KELLY KIM
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: NEEDLE FELTING
19 Sept 2020
When I signed up for the Arts Scholars program, I was looking forward to trying new art forms. I rarely draw or paint anything other than humans, so it was a bit of a challenge for me to make animal figurines. They are quite different than what I am used to creating; I poked myself with the needle many times while shaping the pieces of wool felt, but the painful process led me to a very satisfying product.
#VisualArt
CHAOS CHAOS AT THE "SUPPORT BLACK WOMXN VIRTUAL CONCERT" FOR THE LOVELAND FOUNDATION
30 Sept 2020
I am a huge fan of the indie band, Chaos Chaos, so I was incredibly excited to watch the livestream on Dash Radio. I have connected with their music since 2016, and I absolutely loved the new song they performed: as well as the cause. They were able to raise money for the Loveland Foundation, which works towards empowering black women by providing financial assistance for those seeking therapy. I believe that it is incredibly important for these causes to be seen by the public, so I was quite happy to find out that one of my favorite artists is a supporter, especially since POC are a large portion of the art community.
#Music
MOVIE: HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
24 October 2020
Despite only having seen a few Studio Ghibli movies, I have always been interested in Hayao Miyazaki's work. I admire how the backgrounds are always painted so beautifully and how every animated frame is meaningful. I especially loved the symbolism of the changing age/appearance of the main character, Sophie, to show her maturity throughout the film. I also appreciate the movie's themes of feminism and gender norms.
#Film
TED TALK: WHO DECIDES WHAT ART MEANS?
13 November 2020
There is no true way to determine what art means, as there are different approaches to the question. Literary critic W. K. Wimsatt and philosopher Monroe Bearsley argued that the artist's intention is irrelevant, as what matters is how the audience receives and perceives the art. However, on the other side of the spectrum, literary theorists Steven Knapp and Walter Benn Michaels completely rejected this idea. They believed that the artist's intention is the only thing that matters, because it would not be art at all without knowing the intention. The middle ground holds a combination of both ideas, which is where I am. I believe that without the intention of the artist, it would not be art; however, the interpretation is up to the audience.
#Presentation
AAB: CHILL WITH A QUILL ARTHOUSE
17 November 2020
For this Pentathlon, I joined a session with AAB and wrote a letter to my future self in 2024. Aside from asking questions about school, careers, and friends, I asked myself how I would view art and the new mediums I have expanded to. Art has been an important part of my life for many years, and I am interested in how it affects my life in the future. For example, when I first began drawing seriously, I wondered what my style would look like in two, three, or four years from then. I was extremely discouraged at that time, as many beginners are, but I have a consistent style now. I want to ask myself how would I perceive art in four more years? What am I proud of?
#Literature #ArtsScholarsEvent
PENTATHALON SEMESTER 2
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.
MOVIE: SPIRITED AWAY
4 February 2021
For the first Pentathlon of the semester, I decided to watch the movie Spirited Away with my friends through Discord. Studio Ghibli films are extremely popular, and after watching this one, I completely understand why. From the beautiful soundtrack to the fluidity of the artstyle to the elaborate plot, Spirited Away is altogether heartwarming, heartbreaking, and spellbinding.
Hayao Miyazaki directs his movies with the intended audience to be young people, especially children and teenagers. This creates an even more enchanting feeling when watching, as well as relatability. Chihiro learns how to overcome obstacles by herself. As a teenager myself, I feel connected to the main character, Chihiro, and her struggles. I watched this movie once before, when I was only 10 years old, but I did not appreciate it as much. Now, I can see how many details in the movie contribute to the plot and to the resolution where Chihiro finally gets to go back home. The ending may seem underwhelming, as she spent the majority of the time going on adventures, saving her friend, and working hard for her job. However, I think this was an artistic statement about childhood imagination and how young people do not get enough credit for their strength.
#Film
YUUMI AND FRIENDS
20 February 2021
Since it was my significant other’s birthday this week, I decided to take the opportunity to think about how my gift to her had meaning, other than our relationship. I made a digital painting of us surrounded by a forest, with animals around. During the time that I was drawing this piece, I pondered how the LGBTQ community impacts the art community. I am extremely grateful to live in a time and environment where I can be who I am freely. But, it could not have been possible without the numerous LGBTQ icons that paved the path so that I don’t have to hide my identity.
