OZICHI ONYEJIUWA
Arts Scholar
PENTATHLON
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.
PENTATHLON 1: NEXTNOW FEST
Event Logistics Art Night, Parren J. Mitchell Art-Sociology Building, Thursday September 8, 2022
Pentathlon category #visualart
I visited the art gallery at the Art Sociology building. There, I was intrigued by the works of many different artists. It was great to see that art is not just two dimensional not only in terms of its shape but also in terms of its story and origin. Many of the rare sculptural works featured were created by Latin American artists. There was one work in particular that caught my eye called Pájaro, which in English translates to “bird”. Using white fabric stretched over rods, it creates what resembles a bird’s eye. I liked this because it challenges traditional art while still being simplistic. I would say I’m still interested in discovering the meaning behind a lot of the artwork since the only description provided consisted of the materials that were used.
As an immersive media design major, I recognize that art has evolved in such a way that there are plenty of ways to create and experience art. For example, I am currently doing a group project for my IMDM101 class in which we have to create an immersive installation within the Iribe Center. After viewing these pieces at the art gallery, I am taking into account how the installation might make people wonder not only how we did it but also why we chose to do this.
What was so unique about this experience was that creativity can serve many purposes. For a lot of these pieces, creativity can be a form of storytelling. I think now more than ever art serves a purpose to tell the stories of those that were pushed aside, those who are marginalized, and those who seemed to be forgotten, and this experience has contributed to that.
PENTATHLON 2: MOÍSES LINARES'S "WE ARE NOT BORN FAILURES"
Event Logistics (Moíses Linares and his memoir "We are Not Born Failures" at H.J. Patterson Hall, Wednesday, October 5)
Pentathlon category (#presentation)
Last week, I visited H.J Patterson Hall to listen to sports anchor, Moises Linares share his story. He shared about how his family first immigrated to the United States from El Salvador for better opportunities and and a better future for generations to come. He also spoke about his journey of becoming a sports anchor, a dream he had always had. In his new memoir "We Are Not Born Failures," he also shares stories about his life and upbringing growing up in immigrant family chasing the American dream. I learned that there is no dream that is too far out of reach. With hard work and dedication. I also learned that you shouldn't limit yourself to what you think you can do and that you should take advantage of every opportunity given to you.
Although I'm an Immersive Media Design major, this can relate to my major because it has a lot to do with telling stories and having people experience stories through installations. Similarly, in Linares's Memoir, the reader is able to see a deep dive into his life story and somewhat experience it. I think that this relates to what I have learned as an art scholar because, as we have seen art is always evolving and art has a lot to do with storytelling and personal experiences and how people are able to connect to it.
PENTATHLON 3: ROCKIN’ PETS CRAFT & CHAT
Event Logistics (Rockin' Pets Craft & Chat, Thursday October 13, Bel Air Lounge)
Pentathlon category (#visualart, #ArtsScholars)
Two weeks ago, I participated in the pet rock craft & chat in the Bel Air Lounge. I was able to decorate my very own pet rock and its own home. A seemingly insignificant event ended up meaning more to me. It gave me the chance to sit down and focus on crafting my new pet rock and its home all while being in the moment with those around me. One thing that was unique about this was how creative everyone was when it came to creating their own pet rock. There were many tools to accessorize with such as paint markers, googly eyes, and confetti paper. Some settled on specific themes such as Spongebob Squarepants and his signature pineapple house. Others went with whatever ideas flowed within them. As an immersive media design major, I appreciate having opportunities to be as creative as possible. My major combines computer science and art to create for others. As much as I create things for others, I don't really make many things purely for myself. This was a great opportunity to make something to keep for myself. Also, having the complete creative freedom made it a little difficult deciding how I wanted to decorate my pet rock and its home. In the end I decided to have them both match my room with a pink and green theme. Art is more than just creating, it's about the circumstances behind the creation.
