Katerina Kremer
Arts Scholar
Pentathlon Semester 4
As an experiential component of College Park Arts Scholars, I attended a selection of five art events during my second semester of sophomore year. These events ranged in art mediums and each sparked dialogue among my peers.
Smithsonian National Museum of American Indian- Wampanoag Celebration
#Presentation
I went to the website during the showing of the Wampanoag tribe celebration. The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe shared their culture in an online presentation that showcased food, film, art and talks. I watched Marlene Lopez's video about traditional finger weaving. I was able to follow the tutorial to see how the finger weaving is traditionally done. This presentation was very informative and helped educate me about the different aspects of the culture and learn about their beliefs. I also read about the use of copper and how they make jewelry. This exhibit was super interesting to me to watch different techniques and gain ideas of how traditional jewelry was made. I love making jewelry and could potentially use these videos as tutorials to try to finger weave or make other jewelry. It also helped me appreciate the long process, the time and energy put into making these pieces of art. It was very convenient to have access to this showing online so I could go through a bunch of the videos and have the ability to rewatch parts and slow it down to retain all the information. I liked the format of it with the introduction video and then many sub-videos with different topics. I think this was very clever and would be a good style to mimic if I ever wanted to create a similar effect.
Completed 2/5/2022 online
Valentine's Day Letter Writing
#Literature #ArtScholars
February 14, 2022
The Scholars Action organization on campus held a Valentine's Day Letter Writing event in the lobby of Centreville. I was able to spread the word to my mentees and make 3 cards myself for the event. The cute cards will be sent to St. Jude's Ranch for Children. This experience was very enlightening because it didn't take too much time out of my day, but I know that the children receiving these cards will be very excited and grateful for us thinking of them. In my sorority, we do a similar thing where we make cards for the Girls on the Run organization in DC to brighten their days and empower them. I was really glad that 2 of my mentees were able to come with me, and hopefully more attended at a different time receiving my message. I will be sure to incorporate this idea of making cards and sending it to people in need of being cheered up. It is a simple act, but a large act of kindness. It also introduced me to the Scholars Action program on campus, which I was unfamiliar with. They support important causes and include all the scholars programs to focus on community service. I value helping the community and anyone in general, so I appreciate their goals and ideals. This unique experience was impactful and helped show me the importance of art in our society and the huge role that it plays.
Voices of Spring dance performance
#dance
I logged into the UMD’s streaming service Theatre in Video and viewed the dance titled “Voices of Spring” on March 10th, 2022. The piece was directed by Margaret Williams and choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton and produced by the Royal Opera House in London in 2013. This piece was unique as it was one of the five performances marking the 25th anniversary of Ashton’s death. The piece was also powerful, dynamic, and graceful. The pair moved very fluidly and with preciseness that was very impressive to watch. It is clear that it is professional, and the dancers are able to convey a story through their movements.
Overall, the performance was very graceful and flawless. It was interesting to watch and was a unique experience to see a performance on stage but from my room. It has been a challenge making it to the Clarice building this year because I have been living on South campus without a car, so the commute is very far, and I unfortunately haven’t had the chance to watch a live performance yet. This experience showed me the ability to view performances from the comfort of my own home and opened the opportunity to view many genres of dance and have the ability to explore more. In addition, this performance was in London, which wouldn’t have been possible for me to watch in normal times. I will use this resource in the future to view dances and learn historical technique from famous artists and composers. I did dance throughout high school, so this was very relaxing to watch and learn from and reminded me of those classes that I took.
Completed 3/10/2022
Pentathlon 4: Streaming Bridgerton on Netflix
#Film
While accessing the streaming site of Netflix, I went under the top rated and trending now shows to watch. From this, I decided on Bridgerton because I had also heard a lot of good things about it and the new season. The plot takes place in the year of 1813. Watching these episodes has allowed me to appreciate the artistic choices of the producers and videographers, as well as the stylists. Everything involved in the plot and the outfits is based on the 1813’s and the era of it. For example, every woman and girl in the show wears very outdated but fashionable, long gowns. The costume designer, Ellen Mirojnick, designed 7,500 garments for Bridgerton, and stated that the accuracy of the clothing was very loosely based on the Regency era. It’s also interesting to learn about stylistic choices that they chose not to follow, such as excluding the use of bonnets and replacing them with feathers to give the same idea of the other accessory but to fit the show better and the characters. In each scene, the women have different dresses on, so it is very impressive to consider the amount of time and creativity that went into the designs and creations. Overall, this show helps show an estimate of what the time period looked like and how people acted. It also has gotten me thinking about the idea of clothing and analyzing the dresses as each character is on screen. I am wondering how much research had to occur to accurately replicate the dresses and ideas seen in the show. This can connect back to our capstone projects the idea of thoroughly researching topics to have a complete understanding of subject before trying to produce anything about it.
Completed 4/1/22
Streaming "Is It Cake?"
#Film
I virtually streamed the series "Is It Cake?" on Netflix. The show is a competition styled show in which cake designers from all over have to recreate common items and make them look like cake so the judges can't tell the difference between the original item and the cake they create. They go against other artists and compete to win the cash prizes. This show is easy to stream because it can be found on the Netflix platform and there is an entire season released. It is a fun show to watch while crafting or doing mindless activities because you can listen and look up to see their progress. It is very impressive to watch the techniques used to turn food into object-like materials. This is a form f art that I don't always consider, but it is challenging enough to create a cake, let alone decorate it perfectly and have it taste good. This displays creativity, which is crucial in all my classes, included my science courses, such as microbiology, where we often draw a lot and have to visualize concepts. Also, it connects to our capstone projects, because they are building off their previous knowledge and developing it to become better artists and learn new skills. I wonder how most of these people become interested in this form of cake decorating in comparison to traditional decorations, and I am curious as to what their most exotic cakes are that they've made. Some of the designs blow my mind with how realistic they look, it is hard to imagine that they are edible.
Date attended: April 17, 2022