Brigid Sax
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.
Art Project From Home
#visualart
On September 13, 2020, I started my own art project from home with a canvas and a paint set I was gifted. I am not much of an artist so I did not know where to start or if I would even enjoy painting. I decided to create a bright geometric painting that would not be too hard to master but would also be a great accomplishment for me. As I reluctantly started painting, I found that painting the shapes really relaxed me. It made me appreciate the creation of visual art that much more and helped me see the intention behind the Arts Scholars program. Art, no matter what form, is supposed to help you destress as well as slow down and appreciate the beauty in what is around you. This project showed me this and I cannot wait to do more visual art in the future!
Experiencing Disney's Beauty and the Beast
#film
On October 2, 2020, I decided to watch the live action version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast with my family for movie night. I have always appreciated the movie magic created by Disney but, in particular, I find the live action movies much more impressive and surreal. The visual elements of the movie, such as the costumes, the CGI used to create our beloved characters, and the choreography in big dance numbers such as "Gaston" render me speechless every time I see them. But the most important thing I gathered from this movie was that there were so many elements working together to create the masterpiece, including music, dance, technology, writing, design and much more. I believe this notion can be equated to our Arts Scholars program because we have students that create many different important elements of art that help to create the masterpiece- our program! Realizing how many different elements go into projects helped me start thinking about the different elements that will go into my capstone project. I can only wish that it will end up being as beautiful as this film!
Performing in Cabaret
#music
On October 18, 2020, I performed in an online Cabaret with 32 Bars at UMD. I chose to sing "In My Dreams" from Anastasia, a song about a girl who has amnesia but is slowly starting to remember who she is and fantasizing about her old life. I felt this song captured the feelings I have expressed during quarantine, remembering the old normal and how things used to be and hoping for a better future. This was the first performance I have done since before quarantine and it was so nice to be able to do what I love again. Being able to see so many other people channel their emotions into the thing they love as well and give them encouragement was also amazing. The outpour of support and love in the comments of the Facebook Live for the event was heartwarming and it made me think of our own program. Arts Scholars is all about encouraging those around us to do what they love and building up their confidence by helping them reach their full potential. I hope I am able to participate in more events like this in the future and I am so excited to start working on my capstone project to deeper dive back into doing what I love.
Finneas at Fallapalooza
#music
On November 12, SEE UMD had Finneas O'Connell, otherwise known as "Finneas", perform for this year's virtual Fallapalooza. Going to this event helped me realize that everyone is struggling with the new normal: even professional artists! Finneas shared his frustration with looking at a screen rather than being able to see people, but he was very happy to be able to perform nonetheless. This is a feeling that I am all too familiar with, as I often grow frustrated with my screen time and wish for the day to come when I can go out and hug my friends again. He also shared the backstories to a few of his most popular songs as well as the processes he went through to write them. This greatly interested me because my final capstone is centered around me writing original songs and it was helpful to hear how he came up with some of his lyrical concepts considering his successes in music. I feel very lucky to have been able to attend this event given our current situation with the pandemic and I hope to be able to see Finneas perform live someday.
Chill with a Quill
#literature #artsscholars
On November 17, 2020, I attended the Arts Advisory Board Chill with a Quill event. During the event, poems were first shared with us and we were then given the option to write a letter to our future selves or to create any piece of writing we desired. I decided to write a letter for my future self to open after I graduate college because it is something I have always wanted to do, but I have never taken the time to actually sit down and do it. Giving attendees no true restrictions on what they could write allowed me to open up and rant in a way I may not have otherwise. It reminded me a lot of how we used to journal in CPSA100 which often allowed me to destress. I really appreciated the exposure to pieces of literature I had not read previously, as well as the opportunity to speak to others at the event about their pieces. It allowed me to see how many different interpretations could be made from a simple prompt, and though the medium was similar, everyone's pieces were unique. I think it is really important to do things like this every once in a while, because relaxing in this way is proven to reduce stress and is very similar to the process I am going to be going through to write songs for my capstone project. I hope I can continue to write in this way and I cannot wait to open my letter in a few years.
Use this Footer Paragraph to add Image Credits when needed.
Pentathalon Semester 2
Follow along this semester as I document my arts experiences this semester.
Captain America: Civil War on Disney+
#film
On February 2, 2021, I watched Captain America: Civil War with my sister. Throughout the movie, I was so impressed by the cinematography. Since the film was made so recently, the editing and CGI is extremely realistic and aesthetically pleasing. For example, Vision's entire body being seen as very robot-like for the whole movie as well as the scene seen in the photo with Iron Man and Captain America colliding directly in the middle of the screen and creating a spark, symbolizing their colliding thoughts and views on the future of the team. The whole movie centered around whether or not the Avengers would allow the government to control them since they had caused a lot of damage during their altercations in the past. This scene represents that conflict through the two main characters on either side. Furthermore, I was impressed by the character development of many characters such as Wanda Maximoff, or Scarlet Witch, who was working through extreme trauma from losing her brother and guilt from accidentally hurting people in the crossfire created trying to save her friends. Knowing what I know about the series, this perfectly shows what led Wanda to the mental headspace she is in now.
​
Civil War was released in 2016, earning over 1.1 billion dollars in the box office and earning amazing reviews from critics. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken over the box office for many years, but the hype and popularity around it really started to increase when this movie was released because it brought included so many different characters that that hadn't been seen on screen together yet. Reflecting on the movie, I have realized that the reason Marvel has been able to capture audiences in such a way is because of the characters they bring to the table. Unlike many superheroes in film, all of the heroes in Marvel movies are truly human. Though they may have incredible powers or technology, they make mistakes and feel emotions just as strongly as anyone else. So when people see them on screen, they cry and laugh with them as they watch them grow. They see pieces of themselves in these characters, which is something so rare but beautiful about art.
