Eva Ginns
Arts Scholar
Pentathlon Semester 1
As an experiential component of College Park Arts Scholars, I attended a selection of five art events during each semester. These events ranged in art mediums and each sparked dialogue among my peers.
Peer Mentor Group Game Day
#Presentation/#ArtScholars - September 12, 2020, Zoom
Connecting with other Arts Scholars while living at home and attending classes online has proven to be a challenge. My peer mentor, Vicki, recognizes this and organized a Game Day for our group to begin meeting each other. This event helped me to see that I am not as disconnected from the program as I felt, and gave me a glimpse into the future of my desired major- immersive media design. With nearly everything becoming digital, designing games such as the ones we played (Among Us and One Night Werewolf) , is becoming not only an interest, but a way to adapt to the new social demands, something I hope to look into in my future. I am very grateful I got to participate in this Arts Scholars Event
"Art is Not Science"
#Presentation - September 20, 2020, Zoom
My grandfather gave a presentation about how he combines his background as an organic chemistry professor with his hobby of sculpture and assemblage. This talk was a perfect example of what Art Scholars is all about: "embrace[ing] interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to a range of arts disciplines". Each piece had a science based story behind it, whether it related to alchemy, or modern day chemistry, combining the arts and sciences in a way I have not seen before. While I was familiar with many of the pieces, having seen them throughout my childhood, I did not know the knowledge that went into making them. I was amazed by my grandfather's thought process and was left wondering what other works I had seen without knowing the meaning behind them.
"Howl's Moving Castle" -Peer Mentor Movie Day
#Film/#ArtScholars - September 26, 2020, Zoom
"Howl's Moving Castle" is an animated film made by Studio Ghibli centered on the idea of refusing to give up morals in a time of war. I had watched the movie several times when I was younger, but seeing it again now that I am older, I have a better understanding of the plot. I see many of the ideas mirrored in current events today, as people are fighting against authority, rather than blindly following it because of fear. Howl, the wizard who refuses to fight, is rumored to be a monster and considered an urban legend, while the witch of the monarchy is considered to be of high regard. This is largely due to Howl's rebellious stance, and I feel this is a similar spin that the US government has tried to put on the protestors fighting for basic human rights; because they do not align with the government's agenda, they are painted as the monsters.
Zine Making Workshop
#Literature - October 8, 2020, Zoom
I joined 13 other Art Scholars in attending a Zine making workshop led by TA, Maddi. I have been to many events where zines are given out and displayed, but I had never made my own, so it was a fun challenge. The small homemade magazine was easy to make, with various folds and a cut, but the contents could be as complex or creative as we wanted. Seeing how simple it was to make a zine, I left the workshop wondering why this indie form of publishing has not been used in a more widespread audience to communicate information. I feel like zines have a lot more potential than they are being used for.
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Halloween Origami Night
#Art - October 13, 2020, Zoom
Because of the pandemic, I was disapointed that I would not be able to celebrate halloween how I normally would, so I was very excited to attend this event. I did not realize that it was not an Art Scholars specific event, so while making origami bats and pumpkins, I was excited to see some new faces. While I was already familiar with how to make the project, I had not done origami in many years, making it a rather nostalgic experience. The combination of old muscle memory and new faces was refreshing, as COVID-19 has made it feel as though things are on hold, not going forward or back.
Pentathlon Semester 2
"She Kills Monsters"
#Theater - January 29, 2021, Zoom
Having been heavily involved with my former high school drama department, I was intrigued when I heard they would be performing their spring show over zoom dut to COVID-19. While the show itself was rather traditional -I know of many other organizations who have done this play- I was surprised and impressed by how the director was able to translate it to an untraditional virtual platform. I spend hours every day on zoom, as most are doing these days, and have never seen the platform utilized this way. Aside from changing screen names to the names of the characters, Cameras were turned on and off and different zoom backgrounds were used to indicate scene changes. The timing was almost flawless. However, while it was compelling, it did still lack the fully encapsulating experience theater has. Knowing the caliber of tech crew my school normally had, with over 200 people involved in the shows, the new and much more intimate format was startling. Watching it made me think about when I was involved in theater, and I began to wonder how the shows I had been a part of would have worked had they been digital. Going into the field of immersive media, I expect to work with many digital adaptations of reality, and seeing how effectively "She Kills Monsters" was presented, even without the full theatrical impact, was truly inspiring.
