TRYATHLON 1

Event Logistics Monday Sept 4th, Denton Hall, Rom-Com Club, Heartstopper

Pentathlon category #film

On Monday afternoon Sept 4th, 2023, I attended a showing of the Netflix show Heartstopper in Denton Hall. Heartstopper is a show based on a series of books with the same name detailing the adventures of two main characters, Nick and Charlie as they go on a journey to discover themselves in their romantic relationship, personal hardships, and their friendships. This day we indulged in season two which had recently come out at the beginning of August. I personally have only watched season 2 once before this but some others had seen it like 5-10 times. I found everyone’s reaction so interesting because everyone has different levels of interest in the show, yet everyone was reacting the same ways. It was obvious which scenes were everyone’s favorites because of the reactions in the room. For example, when Charlie stands up to Ben, his abusive ex from the previous season, he expresses how saying sorry doesnt fix all the trauma that he has caused for Charlie. This was a really big moment in the season because it took a long time for Charlie to build up the courage and overcome his fear of standing up to him. During this moment, even I, not a big tv watcher at all, was surprised and very proud of Charlie as others were. Connecting back to what we have learned in Arts Scholars, this shows how art experiences can be perceived differently by different people. I personally am not as interested in shows as much as my friends are so I often have trouble connecting with shows, its characters, etc. but I can usually understand why my friends are as interested as they are.

TRYATHLON 2

Event Logistics Wednesday October 4th, Tawes Hall, Writer's Here and Now

Pentathlon category #presentation #literature

On Wednesday, October 4th, I attended readings from Deesha Philyaw and Monica Youn as part of the Writer's Here and Now Event. Writer's Here and Now is an event that brings renowned writers into UMD's spaces, such as TAWES Hall, where they read some of their original work. This is preceded by a Q&A session at Queen Anne's Hall hosted by the Jimenez Porter Writer's House which I am apart of of. As a writer, it was so impactful to hear from Monica Youn herself about what it takes to write, what inspired her, and her background in general as most of her work is inspired by her Korean-American upbringing. I first heard Deesha Philyaw's reading of a new book that she was working on and it was so interesting that I decided to buy her debut book, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, almost immediately after the event was over.

This connects back to my involvement in the writer's house as this is one of the many events advertised by the living learning program. In addition this also connects back to Arts Scholars because we often forget about the impact that writing has on society.

As an Information Science major, this connects back to my major as I strive to collect more information about different things. In my information organization class which is a major requirement we often discuss ways to organize and archive information such as literature and it made me curious as to how these works of art would be preserved in the future.

LIGHT PAINTING CRAFT & CHAT

Event Logistics Thursday November 16, Bel Air Lounge, Light Painting Craft & Chat

Pentathlon category #ArtsScholars

On Thursday, November 16, I attended the Light Painting Craft & Chat at Bel Air Hall. In this Craft & Chat, Belle showed us some cool ways to paint using our phones and handheld lights that we waved around. We used the app, spectre, a long exposure app in which the camera's shutter is left open after the camera button is pressed, allowing more light to be processed during that time. In this way, we were able to create interesting images while experimenting with the different ways that we could manipulate light sources as well as how light influenced the subjects of the photos. At first, I was a bit confused and felt limited on what I could do with my light source until Belle came over and showed other ways such as drawing hearts or other symbols with the light sources. We even went outside to experiment even more and I was able to apply some of those concepts.

Similar to what I have learned in Arts Scholars and as an Information Science major, some things require calling on others for assistance and applying that information gained to better understand concepts. For example, in my Information Organization class, INST311, my professor often spends the bulk of lecture time explaining concepts through the use of examples and we are still able to ask for assistance in which she will give more palatable examples if needed.

Overall, this Craft & Chat was a lot more interesting than I thought it was going to be. I was able to create really unique pictures and play with style.

SEMESTER 4

Heartmelt Delights

Event Logistics Tuesday February 13, Bel Air Lounge, AAB Heartmelt Delights

Pentathlon category #ArtsScholars

On Tuesday, February 13, 2024, I attended AAB's Valentine's event, 'Heartmelt Delights' in the Bel Air Lounge. At the event, we had the chance to make our very own chocolate which happened to be heart-shaped for a Valentine's Day twist. There was also pizza and refreshments served. For the chocolate we poured the melted chocolate into the heart shaped molds with decorations and let them sit in the fridge for a little bit. I had never 'made' chocolates before so it was a new experience for me. I'll have this experience to look back on if I ever want to do something like this again on my own or with friends. It was fun seeing so many people from the program aside from class since I don't live in Bel Air anymore.

As a workshop leader, this inspires me to go beyond just my workshop content and have fun activities for my students because not only will they be learning something new but it will also be fun and something that they can look back on as well. As an information science major, I've had a few major-related experiences in which I remember ver fondly because of such a unique experience learning new things with my peers. I think the same can be said for Arts Scholars. I am constantly learning new things and experiencing new situations with my TA, students, and my fellow workshop leaders.

Matt Maltese Concert

Event Logistics Wednesday March 20, The Howard Theatre, Washington D.C,

Pentathlon category #Music

On Wednesday, March 20, 2024, some friends and I attended a Matt Maltese concert at The Howard Theatre inre in Washington D.C. Matt Maltese is a British singer-songwriter who makes indie pop music. This was such an amazing experience as it was my first concert and I was surrounded by my friends. These are the same friends that ha had introduced me to Maltese's music last school year and ever since then I fell in love with his work. As I mentioned previously, this was the first concert I had ever been to so it was quite an experience for this being the first time. Althought it was a small venue, so many spectacular things happened in such a small space and small period of time. There was an opening act before he performed called The Army, The Navy whose majestic sound made for an incredible opener. Additionally, the different lighting and smoke effects throughout the show added to the majestic atmosphere during the opening and Maltese's performance. Through what I've learned in Arts Scholars about the different techniques that make art comes together, I am able to connect this knowledge to what I saw during the show.

Mixed Monologues Open Mic

Event Logistics Wednesday March 27, STAMP Student Union, MICA Cozy Corner

Pentathlon category #Performance

On Wednesday, March 27, 2024 I attended and performed at the Mixed Monologues Open Mic Night hosted by Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy (MICA) at STAMP. In addition to being part of Arts Scholars, I am also a member of the Jimenez Porter's Writer's House which also sponsored this event. This semester for JPWH, I am taking ARHU318A: TOTUS Spoken Word Colloquium, and as you can imagine part of what we do is performing spoken word poetry. Instead of having class that Wednesday, we all wrote and performed our poetry at the event. The poetry we wrote was related to the Multicultural Heritage Month theme: I AM: Agency, Action, Autonomy Through this theme, we have been able to examine how spoken word poetry can serve as a medium for self-expression especially in the context of identity. This was our first performance in the class, so we were finally able to share the things we've been working on and put what we have learned to use. I was a little nervous at first but it was such a fun experience performing and watching others perform their beautiful poetry!