With that being said, I drew this with the intention to convey a sense of peace, free from the need to hide. I drew us sitting in front of the trees and plants, rather than behind because a forest is a perfect place to hide. We no longer have to do that anymore; we are proud and happy. The ray of sunshine shines on my girlfriend and me to contrast the dark forest that represents the place that people like us used to blend into, in fear of safety and judgment. I named the piece “Yuumi and Friends”: Yuumi is the name of the black cat in the lap of my girlfriend, which is a symbol of our relationship. I called us “friends” in the title even though we are not just friends. Many same-sex relationships in history have been documented as “friendships” to downplay the significance of LGBTQ people in the past, so I gave us the label as an ironic symbol.
Drawing this artwork reminded me of the importance of expressing myself and being proud of who I am. I believe that as artists, being true to ourselves is the first step to connecting to the artwork we make.
#VisualArt
TED TALK: THE UNEXPECTED MATH OF ORIGAMI
March 24, 2021
Math is usually not something that people think is significant in art forms. However, the rules of origami include geometry.
In many ways, I believe that math is often seen as the complete opposite of art. One has rules to follow, strict logic, and accuracy, while the other has more freedom with open interpretations, creativity, and a lack of rules. Origami lies in the intersection of the Venn diagram of math and art. For example, utilizing angles, an aspect of geometry, are essential in this paper-folding craft. It is interesting to see a topic seen as straightforward and logical actually contribute to creating beautiful, complex pieces of art.
This TED Talk has led me to ponder the balances between opposites in the world. Something that is understood to be the most free and creative thing still needs its inverse. This works the opposite way too, as math can be artistic as well.
#Presentation
ARTS SCHOLARS EVENT: COLOR ME, STRESS FREE
April 9, 2021
I attended the Color Me, Stress Free art scholar event through Zoom. Nicole Panebianco, the host, provided an outline of a mandala that she drew for the attendees to color in. We began meditating; we closed our eyes and thought of our “happy place,” then wrote down several adjectives that described it.
Words that I wrote included “fresh,” alone,” “wild,” and “breathe.” These symbolized my favorite place to go to when I want to unwind and be away from other people, my worries, and any work I had to do: the forest. As an artist, I find color palette inspiration from the natural hues of fauna and flora. I colored in the center of my mandala with bright colors to represent wild violets, redbud blossoms, dandelions, and other wild flowers. I shaded in the outer part with various greens for leaves.
The purpose of the activity was to practice mindfulness, so I thought about how a simple activity such as coloring could help people be at peace to escape from the stress of society and our daily lives.
#Presentation #ArtsScholars
ARIELLE'S 19TH BIRTHDAY
April 25, 2021
For the final Pentathlon of the semester, I decided to ponder on my growth as an artist. Every year for the past five years, I have drawn a portrait of my friend, Arielle, for her birthday. In past years, I would draw her in my current style at the time—usually cartoonish—but I decided to experiment with a slightly more realistic painting style. I also spent more time than usual on coloring her clothing, which is something I have always struggled with. I decided to take these steps instead of my usual routine because being an Art Scholar has taught me that there is no such thing as “perfect art,” and making it seem “flawless” is not the goal of creating.
I experimented with “messier” shading and highlighting for the blue shirt, which is a technique that I admire in other artists’ work. This worked well in my favor, and it was one of the only times that I was satisfied with the results. I usually spend the majority of the time with facial features, but my goal in this artwork was to control balance: I tried not to obsess over coloring the face, while being a bit more meticulous than usual with the clothing and hair.
#VisualArt
PENTATHALON SEMESTER 3
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.
NEXTNOW FEST: MARYLAND NIGHT LIVE
17 September 2021
I have always been an avid fan of Saturday Night Live, so I was really excited when I heard that the NextNow Fest had UMD’s version of it: Maryland Night Live. I noticed many key differences between the two; for example, as SNL is broadcasted on TV where there are more content restrictions, I was pretty shocked to hear a lot of the comedic bits on MNL. I enjoyed it nonetheless, and maybe even a bit more because most of the sketches were clearly aimed towards college students like me, as well as niche experiences that I didn’t know other people had gone through as well. As a result, I was able to connect more with the jokes and immersed myself in the show. Aside from the writing, I appreciated the costume design, lighting choices, and especially the band that played in between sketches. I believe that the music kept the show upbeat and interesting during otherwise non-stimulating times, like when the stage crew moved props around to prepare for following sketches. Overall, I really enjoyed the performances and hope to attend another Maryland Night Live in the future.
