Daily Practice
I wanted to draw small pictures or scenes every day. I want to get better at drawing in general and at drawing expressive or satirical drawings, such as political cartoons. I want to practice my art skills and I hope this semester helps.
Homelessness or "With justice for all" project
The beginning of this project had nothing to do with homelessness, It started with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideas of Civil Disobedience and his definitions of what makes a just versus an unjust law. We then moved into the different philosophies of justice. We talked about: Deontology, Utilitarianism, John Rawls’ (or Rawlsian as we referred to it as) and Libertarianism. We then all got together to decide a topic for the final exhibition, after researching various issues of injustice in Durango and talking to community organizations about the issues they were working on. These issues ranged from homelessness to immigration to environmental issues. We researched these issues and then voted on Homelessness as a class. we went really in depth into homelessness, we talked to community organizations, visited the homeless camp at Test Tracks, and looked at enough websites to crash several computers. We finally ended by deciding what our exhibition would be about, and what it would accomplish.
The event went super well, Over 200 homeless community members attended the exhibition. We started with keynote speakers, and ended with a huge community meal. The projects were excellent and innovative. Everyone's project was built to show something different, it was beautiful to see so many people who were so passionate about the issue. i learned about the power of community, as everyone sat down and enjoyed a meal together. It was wonderful.
Our group did not have a complete project to present at the Exhibition, we didn't start work until three weeks before the exhibition, I attribute this to us not having a project, we almost did, but on the last night our animator said that everything was gone, the computer had had some kind of problem, and our nearly complete animation was erased. As the script writer, it was my job to write the text that would go in the animation, Evan, wrote about half the script, so I wasn't sure what to do after it was finished. I asked my group what I could do to help every day. They never said there was anything to do, so rather than actively look for something beneficial to do, I slacked off and didn't do anything. next time I'll look for something to do and motivate my group beter so we have more time to make a better project.
In this project I got a little better at writing, poetically and regularly. I also got a little better at asking for help, It's easier now, its still not "easy", but its gotten easier. I got to work on my collaborating skills, I had a chance to work wit people to create a project. I strongly believe that our project would have been excellent had we starter earlier. so I think the collaboration sort of worked, it was because we weren't working together that we got behind in the first place. but we worked really well together those last 3 weeks.
The event went super well, Over 200 homeless community members attended the exhibition. We started with keynote speakers, and ended with a huge community meal. The projects were excellent and innovative. Everyone's project was built to show something different, it was beautiful to see so many people who were so passionate about the issue. i learned about the power of community, as everyone sat down and enjoyed a meal together. It was wonderful.
Our group did not have a complete project to present at the Exhibition, we didn't start work until three weeks before the exhibition, I attribute this to us not having a project, we almost did, but on the last night our animator said that everything was gone, the computer had had some kind of problem, and our nearly complete animation was erased. As the script writer, it was my job to write the text that would go in the animation, Evan, wrote about half the script, so I wasn't sure what to do after it was finished. I asked my group what I could do to help every day. They never said there was anything to do, so rather than actively look for something beneficial to do, I slacked off and didn't do anything. next time I'll look for something to do and motivate my group beter so we have more time to make a better project.
In this project I got a little better at writing, poetically and regularly. I also got a little better at asking for help, It's easier now, its still not "easy", but its gotten easier. I got to work on my collaborating skills, I had a chance to work wit people to create a project. I strongly believe that our project would have been excellent had we starter earlier. so I think the collaboration sort of worked, it was because we weren't working together that we got behind in the first place. but we worked really well together those last 3 weeks.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Guns Project Reflection
- What was your viewpoint regarding firearms, their uses and misuses, and legislation coming in to the project?
I am very liberal. like extremely liberal. I am pro-gun control. But that was about the limit of my knowledge on the subject, I'm glad we did this project so that I could expand my knowledge on this issue.
- In what ways was that viewpoint challenged by our class conversations, your research, and the exhibition?
It wasn't too much, it did help my learn more about both sides of the issue, which is always extremely valuable.
- What adversity did you face during this project and how did you overcome it/make your way through it?
I didn't really feel any adversity, even when presented with opposing arguments, it did not feel like I was being opposed. it felt like I was having a calm discussion
- In what ways did you contribute to your group and the class as a whole?
I did a lot of research for the activism room, and was always ready to help with anything anyone needed
- What can you point to in the exhibition that is yours (e.g. something you made, researched, etc.)
The activism room sign had a collage on the back and I helped find a lot of the pictures for that and glued many of them down. Also in the activism room, a good chunk of the research was mine.
I am very liberal. like extremely liberal. I am pro-gun control. But that was about the limit of my knowledge on the subject, I'm glad we did this project so that I could expand my knowledge on this issue.
- In what ways was that viewpoint challenged by our class conversations, your research, and the exhibition?
It wasn't too much, it did help my learn more about both sides of the issue, which is always extremely valuable.
- What adversity did you face during this project and how did you overcome it/make your way through it?
I didn't really feel any adversity, even when presented with opposing arguments, it did not feel like I was being opposed. it felt like I was having a calm discussion
- In what ways did you contribute to your group and the class as a whole?
I did a lot of research for the activism room, and was always ready to help with anything anyone needed
- What can you point to in the exhibition that is yours (e.g. something you made, researched, etc.)
The activism room sign had a collage on the back and I helped find a lot of the pictures for that and glued many of them down. Also in the activism room, a good chunk of the research was mine.