Colorful Playlists
#artsscholars #music
On February 19, 2021, I attended Colorful Playlists hosted by Sidney. I decided to come to this event because I love music and I love playlist making, but I have always lacked the skill to try and make my own. My normal playlists just consist of me adding songs that I like and it just piles up over time. I also like to separate by season or by a simple mood. For example, being sad or feeling homesick. It really intrigued me that Sidney was holding this event that had to do with playlists being different colors so I wanted to check it out. Throughout the event, we were all able to add to the playlist at the same time while listening to the music we added. It was so interesting to see everyone's different interpretation of the colors (seafoam green and gray) because we did not necessarily have to add songs based on the name. For me, the colors equated to a feeling or a season but for others it could have meant something totally different.
​
It has become a very popular trend to make playlists that represent colors in recent years, along with songs that equate to very specific feelings like "sitting on your front porch on a summer morning". This could be attributed to this generation's excessive need to compartmentalize, which I take part in myself. But it could also stem from synesthesia continued research on. Synesthesia is when an experience with one sense triggers a response or experience in another. For many people with synesthesia, this means seeing colors when hearing songs. In the past, I believed that this was mostly triggered when they would hear compositions, but I wonder if recorded songs cause the same reactions. Additionally, I wonder if songs can have multiple colors. I have always been fascinated with synesthesia because I see it as a form of art that many people cannot create, which is why I found this event so exciting.
Art Project From Home
#visualart
On Wednesday, March 17, I began this painting inspired by Easter colors in order to relieve the stress of the first half of the semester. Even though we were on spring break, I still found myself having a hard time relaxing. With no work, I was still anxious that I did not have anything to be anxious about. I feel that many students around my age can identify with me when I say that I am so used to the stress that it feels wrong to not be stressed. So instead of letting myself fall into a cycle of more stress, I decided to engage in an activity that I recently discovered as a good way to relieve stress. I have never been the best visual artist, so I used to stay away from anything that required painting or coloring. But I have been able to break through that mental barrier and allow myself to paint for fun. When I paint something as simple as the painting I have done, it keeps me focused on that one thing and nothing else around me, resulting in a relaxed state.
​
I may have never discovered this way of relaxing if it weren't for Arts Scholars. Since being in this program, I have learned that art is not one thing and that you can truly try it all. Even after joining the program, I still tried to stay away from art forms I was not familiar with. But now, almost at the end of my time in the program, I am almost completely comfortable with all forms of art. The program encouraged this open minded way of thinking through field trips and workshops and I am forever grateful. I only wish I had been braver sooner and tried visual art earlier on. Now that I have, I am able to look at creative projects much differently and have found a real appreciation for forms of art therapy. I am also way more confident in every form of creativity and I am more likely to try harder projects that are out of my comfort zone. For example, I recently painted 3 new canvases for a club. This is something I never would have done before engaging in the Arts Scholars program.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire OnDemand
#film
On Wednesday, April 7, I watched The Hunger Games: Catching Fire with my siblings. I was extremely impressed by the acting in this movie after not having seen it since I was really young. The symbolism in this movie is incredible, and much more succinct and realistic than other dystopian series. It surprised me how much my attention shifted from watching the main characters', Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, relationship develop when I was younger, to now focusing on how the government was able to operate whilst being so corrupt. There were many carefully chosen shots in the film that allowed the audience to feel as if we were seeing everything through Katniss' eyes. Additionally, the music enhanced every scene it was featured in. For example, there was music featured in the first movie of the franchise that was featured again in this movie to signify that everything was repeating, and not in a good way. Though many may pass this off as a young adult franchise, the second installment of The Hunger Games series had the elements of a "real" movie.
​
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was released on November 20, 2013 and made around 865 million US dollars in the box office. The early 2010's were a huge year for dystopian novels and movie adaptations and it had many teenagers wishing for a life in those realities, no matter how scary they may have been. Though the genre leans more toward science fiction, the most disturbing part about rewatching the series was how it could be considered realistic fiction today. There were elements of the revolution in The Hunger Games that are paralleled in today's world. So while we can say that The Hunger Games could never happen and it is extremely unrealistic, life imitates art. When I was younger, I was a fan of the series because of the love story, but as a young adult, I am a fan because of how it shows what could happen if a corrupt government is in power for too long.
Harry Potter Escape Room
#presentation #artsscholars
On April 16, 2021, my fellow peer mentor Ellen and I threw an event for our mentees where we did a Harry Potter themed escape room! This was actually the first time I had seen Ellen or my mentee Andrew in a really long time, so it was super refreshing. While we went through the escape room, I could not help but admire the thought put behind every single step. Everything was tied into the fantasy of the movie and really allowed me to get into the event and act like a kid again, solving riddles. Each secret door was accompanied by pictures so you were able to envision yourself there and some riddles even required us to do some research. We were able to escape, but only because we put our brains together! Some of the riddles were quite tricky, so it was nice to be doing them with some of the most creative people I know. Mostly, it was great to take a break after a super long week of work and just be with some of my Arts friends before we say goodbye at the end of the semester.
​
Due to the pandemic, many people were forced to stay inside and away from their friends for so long. We had to come up with creative ways to meet up and enjoy ourselves together. So many super entertaining games like this one were created during that time so friends could have fun over the Internet and have some sense of normalcy back. Things like this go to show that so many people step up when things start to get bad and I am so appreciative of the people who created online games so that friends and family could come together on Zoom. Though the end is in sight, events like this one helped me through the virus a lot.
Use this Footer Paragraph to add Image Credits when needed.