Ottavia Steckel
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.
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#Visualart
"Green Scene"
September 17, 2020
This was a fun exercise for me because it pushed me to only use one color of paint which forced me to be creative in the way I used it. I learned that most things that are green are either plants or animals which made this piece extra lively. This exercise connects to our Art Scholars discussion on what can be considered art. Typically a bug or a leaf is not something that I consider art, but I will think differently after completing this piece. I had to be creative in the way that I painted this piece and even explored a new style that includes watercolor and pen.
Pentathalon Semester 2
Follow along this semester as I document my arts experiences this semester.
#Presentation
February 4, 2021
Cody Gallery | Magnolia: An Intimate Conversation with Nekisha Durrett & Endia Beal
This week, I watched a conversation with the artist Nekisha Durrett about her work at the Cody Gallery at Marymount University. This talk was super inciteful and a wonderful way to learn some new things. The talk centered around Nekisha’s new piece of art titled “magnolia”, but Nekisha talked about all her pieces as an artist. They discussed the significance of telling a story with a piece of art and how artists are able to included history within their work. I thought Nekisha’s view on this was super interesting, she said, “I don’t feel there is such a thing as looking back at history”… “there is no such thing as the past because it lives in our bodies and creates the present”. This is such a unique perspective and something that I find to be very true. Often as an artist myself, I try to channel energy, feelings, or certain circumstances from the past while creating a piece of art, but this is a good reminder that those things live on with you in the present. Endia, the interviewer mention Zora Neal Hurston’s book Their Eyes Were Watching God, which I happened to read last year. She drew connections between Nekisha’s visual art and Zora’s written work, which was a nice reminder to me that literature is a form of art. I tend to forget that art can come in so many different forms and that art is often interconnected. This talk was enlightening and refreshing to hear from a black female artist who shred her important perspective.
Pentathlon Year 2
#VisualArt
September 17, 2021
I went to the ARTECHOUSE installation in the Clarice center for this pentathlon. The installation contained pieces from the original exhibit titled Renewal 2121. I was interested specifically in this event because I have previously heard of ARTECHOUSE and have been interested in visiting the Washington DC location. I have seen some super cool and unique photos of people who have visited there on Instagram and other social media. I was impressed with how well they were able to transport parts of the exhibit to the Clarice center and still create a very cool experience. The Renewal 2121 installation consisted of interactive pieces of art that resembled a futuristic view a city during cherry blossom season. My favorite piece showed cherry blossoms trying to grow through an urban setting and buildings. The art had an interactive feature that allowed me to use my phone to see a 3D version of the image that came out into the room. It was a really interesting view of the art because it the image not only came alive, but different words were almost broadcasted throughout the image. Some of the things it said were “sustainability” and “tomorrow”, which definitely helped my understand of the message trying to be portrayed through the art of creating a more sustainable future in order to avoid complete destruction of nature and our environment. In general it was really refreshing to be able to attend an event in person and see so many people gathering to celebrate art of different forms.