Hello there everyone, my name is Esther Frantzich and I am a senior biology major this year at St. Olaf. I am from Stillwater, Minnesota, but I’ve moved around the state quite a few times for different forms of schooling, trying to accommodate the needs of my other siblings. I am one of four kids, with two older brothers, a little sister, and a 15 year age gap separating the oldest from the youngest. My mom is a midwife who’s love language is making absurd amounts of wonderful food, and my dad is a musician and Waldorf teacher. We also have two puppies, a black and a yellow lab, who work to make our home both lovely and chaotic (pictured below).
My parents put my siblings and I into Waldorf school for our initial learning experiences – a K-8 school rooted in art, beauty and connection to the natural world. Because of this approach to learning, I feel like I’ve always been surrounded by art and artists. I feel like I was shown a unique way to interact with my physical and emotional surroundings, and I’ll always be grateful for that. That sense of connection is something I hope to bring to the class this interim. Also, I was able to dig deep into the old arts and take a bronze casting class last semester. Pictured below is 2100 degree bronze being poured into a cast made by my classmate – pretty cool I’d say. If anyone wants to learn more about that timeless process, ask away!
Even with these points of overlap with art so far in my life, I feel like haven’t dug as deep as I’d like into the arts in a political or democratic light. I’m a bit nervous to take this class because it is an unfamiliar approach to a familiar subject, and it can take time to settle into new perspectives in that way. I am also nervous for our final project proposal; I’ve never attempted to directly contact someone I am unfamiliar with to spark change. Alongside these points of nervousness is also knowing that these reasons are why I am most excited for our class together. Gaining new perspectives, and trying to bring real ideas to communities outside of our classroom, has the weight to change world view. I’m excited to hear directly from artists, and people who have lived their lives so closely with the arts. How wonderful! Anyways, that’s all for now.