Maria Soboleva

CPSA100 blog

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On May 14, 2020 I began an art project where I created 15 different representations of an apple. I did some very literal interpretations of apples but I also began to expand the meaning of an apple, such as drawing the cityscape of New York since it is called ‘the Big Apple’. I tried to differentiate the colors as well as the art styles and materials. I used colored pencils for some, paint for others, markers, pen and regular pencil. I had a lot of fun thinking of ideas and it was very relaxing to color and paint. My friend Paulina joined me to help and drew three of these and it was fun to make art together. 

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On Wednesday March 4, 2020 I went to Hoff Theater in Stamp to see Uncut Gems with my friends Josh and Grant. I had heard from a friend that it was a really good movie so when I was very confused when I was halfway through the film and was completely lost. To be completely honest, I did not enjoy watching this movie. It was very well done and achieved what it was supposed to, but I did not like the experience. The movie is meant to induce anxiety in the viewer, using long shaky shots, constant overlapping talk and a stressful plot. Furthermore I predicted the ending in the first 30 minutes but when it happened I was shocked and completely unsatisfied. The whole movie is unsatisfying and stressful. However it was a great movie to watch with friends who also like to dissect movies because we had a lot to talk about afterwards.

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On Tuesday, March 3, 2020 I went to Washington D.C. for a concert at Union Stage. I went with my friend Paulina to see the rapper bbno$, pronounced Baby No Money. The first opener we did not enjoy very much, but the second opener named Lentra was very fun and energetic and he played funny songs. When bbno$ came out, the crowd went wild. I loved how he introduced every song with a little story and it was awesome singing along to some of my favorite jams. I’m really happy I got to go to this concert because it will be a while before I go to another one again. I bought tickets to see blackbear in June but I think it will be cancelled because of coronavirus, which is disappointing.

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On Wednesday, February 26, 2020 I went to an event in the Bel Air Lounge. Lauren, Maitri and I made silver linings jars with Haley. I made a braid out of strings and wrapped it around the top of my jar and made a little tag which i taped onto the jar which said “Silver Linings 2020″. I will put little happy thoughts, fun memories and other trinkets into the jar throughout the year. I had a good time hanging out, eating snacks and drawing with friends.

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On Wednesday, January 29, 2020 my roommate Lauren and I went to watch Leyla McCalla perform live during the Concert in Close Quarters at the CCC. We came right at 7pm when the event started and I ate some pizza as everyone listened to Leyla play. I loved her songs in French because I think it is a beautiful language. I was also amazed at how easily she switched between different instruments: you could truly see her musical talent. I wish there was more of a conversation between listeners and performer, but it was still a fun and unique experience.

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On December 8, 2019 at 3PM Lauren, Kari and I went to the Clarice and watched the Muses. The first short performance was a one woman show about a eleven year old girl with asthma. She talked about family issues and it was very dramatic. The second performance was a group of friends laying Uno and one friend confesses that she has to move away. It was a very sweet story. The third performance was my favorite. God was played by a small, Asian girl who came down to Earth and gave advice to a lesbian who was in love with her best friend. In the end, the lesbian wins over her best friend and they admit they are in love with each other. This was a very funny and interesting concept which I enjoyed and the message was so positive.

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On October 30, 2019 I saw John Mulaney live at the Xfinity Center. He is one of my favorite comedians so I was very excited. We stood in line outside in the rain for two hours but it was actually kind of fun cuz it wasnt pouring and we had umbrellas. I enjoyed the opener comedian even though I have never heard of him and then John Mulaney came out on stage. It was surreal! I loved his fasciation with the Diamondback newspaper and his anger at a bad ad. He was surprised by how easily dressed Maryland kids were in the 50 degree weather, and he was confused by the enthusiastic nature of the crowd when we encouraged him to stay hydrated. The show felt very personalized to the crowd and I was laughing the whole time. One of my favorite stories he told was about him and his two best friends named John and John who used to do bad things when they were kids together.

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On Monday, October 7th I went to a Coffee and Crafts night in the Bel Air Lounge. I designed a few of my own stickers while chatting with some friends who live in Bel Air as well. It was relaxing to be able to make whatever I wanted and then satisfying putting the stickers on my laptop and wall. I enjoyed just being able to doodle with my friends and I liked seeing what everyone else made! It was fun and I think I will go to more of these events now.

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On September 14, 2019 I went to the Silent Disc-Glo at the Next Now Fest. We were given headphones and could listen to two live DJs playing different kinds of music. It was a concert and a dance party with a twist. It was strange since not all of the people were listening to the same music, but that was also what made the experience unique. I also enjoyed the balloons and the lights so it was also a visual experience as well as auditory.

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The first picture is from the Read Receipts art exhibit. The second photo is from the Lucid Dreaming event. The last picture is from the jazz professors performance.

1. In the Read Receipts exhibit I saw acrylic paintings that were very vibrant and some were abstract. The paintings had themes that felt very relevant to today’s world. There were references of memes like Kermit the frog and it was so interesting to see the things I witness on the internet reflected in art. The artist is very hip to today’s youth and you can tell through her work.

2. My favorite event was definitely the TURNED ON (Read Receipts) art exhibit. I am a painter as well and this was very inspiring to me because now I too want to incorporate humor into my works and make more art that is relevant to me rather than trying to please an audience. I liked looking through Weisbaum’s work.

3. In all of the events I felt like the artist was working beyond the boundaries of a particular arts discipline. At Read Receipts there was obviously visual art, but the artist was also capturing history and the millennial experience. At Lucid Dreaming the artist had to work with lights and cameras to create the art and that requires an understanding science and technology. The collaboration of different disciplines pushes the boundaries of art and allows the creation of unique art which could not previously exist. Art is not just one discipline: it is in everything and everywhere and it should be expressed through many different forms and viewed through many different lenses.

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On Thursday, August 29th I attended Convocation at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. All the scholars were introduced to the staff that we will be working with and how this program started 25 years ago. We also used our phones to do a fun interactive activity to learn more about this year’s scholars. I had fun and met a few new friends.