On
Wednesday, April 23rd, the time had finally come for us to show off
our work. Everything that we had been working on, everything that we had
accomplished throughout the semester in our LCS Practicum had been leading up
to this day, REDay. I don’t know about anyone else, but for me it seemed like
for the last couple days leading up to REDay, I was completely overwhelmed and
there came a time when I thought I wouldn’t be able to get everything done.
But, after all the anxiety and effort put into each of these projects, somehow
we managed to pull it off, even better yet, we transformed a regular Bryant
classroom into our own display case.
We’ve
been working with Hyde a lot and the concept of gift giving. I’m sure this is
engraved into everyone’s minds by now, and I don’t mean to sound redundant in
saying this but I really believe that we accomplished providing the greatest
gift to Bryant students and faculty that were able to come into the classroom
and see all the work we had done. I know that many people don’t like to look at
Bryant as a business school, but the truth of the matter is, it is showcased as
just that. Not many prospective students come to Bryant expecting a liberal
arts school. I know when I was applying I came in completely business-minded.
However, I think as a group, we managed to demonstrate just exactly what else
Bryant can offer. Not only did we provide the gift of creativity, but I felt at
that moment when we were all discussing the class itself and all the projects
we had done, that we exemplified mentors for these Bryant students who might
not have known anything about the creative classes offered at this school.
It
was nice to see that students who might have only shown up for extra credit,
seemed genuinely interested in the class. I think as a whole, we provided them
with the gift of creativity and insight.
We opened the minds to exploring different classes at Bryant and expanding
their knowledge beyond the walls of the business school. I know you might have
expected me to write about the gift giving of presenting the art itself,
however what stuck out to me was that moment when students were asking
questions about the class and we were representing it. Not only did we manage
to show-off our projects that we worked so hard on, but we served as
representatives of the creativity courses offered at Bryant, which I think, was
a wonderful thing.
I completely agree with Melissa. Having never had the opportunity to present at REDay, I am glad to have finally had the opportunity. I think everyone in our class should be proud of the work that we've done throughout the semester, and seeing everything lined up and laid out in the room on REDay, I think we all finally realized just how much we have done. It's so wonderful to see the excitement on each of our faces when we get to show others the work that we've done.
ReplyDeleteLike Melissa said, coming to Bryant, many people still have the preconceived notion that Bryant is a "Business school." Thus, I believe the majority of students who end up majoring in Liberal Arts or LCS are those of us who have just happened to fall into it. It was such a wonderful experience to be able to share with a room-full of peers, why LCS is such a wonderful major, and all the incredible things we get to do. Like Melissa, I hope we were able to impact at least one or two of those students and help them to realize the wide world of LCS.
In terms of Hyde, I again, agree with Melissa. We created these pieces of art that we can now provide as gifts to others. We began this gifting process by sharing with our peers at REDay, and I don't know about the rest of the class, but I have already gifted the recycled-trash journal to my sister, whom I believe will get great joy out of using the journal that I made. We have been able to share and spread our gifts that we created by hand, and put real work and effort into, and that's a wonderful feeling and experience.
I can’t believe we got through it! I am with you on that. I was in the same boat, a little overwhelmed, not quite sure if we were going to be able to accomplish everything in the end. We pulled through and had a beautiful display for REDay.
ReplyDeleteI think it is awesome that we could bring this little slice of culture into Bryant. We took four drab toapish walls and turned them into something great. It was incredible to watch people walk around as if to question that other Bryant students could create like this. To speak on Hyde our gift was bringing this bit of culture to our fellow peers. A few of us spoke on the balance of business and culture and how it does not have to be a choice between the two, but could make a beautiful marriage together.
A lot of people seemed genially excited and intrigued by the gift we shared with them.
I find it kind of funny that Melissa was so sure of the students enjoying what they saw because I had no idea if what I said was getting to anyone. I simply could not read anyone’s expression but then again I never was very good at reading people. Now by Hasseler’s reading of the comments it seems fairly obvious that many were impressed and even inspired by it (Besides that one obvious fake).