"High School Musical"
#Film/#ArtsScholars- February 20, Zoom/Disney+
Watching "High School Musical" again 14 years after its release, one would not expect it to hold up against the test of time. As a self-proclaimed theater kid, singing along was an almost natural instinct as the memories of watching it for the first time came flooding back. However, watching it again now that I have been through high school, I have a much more cynical view of the movie as a whole. I now know that it does not reflect the high school experience accurately, which was a fact that I was happy to ignore when I was younger. However, this change of perspective is something I need to be more aware of as I enter into a field where content creation and its impact can influence everyone differently. Watching "High School Musical" over Zoom, I was able to see the faces and reactions of the other people watching, unlike a normal movie experience where you only face the film and not other viewers. This combined with the chat of the Zoom allowed me to have a more interactive experience which is something I have missed. Overall, this event made me feel more optimistic as I haven't felt connected to others in a while and it made things feel familiar, like they were when I first watched it as a child.
Pentathlon 2-for-1 Event
#Music/#Visual Art/#ArtScholars - February 28, 2021, Zoom
I do not usually get to spend time with other scholars, so attending the 2-for-1 event run by the Arts Advisory Board was a fun experience to meet some people who I had not yet crossed paths with. The first breakout room I attended was the music room. We each anonymously sent in a song and then guessed who had sent which one, after hearing it be played. This really challenged how I see other people, as I was forced to make snap judgements based on how I could see people reacting to the song choice. As someone going into immersive media, gauging these reactions will be an important part of making sure my work has the desired impact on my audience. It also allowed me to see how I am perceived based on the songs that were attributed to me by the other participants.
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The second event I attended was a collaborative art breakout room. We were given prompts and then drew them digitally on a joint canvas. While I do not have much experience with digital art, I had a lot of fun creating some small works of art. However, the most fun I had was going back and seeing what everyone else had drawn. I intend to enter a very collaborative field, and I think that it is important to look at others' work in order to learn from them and see how I can improve. While I do not necessarily think this exercise helped me improve my artistic skills, I had a good time and I do think it helped me see how my imagination differs from others, and what I can try to practice in my own.
Scholars Slam Poetry Pentathlon
#Literature/#ArtsScholars- April 6, Zoom
I was not sure what to expect when I logged onto zoom for this event. I didn't feel confident enough to share my own poetry, but I was excited to hear what others had written or connected with. I was overwhelmed by how personal and thoughtful everyone's contributions were. While some wrote their own poems and others chose pre-existing pieces, everyone was candid and allowed us to see something personal. I am not a very open person to those who I am not close with, and listening to everyone speak made me wonder why I am not willing to share more with the people around me. Being part of Arts Scholars has helped me to see that I have a lot in common with many people from different backgrounds and helped me find creative ways to connect with them, especially during covid. The poetry slam was a reminder that even though we are all very different, and most of us are currently very physically far apart, we are all still connected through scholars and our connection to the Arts.
Pentathlon Semester 3
Maryland Night Live (part of Next Now Fest)
#Theater - September 17, 2021, The Clarice
One thing I missed the most during the closures of the COVID-19 pandemic was live theater. Entering the Kay Theater at the Clarice, I was a bit apprehensive as I had not been in a large audience in a few years, but as the lights went down I quickly forgot my worries. While the comedy was not the most refined or well written at times, it was a reminder that we can still laugh even after all the sadness the pandemic has brought. Being able to share this experience with friends from Arts Scholars additionally reminded me that I am part of a big creative family, even if we were far apart last semester. Next Now Fest as a whole made me realize what a vibrant community we have for the arts at UMD, something that I did not get to witness last year.
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[Photo Credit: Alejandro Flores-Chevere]
Peer Mentor Game Night
#Presentation #ArtScholars - October 3, 2021, Bel Air Hall Study Lounge
While I've had a previous game night with my mentees over zoom, finally meeting in person felt like another fresh start. I was not sure how many people would attend, but I was pleasantly surprised when three of my mentees along with a handful of people from the building. We played two games, "Quiplash" and "Blather Round", both of which created a competitive atmosphere, but also required creativity. "Blather Round" in particular, made all of us challenge our perception of pop culture, by having to boil down topics to a few selected words. Overall, this was an enjoyable activity because it was engaging and required critical thinking, but also worked our brains in a way that academics do not. This is definitely an event I would want to host again.
AAB Artshouse
#Music/#ArtScholars - October 15, 2021, Cambridge Community Center
One thing I have really missed has been the opportunity to perform. The Artshouse was a really great environment to reenter performing, as it was very chill and had a variety of types of performances. While I chose to perform a song I frequently play, after the event I was left wondering how the other performers chose their materials. As a musician, I have some idea how songs are written and composed, but I do not know how the people who did comedy decided what to say. This is something I may be able to learn through a future course, either through a workshop offered in scholars or a course through the theater department, but in the meantime I will just appreciate the talent and courage it took to put themselves out there. I have not previously thought of comedy as the arts, and these performances definitely changed my perception of what arts are.
