Feb 20-26

This week I went to the Modern Greek Studies Lecture that Harrison posted.  I was intrigued, like he was, when seeing the event.  I do not know much at all about the 18th and 19th century in Greece pertaining to the Jewish community.  I thought I might actually learn something from this lecture, and while I think I did, I was more so confused than learning anything.  If I had done some research before hand I think I could have followed the history being talked about, or maybe if I find some time this week I'll do some googling and try to figure out what was being talked about to better understand.  I'm not even sure what I can say about the lecture other than what was provided in the description Harrison left on the main blog.  I don't think all of that was talked about, or maybe I zoned out during some parts.... actually I did zone out. But for the most part I did try to pay attention, to be respectful... especially since I was sitting in the second row. Although, maybe the most interesting thing I found during the lecture was seeing someone talk about a subject they are truly interested in and are so interested in it that they want to share their knowledge with other people. That's kind of cool. At the end, people were able to ask questions, I guess this was beneficial to listen to even though I didn't really know what the questions were pertaining to, it was nice to listen to how other people formulate questions. This is important to me as an artist because we are constantly critiquing work and need to know how to form and understand questions.

Anyway, I think I'm just rambling here and not saying anything of substance. SO! Next time I go to an event or lecture I know nothing about I'll remember to do some research before I attend so I can get more out of the event.

Feb 13-19

This week I went to the Poetry out loud event Wes posted.

I didn't realize it was a state wide competition, I thought it was just going to be a bunch of high school kids reading poems as apart of a class. But it was enjoyable to see kids wanting to partake in the competition on their own, and be passionate about the arts.

I'll be honest though, I didn't really pay much attention to what all the poems meant. But I did pay attention to how the students interacted with each other. Almost always after someone performed, another student in the audience would smile in approval, give a thumbs up or a high five. I thought this was interesting. I can remember when I was in high school that everything was a competition and you'd get jealous or angry if someone did better than you. But these kids were genuinely happy for each other, and showed great support. That was really refreshing to see. Once I noticed this I began to think about my relationships with fellow art students and teachers. I feel that we all show respect and support for one another because we are all in the same position, taking a risk and showing the world who we are through our art. Sometimes it's scary and nerve racking going into a critique, but knowing someone has your back to give you a constructive critique means a lot. So I think it's great these kids are already forming these types of relationships with students in high school.

I didn't mind this event, it was a tad boring since they were reciting someone else's poems. And I was disappointed no one recited a Shel Silverstein poem (just kidding). It would have been great to see them perform a poem they wrote themselves, but I can still appreciate their courage and passion to get up on that stage.

Feb 6-12

The event I attended was at the woman's resource center, and the topic was race, gender and body image in media.

I thought it was bullshit.

I don't want to discredit or undermine anyone's personal experiences with these issues, because I've faced them too. But I do not think this discussion event was conducted in a professional manner.

It seemed to me that the four facilitators had their minds already made up and wanted to push their ideas of these issues onto us.

They also never really talked about healthy ways to deal with these issues. I can personally connect with the body image issue and as of current am trying to live a healthier lifestyle. I am not doing this because of the media, I'm doing it for me. And I think it would have been beneficial if these facilitators had a more positive outlook on these issues and helped us discuss ways we can overcome it rather than judge people - which they seemed to do, all while telling us we shouldn't judge people.

I guess I could have spoken up during the discussion to get my point across, but I found them to be intimidating and was afraid they would push my thoughts to the side because they were not theirs.

That's all I really want to say, because I didn't take a whole lot from the event.. Other than them saying (without realizing it I think) that you should surround yourself with positive people and people you enjoy being with.


Edit- Also, who gives a shit if someone wants to get plastic surgery, color their hair, wear makeup, change their gender, what have you. That's their decision and those decisions aren't always made because of the media. This seemed to be something these ladies were judgmental on. Maybe if people worried about themselves and not others so much, some of these issues wouldn't be such a big deal.

Side note, this ^^^ relates very much to the Boykin lecture I attended last week.... One oppressed group isn't any more oppressed than the next. We are all in the same boat, to an extent. So why not help each other rather than "one-up" our problems...



Picture of some of the miners in attendance -

Jan 30 - Feb 5

"An Evening With Keith Boykin: A Celebration of Black LGBT History Month"

I attended the event Harrison posted where Kevin Boykin talked about his life journey and his new book. At first I wasn't that excited about going to it because I wasn't sure how I'd be able to personally relate to his lecture, but I found it very relatable to my educational journey. He talked a lot about how (no matter what oppressed group you belong to) you should do your own thing, and don't let people discourage you from the path you want to take or the person you want to become. This wasn't solely directed to the LGBT community, which I liked, because I was then able to find a connection for myself.

So, like I said, I was able to connect his lecture to the journey I've taken through eduction. Ever since I was in the third grade I knew I wanted to be an artist. And I never had the full support from certain people in my life I would have liked. Which was often times discouraging, even at such a young age when it's drilled in your head that "you can be whatever you want to be." Once I got to high school I still found myself wanting to study art, and more specifically at the U of I. My high school guidance counselor use to tell me I wouldn't make it into U of I, that it wasn't right for me, and being an artist wouldn't get me anywhere in life. Again, very discouraging. My parents were also concerned, mainly about my future income because, like most parents, they want the best for their child.. So at this time they weren't 100% on board. I end up applying to U of I anyway, get accepted, but attend the Division of General Studies for my first year and explore other options besides art. At the end of the year I decided to apply to the School of Art and Design and was accepted. I don't think I ever felt so happy up until then. I knew art was for me and I was going through with it no matter how many people told me I couldn't or shouldn't. It's now my Senior year and I'm still just as, if not more happy with my decision. I think by taking a risk and doing what I wanted to do, not knowing what my future would hold (and still don't), I've learned a lot about myself and have found out I have the power to make my own decisions and don't have to listen to anyone else if I don't want to.

I think Keith's lecture really made me realize that I've taken the less traveled path (well less traveled from people I grew up with), and by doing so I've made more personal growth and experiences that I probably wouldn't have if I went down a different path I wasn't passionate about. This was a big thing I took away from his lecture, because he really advocated being "you" and creating your own path. Also, knowing the way I connected with his words, even though it didn't directly relate to the event's topic, shows how powerful he was as a speaker and how understanding he is of every group of people in this world. If anyone has a chance to hear him speak again, I recommend it. You'll never know what your take away message will be.

Oh, and I just remembered, towards the end of his lecture he mentioned something that if you're doing something because you believe it's right, and a morally correct thing to do, it will make you feel good no matter what, and even if you're afraid that doesn't matter because the outcome will outweigh your fears. I found that to be pretty inspiring.


Here's a picture from the event, a large portion of the people in attendance were from this class which was pretty cool.