PENTATHLON 4: 'SMILE'
Event Logistics (Friday October 28, AMC Beltsville, "Smile" movie)
Pentathlon category (#film)
Last Friday, some friends and I dressed in our halloween costumes and went to see "Smile" at the AMC theater in Beltsville. Smile was a psychological horror movie centered around a psychiatrist who witness a disturbing scene involving one of her patients. After that incident an 'entity' takes over her life, causing her to see things, scaring her, and causing her to revisit her past trauma. It was truly horrifying during much of the film but was a really interesting movie. I really enjoyed the psychological aspect of it and the way it made us think about facing the past. I am not much of a horror person at all so this was sort of a new experience for me. This was also my first time seeing a horror movie in theaters.
I think this movie has an interesting message from my point of view at least. That being, that even if you try to face your past it might end up 'eating' you alive. Quite literally. I am not sure if that is what was supposed to be portrayed but that is how it came across nonetheless. The end of the movie really disappointed me and I wonder what would have happened if it ended differently. It was also interesting to see how the film handled issues involving mental health and how society views it and treats people dealing with some of these issues.
DE-STRESSING DECORATIONS
Event Logistics (Wednesday December 7, Bel Air Lounge, AAB's De-Stressing Decorations)
Pentathlon category (#visualart, #ArtsScholars)
I attended AAB's De-Stressing Decorations event in the Bel Air Lounge on Wednesday. While there I was able to make decorations for my dorm door with others. It was so great to step away from school work and create something for myself and also something that others would enjoy as they walk past my room. Something that was unique about this event was that it was Christmas themed. Those who wanted to decided to make Christmas oriented decorations. I decided to make a calligraphy sign to put on my door that says 'Happy Holidays'. I attempted to make paper Christmas trees but that did not work out so well lol.
From this event, I learned that art is more about the experience while you create rather than how skill-full what you create is. One of the most important things about making art is how it impacts you, how it makes you feel, and what you think it might do for others.
I would say that this connects back to what we learn in class because we often talk about what is considered good art and came to a general consensus that art is personal and should have some kind of meaning.
As an Immersive Media Design major, this connects towards the artistic side of my major. I feel like I am constantly making art for others (usually for assignments), so it was nice to do something for myself but for others as well.
SEMESTER TWO:
'KNOCK AT THE CABIN' MOVIE
Event Logistics (Friday February 3, 2023, AMC Greenbelt)
Pentathlon category (#film)
Last Thursday, I went with a couple of friends to see "Knock at the Cabin", a thriller, at the AMC theater in Greenbelt. While vacationing in a cabin, a family has unexpected visitors who keep them hostage in an attempt to convince one of them to willingly sacrifice themselves in order to save the human race from an apocalypse. It was definitely not what I expected in a lot of ways. So many twists and turns had me confused, shocked, scared, and nervous all at once! One thing I did learn from this was the influence of messages. Whether it was explicit messages from the actual movie between characters, or ones that I implied from watching it. The messages I gathered influenced how I proceeded to experience the rest of the movie, and directly influenced my thoughts surrounding the plot. By the end of the movie, I was still wondering what exactly its message and purpose were. This relates back to what we learn in colloquium because sometimes art is not what we expect it to be. Sometimes the intended message is not what you actually get. An interpretation of art is inherently different for every person.
As an information science major, we often examine information as a whole and what it means to different people, and how we are able to take in and process that information. I think art is similar in that regard. Messages you gather or ones given by the author impact how you experience art. I also think that is what made this experience unique!
FINAL DESTINATION
Event Logistics (Friday February 3, 2023, Cumberland Lounge)
Pentathlon category (#film)
Last week, a couple of friends and I decided to watch the movie, 'Final Destination'. I had never seen or heard of the film franchise so I was curious to find out. I'm not much of a movie watcher so I was definitely in for a surprise. In the movie, a teenage boy and his classmates are going on a field trip to France when he suddenly he envisions the plane crashing. He starts yelling for everyone to get off the plane but instead he is thrown off the plane with 6 other people. Shortly after the plane does in fact end up crashing. From then on, the survivors were cursed because they escaped death, so now the survivors were mysteriously dying one by one. It was definitely quite interesting with many twists and turns.
One thing interesting I noticed throughout the movie was the use of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is a theatrical technique in which the audience knows something that the character does not. For example, it was used many times in the movie to precede the mysterious deaths of the survivors. It's quite a technique that leaves the audience at the edge of their seats.
