#CPSA Capstone Journal

[enpeiwcpsarts]

I think I’m done with my first recording! This will go along with the photo of my friend in the forest. I added bird sounds in the background to make it sound more nature-y! It’s a calm piece and it has good flow to it. My friend helped me record it!

[christinadcpsarts-blog]

I have bought fabric from G-Street fabrics in the colors light grey, black, and dark grey. I love both greys but am not sure I will be using the black. The satin is so appealing and similar to the texture I am going for in regards to lightening bolts. These pictures above showcase the fabric after a bodysuit pattern has been cut out and I have begun pinning the bottom hemline prior to sewing. Pinning is imperative to sewing!!

[daniellcparts]

Tumblr Process Entry #1 3-16-17

Continuing on my experiment, I have been keeping track of two volunteers (friends) while they listen to a specific playlist of sounds and music for studying. The sounds/music on the playlist mimic auditory integration therapy and rhythmic auditory stimulation. These deal with attention deficit and Parkinson’s disease respectively. From just general feedback, the two volunteers have suggested a broader genre of music; however, in comparison to other music they have listened to, they personally believe they have a much better time focusing on work. Another test I am to try is a memory test while listening to music. 

[dothesamnthing-blog]

Journal: Artist pitch

My project, The History of the Braid: Explored through 3D Art is a different outlook on history, in this case, specifically the history of the braid. As a person that uses the braid on an almost daily basis, I began to wonder where it came from, and sought out the answer in this project. I narrowed the search down to four major regions and cultures within these regions that used the braid and applied various meanings to the braid. The braid’s origin was said to have started in Africa, where it was worn for practical reasons, and they made it an art by adding gold and jewels to their hair, and incorporating the styles worn into the carvings that they made. In the Greek society, the braid represented femininity and purity of the woman who wore it. In Native American society, the braid represented the “infinite” of life, whereas hair loose and flowing represented the free flow of life. Finally, in Asian culture, specifically in an era in Chinese culture, a conquerer made his male subjects shave half of their head and braid the remainder of their hair to represent their defeat. Later, the descendants of these once conquered people wore this same style of braid as a normal everyday hairstyle, phasing out its previous negative connotation.

[juliettepcpsarts-blog]

Journal #1 - Critical Response

For this journal, I met up with Balbina Yang so we could exchange feedback on each other’s Capstone Projects so far using the Critical Response Process we learned about in class. I found this process to be extremely beneficial. The feedback I received helped me navigate some of the questions or problems I was having early on in this process.

STEP 1: STATEMENT OF MEANING

Overall, Balbina thought my project was a very good idea, especially in light of recent events relating to representations of gender in media (like the Gillette ad that recently came out and sparked controversy). Balbina also provided me with some insightful videos related to the topic of gender norms and stereotypes that I can use as inspiration and to further my research. This videos are included below: 

“Hear Kids’ Honest Opinions About Being a Boy or Girl Around the World”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B3ea7IGwLA

“Miss Representation”: http://therepresentationproject.org/film/miss-representation-film/about-the-film/

STEP 2: ARTIST AS QUESTIONER

I was wondering whether I should just focus solely on representations of femininity in media for my project or if I should broaden the topic of my project to focus on gender stereotypes in general and include a male perspective on the issue. She mentioned that I could start with the perspective of women as a foundation, but that I should also bring in some topics that affect everyone since gender norms affect all people.

Another question I had was how I should go about recruiting people to participate in the project. Balbina suggested some good ideas for reaching out to people who may want to participate in the project through Art Scholars Weekly, reaching out to certain organizations, and spreading the word among friends who may know people that want to participate.

Finally, I wondered whether I should make a video of all the interviews conducted for my project in addition to the visual art exhibition I’m making to present at Arts Fest. Balbina liked the idea of a roundtable discussion among participants, but also suggested that I focus on one medium so I can go more in depth with my presentation and won’t become overwhelmed by the project. She mentioned making the portraits resemble polaroids with quotes from each participant’s interview written on the bottom of the image. I thought this was a good way to incorporate the prominent messages in the interviews while still maintaining my original idea of a visual art/photography exhibition.

STEP 3: NEUTRAL QUESTIONS

Are there specific topics within the gender issues you want to focus on or do you just want to see what everyone has to say?

This question helped me think more about how I want to structure these interviews because while there are some topics I want to hit on (e.g., double standard between genders), I also want the interviewee to have the freedom to discuss whatever they topic they find personally important. Maybe I will feature some questions targeted at specific issues but also offer some more open-ended questions that allow the interviewee to guide the discussion in whichever direction they wish.

STEP 4: OPINION TIME

Balbina thought the project idea covered a very important topic but cautioned me to focus on one art medium (visual art portraits) rather than trying to make create two different exhibitions in two different mediums (video and the portraits).

[lilyhucpsarts-blog]

A background that we actually ended up not using 

[evanwilliamson-blog]

CPSA250 Learning Agreement

[ryanscpsarts-blog]

Final song

[sophiescapstone]

Process photos

As you can see, I chose to use some of these but not all.

[lhacapstone]

Arts Fest!

[bhebner-blog]

FINAL PROCESS BINDER!!!

Here are my final sketches that inspired my four pieces to present at Academic Showcase. I completed the poster to represent the survey that I created, showing the responses that people had about the UMD community. I thought it was important to represent the answers visually as a way to show my inspiration for the artwork that I made. 

[enpeiwcpsarts]

critical response journal notes! I did this with Fiona Yang and these are the notes I took on it.

I have some photos to choose from! These are from a photoshoot I did recently with my friend and I think they reflect different moods, especially with the contrast in lighting in a lot of the pictures. They’re also taken in an abandoned house, which gives it a different air as well. It could be ominous or adventurous. 

[christinadcpsarts-blog]

Sketchbook Process 3/17/16

Pictured above is my process in my sketchbook. I wrote down ideas, celebrities, designers, and objects that inspire my mood for this collection. I break down what materials I might want to use so I can get an idea of the color scheme, something I think is very important in a collection. Color schemes help fluidity between looks and help the collection flow better overall. The center picture is a sketch that I think I am no longer going to make but this sketch really inspired my other rough sketches that I will be using for his project. These small rough sketches can be seen on the bottom right corner. I am not much of a sketch artist so I really just use theee to summarize the look I’m going for so I don’t forget something o originally wanted. These pages are the guideline for my project artistically.

[kgardinercpsa]

Writing the poems on the paintings, so far so good!

[dothesamnthing-blog]

Journal #3

(Process binder #4)

[julielcpsarts-blog]

This past week, I’ve been struggling to find time, but during the small number of times I’ve gotten to break from studying, I’ve looked at the progress I made before now and I’m actually proud of what I’d written. As I was writing, I knew I wasn’t completely satisfied with how they sounded but now that I’m reading, I think they’re actually pretty good. It’s nice to have some time apart so I can become motivated again. That being said, I need to become motivated much more in order to meet my new deadlines.