Schedule Resources Workshop
#Presentation/ArtsScholars, October 22, 2021, Zoom
As a peer mentor for Arts Scholars, I act as one of many resources for my mentees as they are navigating their freshman year of college. One of my mentees asked that I run a workshop to help with resources before they needed to register for their spring classes and I was happy to oblige. As helpful as everyone was when I was a freshman, I did not feel like I received the information needed to truly be successful when registering for classes, so I wanted to make sure that I covered everything I have learned in the past year. We went over how to run a degree audit, how to use different schedule building applications, how to find classes that fulfill requirements such as the arts supporting courses, as well as looking at several helpful websites. Because of COVID, I have felt like I never truly entered college or figured out how to navigate UMD. However, after running this workshop, I saw how much I have done and figured out, and I was proud to pass on the information.
2021 Faculty Art Exhibition
#VisualArt - November 1, 2021, Art Sociology Building
While I have not always been able to have the full college experience, since starting at UMD I have received excellent instruction in visual arts. When I had some time before one of my studio classes, I decided to check out the current exhibit. I have taken an interdisciplinary mix of art courses, but was still surprised by how many of the professors I knew exhibiting. Looking at all of the works, I was drawn to the more technological pieces, unsurprisingly due to my major. Each of these pieces were created by professors I have worked with, and seeing their work live gave me hope for my own future works.
Pentathlon Semester 4
Coloring at the Stamp All Nighter
#VisualArt- February 4, 2022, Stamp Student Union
Attending the All Nighter was overwhelming with a lot of events happening simultaneously. I came across the coloring by accident, when looking for a different event. The space for coloring was comparatively quiet, but it was still not a peaceful, or stress relieving event. I enjoy coloring and often use it as an outlet, similar to how we are learning about creative outlets in the workshop I have been attending. However, I think this would have been better as its own event, there was too much going on and too much to be missed by taking a break to color. I wound up taking my sheet with me and coloring it back in my dorm room. It was a much better way to unwind after the event than it was a way to enjoy the all nighter.
Gamer Symphony Orchestra Delayed Fall Concert
#Music - February 27, 2022, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
I joined the Gamer Symphony Orchestra over Zoom in the Fall of 2020. I learned virtual arrangements, had zoom socials, and made connections with people online. However, having real, in-person rehearsals last semester was an entirely different experience. We worked on blending, and as a member of the choir, learning how to sing in a mask. After months of practicing, we had a phenomenal repertoire ready to perform. Then the concert was delayed because of covid.Â
Despite uncertainty and the inevitable disappointment of another event cancelled for COVID, the GSO prevaled and rescheduled, referring to it as our "fallbruary" concert. This final delay had one huge impact on the performance: you could feel the joy onstage and off. Even if every note wasn't perfect (though we sounded really really good), you could hear how badly everyone wanted to be there. During intermission people finally let themselves admit that this was really happening. By the end of the 2 hour and 15 minute concert, we were exhausted, but incredibly happy. After 2 years, we were able to have a sold out concert, with 600 more people watching online, and we sounded amazing.
Study Zoom
#Presentation/#ArtScholars - February 9, 2022, Zoom
I hosted a study zoom as one of my peer mentor events for the semester. Though attendance was low, I enjoyed catching up with my mentee who did come, and discussing coursework as we are in the same major. Doing this helped me to realize the impact I have been able to have in the Immersive Media department, as it sounds like my course feedback has been implemented in the classers that my mentee is now taking.
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Finding Pandora X (performance and technical workshop)
#Theater - April 2, 2022, VR Chat/AV Williams IMD visualization lab
As a theater kid and immersive media design major, the concept of a performance in Virtual Reality seemed like a crazy but interesting combination of my interests. Despite the fact that a large portion of my academics are based designing with this platform in mind, I had never actually used a headset, so I was a bit trepidations going in.
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The performance itself was impressive, despite the fact that it was a virtual environment, members of the cast were performing live from set ups across the country. Seeing how people found a way to continue doing live theater throughout covid was an inspiring experience, as the linear storytelling of this performance was largely designed in part because people were not able to perform together in person for a long time. It was also fun to be a part of the "greek chorus" as my avatar was asked to look the same as other audience members (seen in the left of the image) to create a cohesive environment. I don't think this is something I would have thought of but it was a very nice touch.
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Learning about the technical and design aspects was very promising. I learned that the whole piece was built using Unity and Blender, two programs I am using personally and academically. I had not seen them applied in this way and it gave me hope for my creative future.
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[Photo credit: Double Eye Studios]
Visit with Teddy the Comfort Dog
#Presentation/#ArtsScholars - April 1, 2022, Bel Air Lounge
Recently, I have been dealing with a lot of stress, from both academic and medical parts of my life. I had read about the health benefits of petting an animal, and realized that I probably was not the only one who would benefit from some puppy hugs. I organized this visit with Teddy for my mentees, and it was a great way to destress. He was lovely to visit with, and very calm. Teddy was definitely someone I will plan a visit with again!