I think this connects to what we have talked about in Art Scholars because we have discussed a lot about how art can evoke a reaction. For example, last semester, during the final presentation, I remember one group presented about how one of the purposes of art was to get a reaction from an audience. This movie reminds me of that presentation in the sense that this movie seeks to evoke reactions from its audience. I think the use of dramatic irony plays a role in that. It was interesting, to say the least...
CERAMICS CRAFT & CHAT
Event Logistics (Saturday March 4, 2023, Studio A @ Stamp)
Pentathlon category (#artsscholars, #visualart)
Last Saturday, I went to make some ceramic sculptures in Studio A. This event was unique because it was not like other Craft & Chat events that I have gone to in the past. We were able to create our own ceramic pieces. The only other time I did ceramics was in my junior year of high school and that was very stressful since it was also online. However, this time it was fun! We were able to create whatever we wanted with no restrictions. It was great to take a break from all the devices, and schoolwork to do something fun on campus with some friends. This experience has left me wondering how would I be able to get access to Studio A and do more fun things like this.
One thing I learned from this is that it's okay if something doesn't turn out exactly how you want it. Sometimes you have to run with it and see what happens. This connects to what we learn in Art scholars because art is also about the experience of making it and not just the visuals.
This can also connect back to my major. My major, information science, aims to be quite interdisciplinary with its intersection with humanities and computer science. Through this event, I definitely tuned into my humanities side as I created precious ceramic pieces.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
Event Logistics (Saturday April 8, 2023, Washington, DC)
Pentathlon category (#visualart)
This Saturday some friends and I went to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. It was such an enlightening experience to learn so much about Native American culture and history. I was quite surprised about how much I truly did not know. This is not a topic that is taught extensively in schools and I really think that should change. There were exhibits dedicated to treaties, war, artwork, etc. For example, during my time there I walked into one exhibit that displayed many images throughout history that depicted Native Americans. I learned that this was because over time they were viewed as strong and courageous. I found this quite ironic considering the such ways that they were dissapointed by their own country. Europeans caused the genocide of countless of their people, faced assimilation and discrimination even after all of that, many of them still volunteered themselves to go to war, citing that it was a sacrifice worth making for their country.
I learned about all the different treaties that had to be made between the Indians and the Europeans to protect the land and people. I never knew how important these treaties were when it came to the U.S.'s relationship with Native tribes. I also learned about the different artworks of the different Native tribes.
I am able to connect this back to my major because as an information science major, the accuracy and sources of information are so valuable. For hundreds of years, the stories of Native Americans have been switched around to hide the horrors they experienced. Having and seeing these true accounts of information was very interesting and I enjoyed being able to discuss these ideas with others.
This also connects back to what we learn in Art scholars because we have discussed a lot about the different things that art can communicate and what can also be considered art. Here, the many images I saw portraying Native Americans can be considered art and communicated the different positive attributes of Natives. However, one thing that cannot clearly be communicated is the struggle and all the challenges they have faced.
DON GIOVANNI OPERA
Event Logistics (Friday April 21, 2023, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, DC)
Pentathlon category (#Theatre)
On Friday, a friend and I went to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center to watch an opera. This was my first time seeing an opera so I did not know what to expect! The opera we saw was called Don Giovanni. It was about a man in pursuit of women in terrible ways. As the story goes on his actions catch up with him. It was an interesting story to say the least. The singing, the storytelling, the lighting, the setting, and the dramatics all played an important role in telling this story. Before this experience, I definitely had a misconception about opera. I first thought that opera consisted of the type of signing and was not aware of the theatrics and storytelling aspect. I learned so many different things about opera. For example, many of them are in Italian, they use choruses or ensembles and are VERY dramatic.
In my current workshop, Creating Children's Books, we constantly discuss the elements that make great storytelling possible. Some of the elements that we have talked about include colors, scenery, plot, shapes, etc. Some things I am wondering after the event are if there are new operas being written and how they are different from old ones. I wonder this because this opera and probably many others include antiquated ideologies and I wonder if that has changed over time.
