Hello everyone,
My name is Arden Sasak. I’m currently a senior studying Studio Art and Environmental Studies (natural science emphasis). I’m from Park Ridge, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago.
Some cool things I’ve done at St. Olaf include taking an art course in metal casting, planning multiple Pause Dances, helping with maintaining the meditation labyrinth on-campus and doing research in the field of paleoclimatology (studying the climate of the past). I’m currently the Communications Coordinator for the Wellness Center, where I help run our website and social media. Some of the hobbies I enjoy include reading, writing, cooking, and making art. Some fun facts about me are that I’m obsessed with the musician Halsey and items on my bucket list include learning how to drive a forklift, having a reptile as a pet, and dining at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
When my original interim class in New Mexico got canceled in December, I decided to switch to this course because the class aligns with values I feel are important to who I am as a person and how I interact with the world: being a patron of the arts and participating in community building.
Besides being a visual artist and a writer myself, I’ve had the privilege of spending a lot of my life in museums, theaters, and artist studios as a child. I’m incredibly thankful to the people and organizations that exposed me to fantastic art, first in the Chicagoland area and later in Northfield and in the Twin Cities metro area. Coinciding with this, working within communities through volunteering and public-facing positions was also something that was valued in my family. Throughout my life, I’ve done volunteer work within my religious community, as well as aiding with projects and events in my hometown, such as helping with invasive species removal and trash pickup in local forest preserves near where I live. These experiences have made me realize that I really enjoy connecting with people within my communities and learning about what they care about and why they do what they do. I think this class will help me develop skills to really explore how I can use my love of art and the dedication I have to the places and communities that I exist in to help make impactful, positive changes both immediately and to have the skills to do so in the future.
What excites me about the course is the real-life experience I’m gaining by being in the course through the final white paper, along with learning from people who work in the field of arts administration. Most of the skills that we are focusing on in this class are skills that I’ve already had to practice in other courses, such as writing, researching, and critical analysis are skills that I already have and want to strengthen, which is something I’m happy about because it’ll allow me even further those skills in a setting that will be beneficial for potential future careers. Some things I’m nervous about this course include the amount of work and the pacing of the work since it’s a writing heavy class. I’m also nervous about getting Zoom fatigue, both from our regular class meetings and from making meetings outside of class time for our white paper.
Some particular skills and experiences I’m bringing to this class include:
- At St. Olaf, I’ve been part of a lot of organizations that help the entire St. Olaf student community, including St. Olaf’s Student Government Association, the Piper Center, and the Wellness Center. I’ve also participated in multiple ACE classes before this, including two environmental studies courses where I’ve had to write white papers and grant proposals.
- I’m a good people person, and I genuinely like learning about others and what they do. I’m excited to learn more about how policy impacts the spreading of the arts, and how values of democracy influence art and vice-versa.
- I’m good at thinking on the spot and having good observations when I read, which can help me make insightful observations during our class time.
Thanks for taking the time to read this! – Arden