common idea. Although we all may interpret it differently, we are all still experiencing the same thing. So even something as “abstract” as stand-up comedy can still evoke the same impact that other art forms do.
Gamer Symphony Orchestra Small Ensemble Concert
October 24th, 2021 #Music - Gamer Symphony Orchestra Small Ensemble Concert
Gamer symphony Orchestra is a student-led music group dedicated to celebrating music from video games by arranging and covering them in an orchestral setting. This event specifically highlighted pieces prepared by small groups (small ensembles) of people within the orchestra. As a UMD student, I am also involved in this organization as a violist. I was a part of this concert both as a performer and as an audience member. Thus, it was interesting to see how different it was to be an artist and experience art by other people.
Performance has always been a very unique artform in that each live performance is different from the other. This phenomenon was made clear when I felt nervous energy from performing a piece I've done many times in front of people. I felt myself making mistakes that I knew I could have avoided. And yet, so many other artists have experienced the exact same thing.
As I was in one of the first few groups to perform, I had the chance to listen to many other groups. While I watched, I wondered how many others could have been making mistakes that I just did not pick up. Although I am a fellow musician, I’m sure there were things that even I did not notice. This made me realize how while the saying “Art is in the eye of the beholder” is true, it also has clear trends. For instance, a musician who performs something may be very critical of their performance while a musician watching may assume it’s a part of the whole thing. They may even like it more than the original. This would be something important to remember in art scholars when showing work to my peers. While I may be critical and nervous of the critiques of other artists, artists themselves are not as harsh as your own self.
Us Again
November 21st, 2021 #Film - Us Again, Disney+
For the fifth and last pentathlon of this semester, I decided to analyze the short film “Us Again” airing on Disney+. The short film focuses on an elderly couple living in the big city. In a strange turn of events, it begins to storm and the rain that falls from it turns everyone physically younger. Now with this newfound youth, the husband goes out in the city to dance once again with his wife.
Even though I watched it twice, the same thing stuck out to me both times. That is, the film’s use of music paired with the animated movements to convey strong emotions. It's not everyday you see one with the movements matching up perfectly with the musical beats in the song. However, since dance was a large part of the theme in this one, it added an extra element of storytelling. When a character made an exaggerated movement, the music had an accent in the beat. One moment that stuck out to me was when the two characters were dancing and the husband was desperate to follow the storm cloud to keep his youth. The music crescendos and you can see him physically growing more frantic and reaching his entire body. Everything matched together perfectly within that sequence.
I think the reason this technique of animation stuck with me so much is because it’s something that I’ve always tried to emulate in my work. Naturally, I have an inclination to match movements in my animations with the music since I’ve been doing music from a very young age. To me, music is the base of the animation. It’s what tells the audience not just how to feel, but how the movements will flow together. So, as I continue with my projects, I hope to take this film as an example and emulate it as much as I can.
Semester 4
Tick, Tick . . . Boom!
February 5th, 2022 #Film - Tick, Tick . . . Boom!, Netflix
“Tick, Tick . . . Boom!” was originally a musical created by Jonathan Larson that was eventually adapted into an off-broadway musical (2003) and then into a movie (2021). The story is a retelling of Jonathan Larson’s life as he struggles to refine his musical that he’s been working on for the majority of his 20s while also balancing his relationships and financial issues. As he works toward this goal, the fear of his 30th birthday grows ever-present.
Mixed with stunning visuals and vibrant orchestrations, the movie managed to captivate me despite not having an unpredictable storyline. However, most of this could probably be attributed to the fact that it’s a real story. Because of this, I found myself relating to it even more. As I start my capstone project immediately after turning 20, although a decade younger than Larson, I began to understand the pressure of creating a product for a story you’ve been working on for almost a decade. The movie does a great job of communicating this feeling not just through music but the way it feels visually suffocating at some parts. For instance, there is a moment when Larson goes swimming to clear his head and as his thoughts race and the music gets louder, the pool is full of crowded people. Only when he begins to clear his head is it only him alone in the pool.
Although Larson’s musical was never picked up, this idea and feeling of catharsis as you finish a project and everything starts to fall into place is what I’m chasing with my project. Despite the difficulties that come within academic and personal life, I still move forward anyway. As I go on to finish my last semester is Art Scholars, this film has informed me of a lot of blind spots and strengths that need to be addressed as I finish this years-long project.
Valentines Day Karaoke
February 25th, 2022 #Music #ArtScholars - AAB Karaoke
For the second pentathlon of the semester, I took part in preparing and hosting a karaoke event done by the Arts Scholars Advisory Board. The main reason for this event was to sing songs in relation to valentines day but in the end, any types of songs were included. I had an interesting experience with this event mostly due to the fact that not any attended. Because of this, most of those singing were a close group of friends, myself included.
Admittedly, I was reluctant to attend this event after spending time there I grew more comfortable. I believe this is because we were all engaging in a form of art that we cared about. At certain points I would sing songs that other people knew and loved and because I fed off of their energy, I was able to enjoy it much more as a result. This is something that I’ve really only felt in art spaces. A feeling of camaraderie when one performs or showcases something that you yourself like and understand.