ReplyDeleteStill, at the time I could not be sure. And that kind of bothered me because I was unsure if I had done a good enough job going first. That does not mean I was nervous, after all with the amount of presentations I have had to do this semester and previous ones, I am no longer afraid to present or improvise. Regardless, the fact was that I went into that room with the expectation that someone else will go first and set the presentation standard. And then when Hasseler picked on me I was like “Okay then, I guess that plan is going out the window. Time improvise, which means joke around and say what comes to mind.” (Again, something I was used to thanks to many presentations). And then when I was done, it was fun being able to sit back and listen to what everyone else would say and how they would respond to the audience instead of thinking to myself “Okay, how am I going to present?”
As a side note, I was glad Alexandria spoke out so much because that made me feel a lot more comfortable adding my two cents when I felt I needed to. The presentation certainly turned out better because we got to express how much fun we had.
So, on the whole, I was happy with the how the whole exhibit turned out. In fact, I think that altogether there was a lot of synergy in our presentation and projects. I felt, in the end, my stuff was the most plain and on its own would not have looked so impressive. But as part of a creative group, the simplicity, contrasted with the diversity and beauty of the projects others had produced. It showed that art can come in many different forms. I did not see many people look at my stuff or comment on it but that worked just fine for me. After all, part of Hyde’s ideas of art and creativity is giving back to the creative sphere and I think, own our own, our contributions may not have been much but together we all were able to contribute greatly to that giving cycle.
I really enjoyed participating in RED day as a class presenting our artwork that we have worked so long and hard throughout the year on. I totally agree with the last couple days before RED day being very overwhelming, almost to the point like it wasn’t possible to finish all that we had to do. But man was it so relieveing and rewarding to finish it all up and present to whoever stopped in our room. I am so happy and proud to be apart of our class, and to share with others all the work we have worked so hard on. Melissa almost made me tear up (and well I am emotional none the less) saying how beautiful our work was and we really showed how Bryant was more than just a business school. We really showed and expressed the big deeper meaning that many people don’t get to see or don’t understand. I came in as an actuary major and yes I love numbers but I am now leaving with a degree in Communication and a concentration in Creative and Applied Arts. What a difference! And well I couldn't be happier.
ReplyDeleteI would like to start off by saying that I am so proud of everyone in our class for the work that we accomplished this semester. It was truly inspiring seeing everyone work complete. I especially enjoyed seeing everyone's altered books. I though it was amazing how different and unique each book turned out. Each person picked a different kind of book and altered each one in their own way. It amazed me to see what incredible work each of you were able to do. It was also really inspiring to see how people looking at our REDday display reacted. Each person who came through was extremely interested in what our class was doing. I heard so many amazing and positive reactions to what we created. Each person's work was truly beautiful. I think we were able to really do something amazing and inspiring for other people to see.
ReplyDeletePresenting on REDay was bittersweet - amazing to display and share all that we had been working on, yet sad because it marked the end of the semester. The session was thought provoking for me personally as I reflected on where we've been and where we are going. Overall, it was a genuinely good experience. I think the audience enjoyed it and could take away important information, which everyone has touched upon in their blog responses. One older woman came up to me, she was utterly intrigued by the dialogue books. She was telling me how she would like to do that project with her grand-daughter. Her saying that made me happy and I couldn't help but smile. But that's a common feeling when it came to this class - it would put us in a better mood. I'm looking forward to our presentation on Monday!
ReplyDeleteIt was truly rewarding to be able to showcase our work that day. I think the most special moment for me was a text I received from a student who spoke about my art piece. She shared how much it meant to her. I really hope that everyone else's experience with this class was rewarding for you all as it was for me. I looked forward to this class each week, and the time spent in class flew by. I will genuinely miss each and every one of your faces as next year progresses and our art work continues to spread.
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