Art?
The University of New England is definately reknowned for their science based curriculum, but there is an art requirement for ALL undergrads!!!
I personally love art...well that is why I am minoring in it, but some people just don't dig it. Unfortunately for those people, you still have to take an art course worth 3 credits to get your degree here at UNE.
My minor in art requires that I take 18 credits (6 courses), so I have seen a lot of non-artsy folk struggle through courses in drawing, sculpture and painting. Despite their moans, groans and belly-aching about having to take an art class, these same people always seem to be able to allow themselves to work through their difficulties and create some great art.
I think the key to selecting an art class is to find something you like. A friend of mine took African Drumming because she knew that she would just get frustrated with having to create something out of nothing, where as she was confident that banging on a drum would be easy for her. She was right. I have advised a second friend to try photography because of his interest in chemistry. While taking an image artfully may not come easily to him, the mixing of the chemicals to develop it will be fasinating. Art is very flexible and can even be incorporated into your own background. One classmate last semester had a real affinity for the brain, so she drew a lot of brains and medical tools. Her artwork was great!
The key that I believe people need to realize is that art may take you out of your comfort zone, but let art become something that is a release, not something to stress about. If you are so concerned that the pepper doesn't look like a pepper when you draw it, you are always going to be hung up on the little things. However, if you take that odd looking drawing of a pepper and add some green paint, a little blue and leave some spots of white for the light reflection it becomes more life like. Sure it may not be perfect, there may be no absolute way to render a pepper through painting or drawing, but what in life is perfect? Nothing really. And no one asked you to be the next Da Vinci, Donetello, Georgia O'Keefe or Salvador Dali. Just enjoy the process and embrace the outcome.
That's all in part to a liberal arts education!
Comments
emma, hi...i happened across your blog when i was doing a search for loose moose. then, of course, i started reading what you had to say. interesting blog. i wanted to tell you about the union house coffee shop that's set to open in the north dam mill in early march. it's got a really great artsy vibe, the owner is an artist, and it seems like it might be a place you'd like. i'm a friend of the owner's and trying to get the word out so she does well here in ol' biddeford. be sure to stop by sometime. i think she's going to try to have evening hours as soon as possible. and, i'm pretty sure she'll have wireless again. she'd had a business in another mill and got pushed out due to enviromental issues in the mill. hope you can give it a shot. best, tammy
Posted by: tammy | February 26, 2007 4:00 PM