#Theatre
PEER MENTOR EVENT: GAME NIGHT
3 October 2021
For the second Pentathlon of the semester, I attended a Peer Mentor Game Night hosted by my roommate. We played Jackbox games Quiplash and Blather ‘Round. I did not expect this event to be heavily connected to Art Scholars, but there were many aspects that surprised me. For example, the tasks for Quiplash included needing to be creative and thinking about responses to prompts that would make the most sense, as well as ones that were clever and funny. I believe that comedy is an art form, where it is a subgroup of creative writing and performing arts. Aside from the more artistic details, I was able to connect with fellow Art Scholars and understand their senses of humor and interests.
#ArtScholarsEvent #Presentation
AAB OPEN MIC NIGHT
October 15, 2021
For this Pentathlon, I attended an Art Scholars event: the Arts Advisory Board Open Mic Night. I got to be an audience member to several different performances including comedy, singing, playing instruments, and poetry. One performance that stood out to me was someone playing songs on the guitar that he wrote himself. I tried to learn guitar over the pandemic, but I did not have much inspiration and was not sure what I would want to play. His performance inspired me to actually start learning, as now I know that I want to learn electric guitar. The first song that he performed was something that I would not hear from that many guitar songs, which was “desert-esque." I especially liked this piece because I’m used to hearing 80’s rock or indie rock on electric guitar, but this was unique. Another performance that I enjoyed was someone’s stand-up comedy. This year, I’ve been to several different comedy-centered performances/activities, which is something that I haven’t done before. Usually, when I experience art performances, I attend and perform at instrumental concerts or recitals, look at paintings or sculptures, and watch plays. My definition of experiencing art has been expanded by the significance of writing comedy and interactive performances.
#ArtsScholarsEvent #Presentation
100 GECS CONCERT
29 October 2021
I attended the 100 gecs concert with fellow Art Scholars Caroline, Aileen, and Alejandro at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. 100 gecs is an electronic pop duo composed of Laura Les and Dylan Brady. They are known for their chaotic and experimental music style, which is often put into the genre of 2010’s hyperpop. I was excited to go to this concert because I have never gone to one with a mosh pit; the only other concert I have been to that was general admission (no seating) had a calmer atmosphere with a blend of bedroom pop and jazz. Also, the crowd was filled with people holding up their phones to record everything, and I felt like that took away from the experience. However, at 100 gecs, the fans were much more immersed into the music itself.
The concert opened with Alice Gass, who used her mixer and other equipment to create unique sounds, rather than singing or playing instruments. When the main performers got onto the stage, there was incredible excitement from the audience. They used a lot of flashing lights, which I believe greatly added to the experience, considering the chaotic style of their singing and beats. The event was a lot of fun, and it was interesting to see a performance that strayed from what many music artists would consider a “normal concert” with singing and instrumentals.
#Music
PENTATHALON SEMESTER 4
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.
MOVIE: HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE
13 February 2022
For the first Pentathlon of the semester, I watched the film “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” on Amazon Prime. This movie is a comedy, but I believe that many of the aspects of the plot are ahead of its time, as important parts were about racial justice and finding courage. The premise of the movie is that there are two roommates, Harold and Kumar, who are generally unhappy with their lives. The former is an Asian American investment banker who is not respected by his coworkers, as they always get him to do their work for them because of his race, and Harold does not have enough confidence to stand his ground. The latter is an Indian American premed student who has no interest in becoming a doctor, despite his incredible natural skill in medicine and his family’s high expectations. The two decide to go to the restaurant White Castle, but their adventure keeps getting sidetracked by different conflicts. They deal with racial discrimination against themselves, but it goes even further when they meet a black man who has never broken the law, but is constantly berated by police officers throughout the film. Harold and Kumar’s adventures eventually lead Harold to find confidence to stand up for himself against his racist coworkers, and Kumar to discover his ambition to become a doctor, on his own terms. I really enjoyed this film because of how the directors were able to criticize social injustice in a comedic way and the cast was very diverse, especially since this was filmed in 2004 when these issues were not talked about as much as they are today. Comedy and satire are important art forms to criticize society, as it can appeal to a broader audience.
