Rachael's Art Scholars Page

So for my arts fest presentation, I decided to NOT overlay the quotes from the interviews onto the photos like I originally planned, but rather to place the photos next to the quotes on powerpoint slides. To keep the powerpoint engaging, I dedicated one slide to each woman, and had 2-3 pictures on each slide with 1 quote and the woman’s name and empowerment method listed. The hardest pictures to select were Julia’s because I loved her shoot the most and was so happy with all 100 photos (literally) I took of her. Pulling quotes was actually a lot easier than I expected because each girl had at least one striking comment that really stuck with me after the interview. Overall, I was happy with my presentation. What was most unfortunate was that due to my limited knowledge on online imaging formatting, I could not get the photos printed out physically. Despite this setback I was proud of my display and received a lot of positive feedback from viewers. 

I interviewed Gabby at Eppley Recreation center, and had the photo shoot scheduled for the week after, but due to an injury she suffered within the week, she was unable to rock climb before our capstones were due. To substitute, she sent me these pictures she had collected from her previous rock climbing experiences. I did not want to exclude her from the project because she was so passionate and excited, and her interview was so wonderful. I made sure at least one of the photos was from the UMD rock climbing station.

Through the psyc department and PSI CHI, i had the opportunity to attend the Finding A Career presentation. 5 different professionals attended all with a unique job, showing the diversity a psychology degree allows for career wise. The advice I got was to be creative and think outside of the box to apply my psychology degree wherever I wanted to. Although this presentation was not presented as an artistic presentation, I thought it applied well to Pentathlon because it showed how pursuing your passions can lead you to paths and careers that you really do enjoy. In addition, the ability to get creative when applying a degree to a career that may not correlate so obviously (like psychology and a coordinator of administrative services) requires an artistic eye. Overall, I learned a lot about the different ways I can use my degree and the different artistic manners in which I can apply it to my life. (P.S. I forgot to take a picture of the panel but I posted the confirmation email and PSI CHI takes attendance so if need be I can ask to have them help me confirm my attendance.)

I participated in an acting opportunity to help my roommates Kim and Emily complete an art project. I appreciated getting back to my theater roots, which was my first artistic medium I experimented with in high school. I was the "mean girl" in the film, making fun of other characters. In this scene I see an old friend (played by Emily), hug her, and then accidentally get paint on my shirt. The film turned out well and I had a lot of fun making it!

We went to American University to see the opening of a new art gallery. A professor at UMD, Foon Sham, had his art pieces displayed (the wooden structure pictured). I think my favorite piece was Foon's wooden Escape piece. The sheer size and detail of it captivated me and I really could appreciate the time and dedication he had to have to design such a structure. The other art pieces were very contemporary and I enjoyed viewing the more beach-esq pictures.

I saw that a lot of my group members are struggling with project presentation formatting, just like me. Although all of our projects are distinct and unique, we seem to be a bit unsure on how to display our art. In a way I find that comforting because I don’t feel as alone or incompetent as I originally did. I also saw that everyone is very passionate and dedicated to their projects, and that gave me a renewed sense of purpose for my own capstone. I feel reenergized and ready to work! My most helpful piece of feedback was from Emmie in regards to having physical copies of my photos. I was undecided on whether or not to print a few of my favorite shots, in order to provide the audience with some greater detail to the project. My hesitation was due to my intentions to overlay text and quotes on the photos, which would not print well. Emmie reassured me that the printed photos could stand alone without the text, and that it would provide a more interactive component to my project. Proceeding with my project, I will feel less nervous about presenting my pieces. I will also not be afraid to be more bold in my photography, in the hopes of capturing some great pieces to print!

I have a total of 5 girls selected for my project, which is the minimum number of girls I wanted. But now I am faced with the challenge of selecting locations in which to interview them and conduct the photography session. For my first participant, we used a brick building and the neighboring trees. It wasn’t ideal, but I figured the background in the photos would not matter as much. Viewing and leafing through them now leads me to believe they are that important, and I need some good places on campus to benefit my photography, not detract from it. Seeing as how our campus is so beautiful, I’m hoping to find some better spots. 

Recently I have been thinking about how I am going to present my final selection of photos to the public on Arts Fest (and the Academic Showcase.) I was originally thinking of using a powerpoint that I could also attach my inspirations, process binder pieces, and so on. But I’m thinking that maybe having one or two physical copies of each participant may be more interesting to the audience. That way they can see the photos up close, analyze the piece, all that jazz. However, with my idea to overlay some of the quotes from interviews onto the photos may make printing them a bit difficult. I just don’t want the powerpoint to bore any viewers away. More thoughts on this after spring break I suppose!

Here is a recording of my interview with Lucy! I will be reviewing this to pick up some quotes for the next stage of my project.

Photoshoot 1, Lucy (part 1)

Photoshoot 1, Lucy (part 2)