I wasn’t worried about how well I sang or if anyone else liked it because I knew that everyone in that room was also an artist. This made me realize the importance of sharing our work not just with other people but with other artists as well. I feel like many people are afraid to show their work to other artists within their field because they think those people are going to judge them just as hard as they judge themselves (since they understand the nuances) but more often than not I find that these people appreciate all the hard work that goes into it even if they can tell that it isn’t perfect. I hope to remember this when I go on to work on my capstone and show my works in progress to my peers. Hopefully, I’ll be more confident in sharing what I have.
Spring Lecture: Stephanie Beatriz
March 10th, 2022 #Presentation Spring Lecture - Stephanie Beatriz
Every semester UMD has a guest speaker come and lecture to students. Typically, they are a popular social figure. The lecture consists of them answering questions provided by an interviewer and then a Q and A session afterward. This semester, I decided to attend Stephanie Beatriz’s lecture. Stephanie Beatriz is a popular actress mostly known for her roles on Brooklyn 99 as Rosa Diaz and Mirabel Madrigal in Encanto. The reason her lecture stood out to me, in particular, is because I was interested in her experience as a professional LGBTQ+ woman of color in a creative field.
Although acting is not exactly the same as animation or music, I found what Beatriz had to say in her lecture quite useful. Most importantly, what stuck with me was how down the earth and yet self-defeating she seemed to be. Stephanie Beatriz has always been someone I’ve looked up to since her character came out as bisexual on Brooklyn 99. It was one of the few times I actually saw a queer woman of color be represented in media well. After watching that episode, I wanted to be able to emulate that in my own work. And although Beatriz was the reason for this change in her character, she still manages to humble herself (possibly a little too much). This made me realize how easy it is to downplay ourselves as artists, no matter much you have achieved. Beatriz is someone who, in her field, is considered to have fulfilled the ultimate dream of playing a major Disney character and yet she commented on how she still felt like she didn’t deserve it.
I also tend to do this with my work a lot even though I am not a professional. As I seek to put out professional work I begin to become so critical that I can not take any praise I get seriously. Instead, I say that it’s nothing and move on. Seeing how no matter how experienced you get in something doesn’t necessarily take this feeling away, I want to work on this as an artist. Specifically with my capstone, when people compliment it I want to be able to take those compliments to heart.
Walt Disney Imagineering
March 24th, 2022 #Presentation NSBE Conference - Walt Disney Imagineering
This semester I was given the very fortunate opportunity to attend the NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers) Conference in Anaheim, California. There I was able to network with other engineering majors and explore the many options of engineering jobs. While most of these were STEM-only jobs, one company stood out to me in particular. That is the Walt Disney Imagineering company. This company is comprised of individuals who use a combination of their technical and artistic knowledge to create many of the attractions found at Disney resorts. At this convention, I was not only able to meet employees of the company but also attended a workshop lecture in which I was able to learn all about what their job really entails.
Being able to see artistic pursuits not only recognized but celebrated in a mostly STEM space was very encouraging for me. One of the speakers, Jonathan Becker, didn’t even go to college for engineering and still managed to work it into his art. At the time he was working on an exoskeleton that could be worn by people around the parks. He managed to use a blend of artistic character design and 3d printing to achieve this. I was astounded by this because of the misconception that art and STEM rarely intersect. Ever since I’ve begun Art Scholars I’ve sought to find meaningful and fulfilling ways to blend my artistic and engineering interests. Within Beckers's work, I was able to see a future in which this was possible.
Timed Sketch Challenge
April 17th, 2022 #Visual Art Quickposes.com - Timed Sketch Challenge
For my last Art Scholars pentathlon, I decided to return back to my general concentration and do a visual arts challenge. The timed sketch challenge is a challenge where an artist will find a particular reference photo and draw it within a limited amount of time. Occasionally, they will re-draw while shortening the amount of time each session. The website Quickposes.com makes this possible by showing a set of guidelines such as duration of time. Then, the timer begins, and once it's over it will move on to the next reference photo.
For my challenge, I just decided to stick with 60 seconds without redoing my drawings and shortening the time each time. I found that getting started was really difficult but once I got into the groove of it, drawing in under 60 seconds became a lot easier. I have a tendency to fixate on details so this challenge was a really good way for me to push myself when it came to gesture drawings. Form and anatomy will always be something I try to improve on and this challenge seemed like a good way to practice this while also keeping my attention.
Yet, I think the most important thing I learned is how to iterate. Sketches are meant to be loose and unrestricted. I feel that it’s hard for artists to stick to this principle because we tend to be perfectionists and for the longest time, I didn’t really value it as a skill. However, after doing this project I realized how nice it is to be able to just sketch an idea out and have a variety of stuff to choose from. This is definitely going to be a challenge I do often from now on in order to warm up before drawing pieces. And hopefully, I’ll be able to transfer this idea of iteration to other parts of my life as well.