#Film
DIVERSITY IN DRAWING
25 February 2022
In honor of a course I’m currently taking—Introduction to Art Theory—I decided to create an art piece about the idea of aesthetics. In that class, I have learned about the diverse meaning of art and the implications and questions that arise with labeling something as “aesthetic.” Many people have a few preconceived notions about what constitutes as beautiful, and it is usually what the world views as conventionally attractive. With that in mind, the goal for my drawing was to draw the faces of nine women where each was supposed to be drastically different. My intention was to emphasize the importance of diversity and representation in characters, while also giving myself practice for character design. I suffer from a common artist problem called “same face syndrome” where many of the characters I develop have very similar facial features, body types, styles, and more, which usually happens because the artist tends to draw what they are used to seeing (which is themself). I tried to be very mindful of every pen and pencil stroke, where my muscle memory would want me to draw in certain ways, but I would then attempt to go in a direction that I was not used to. This was an interesting and necessary piece for me to create, as it was an eye opening experience to make every mark intentional and I needed to remind myself about the importance of diversity in art.
#VisualArt
HYSTERICS COMEDY SHOW
10 March 2022
For this Pentathlon, I decided to attend a stand up comedy night hosted by UMD’s all women and nonbinary comedy group, Hysterics. There were five members performing, and one of which had never performed stand-up comedy before. I thought that each performer’s routines were all unique and really funny. Also, since most of them were women and queer, I could relate to the jokes that they were saying. One performer commented on how some stand up comedians tend to revolve their jokes around sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and more issues in a way that can bring harm to the people that are negatively affected by these. None of the jokes at the event were offensive or harmful to certain groups, which shows that humor can exist without hurting others. Comedy can come from different perspectives and experiences, which was clear as I watched the show when I listened to a variety of types of jokes. Overall, it was a fun and interesting experience where I was able to relate and relax in the environment.
#Theatre
MOVIE: RATATOUILLE
3 April 2022
When I choose which movie to watch, I look for certain things depending on my mood. I tend to reach for satirical comedies, movies with an immense amount of action, or movies that make me feel comfortable, hopeful, and peaceful. For this Pentathlon, I watched Ratatouille, which is about a rat named Remy that can cook with the skill and talent of a Parisian chef. Though I have seen this movie many times, I decided to watch it this time paying attention to specific artistic choices that especially piqued my interest. Through this experience, I learned that the reason I gravitate towards movies like this is because it is filled with artistic scenes and beautiful backgrounds that evoke strong emotions in me. The attention to detail is immaculate, like in the scene where Remy the rat is tossing different ingredients into the soup. He does so with such passion and vigor that it makes the audience forget that this is a rat from the streets cooking in an upscale restaurant. I also enjoyed the scene where Remy takes a bite of cheese and fruit together, as he imagines abstract patterns and colors just from tasting this combination. It is a simple portrayal of synesthesia, and I love that they included this in the movie because I experience this although with different senses.
The creators did a wonderful job of creating a character with an unconventional origin that people can actually relate to, as an important theme of the movie is that “everyone can cook.” The audience is able to relate to the character and empathize with him, even though he is a rodent. This film may seem silly and for children, but it truly is a work of art with the beautiful depictions of Paris, the stark contrast between the dirty setting where the rats live and the pristine restaurant where people dine, and the relatability of the main character.
#Film
SKRIBBLIO EVENT
14 April 2022
For my last Pentathlon ever, I decided to attend the Art Scholars event on Zoom where we played Skribblio. This is an activity that I spent a lot of time on with friends during the pandemic, when playing games online was the best way to interact with people. We each took turns picking a word and drawing it, and all of the other players had to type in answers to what they thought the drawing was of. I really enjoy this game because there is a time limit for the drawings, so the artist needs to be able to draw the word quickly. This forces them to focus on the overall idea rather than perfection and detail. Even though this is just a game, that idea is important to keep in mind for artists who are obsessed with extreme polishing and spend all of their time on that, rather than accepting imperfection and practicing good form. All of our drawings ended up a bit messy or harder to decipher because of that but as rounds went on, the players realized what needed to be done to get the guessers to understand what they were drawing and started focusing on getting the idea across instead of being very meticulous and having neat drawings. Overall, this simple game gave me insight on how I, as an artist, don’t need to center my artwork around perfection.
#Presentation #ArtScholarsEvent
