On Wednesday, Democracy and the Arts students, as well as community members, gathered via Zoom for a playback theater performance. When preparing for today's class, I had not realized that we would be getting to see Verbal Gymnastics in action. It was a delightful surprise as all other performances this semester had to be canceled due to COVID-19 and our transition to online classes. After the main event, a few words that were tossed out include \"inspiring,\" \"engaging,\" and a feeling of being...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Sarah Witmer<\/a><\/span> | Jan 28, 2022<\/span><\/p> Although our four weeks of interim are drawing to an end, Democracy and the Arts is not the kind of class one can simply tie a neat little bow on and back away, not to be seen again for years. The work done in this class with hopefully ripple out into the world for weeks, months, or even years into the future. It was admittedly disappointing when our adventures in Washington, D.C. had to be transitioned online, but I tried to not let my dampened excitement get in the way of a good\u00a0opportunity....<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Marcus Hauck<\/a><\/span> | Jan 28, 2022<\/span><\/p> Below, I have written a haiku, a form of short poetry originally from Japan that follows a 3 line pattern with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second, and 5 in the third. It is reflective of my discussion with 5 of my peers at St. Olaf and is a call to action for creative placemaking - the strengthening of our campus community through the arts. Please enjoy. A Haiku for Creative Placemaking For every new face, St. Olaf has a place to\u00a0 Engage with the arts. The dance department Is a...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Marcus Hauck<\/a><\/span> | Jan 27, 2022<\/span><\/p> On January 13th, we conversed with Dr. Dwandalyn Reece, Curator of Music and Performing Arts at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Dr. Reece, whose list of accomplishments stretches far beyond my initial research, is extremely well versed in the field of musicology. After obtaining her master\u2019s degree, Dr. Reece worked at Henry Ford Museum, Motown Museum, Louis Armstrong House and Archive, New Jersey State Museum, and additional community projects in New York. She...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Marcus Hauck<\/a><\/span> | Jan 27, 2022<\/span><\/p> The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a member of the Smithsonian Institution and is located in the National Mall in downtown Washington, D.C. What was established by Congress in 2003, and opened to the public in September of 2016, the NMAAHC has since become the world's largest museum dedicated to African American culture and history. The building, itself, was designed by the tag team of David Adjaye (lead designer) and Philip Freelon (lead architect) whose...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Marcus Hauck<\/a><\/span> | Jan 27, 2022<\/span><\/p> Hello everyone! My name is Marcus Hauck and I am a sophomore studio art and math major from the very town we all go to school in. At St.Olaf, I am a member of the swim team as well as a few volunteer groups. I am the middle child of five, sharing that position with my two triplet sisters. I have an older brother and younger sister to complete the clan. My dad grew up in Northfield and is an alum of St.Olaf College as well, giving him the ultimate townie status. He is the men\u2019s and women\u2019s swim...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Marcus Hauck<\/a><\/span> | Jan 27, 2022<\/span><\/p> When reflecting on my interim experience, I am reminded of my travels to Washington, D.C. some six years ago. In what was a rather generic tour of the city - with visits to the White House, monuments, and Smithsonian institutions - was an overwhelming introduction to the incredible access we have to the fullness of cultural history in the U.S. Fast forward to a month ago, I was a naive studio art major with a committed interest in the arts, but still completely unaware of the complexity and...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Alexa Hwang<\/a><\/span> | Jan 26, 2022<\/span><\/p> This interim, while remote, was still a wild ride. Democracy and the Arts turned out to be so much more than I expected; in coursework, museum visits, information, learning, and in all of the knowledge that I gained. Although we were unable to physically travel to DC or meet each other in person, I still feel as though I improved a lot as a liberal arts student and writer in this course. Learning about how the arts affected specific communities, how democracy affected the arts, & vice...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Alicia Henriquez Porras<\/a><\/span> | Jan 26, 2022<\/span><\/p> I was not planning on taking this class for J-term, but when it was moved online I decided to take it because I have taken studio art courses before but had never reflected on topics related to policy making and democracy in connection to the arts, especially in the United States. I can imagine that it was kind of a bummer for some of my classmates that were planning on going to D.C. but I appreciate everyone\u2019s enthusiasm and professor Epsteins\u2019 amazing and successful effort to adapt the...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Olivia Talley<\/a><\/span> | Jan 26, 2022<\/span><\/p> The Final Reflection: \u201cNo! One last timeThe people will hear from meOne last time\u201d - George Washington, in the song One Last Time, from the musical Hamilton written by Lin Manuel Miranda Thoughts of how is this class almost overrun through my mind as I write this final blog post. I recall the mention of the musical Hamilton in the first couple weeks of the month; Randy Cohen exclaimed how it\u2019s a good feeling knowing you can see your favorite broadway show and know it\u2019s helping to benefit the...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Jimena Maida Colindres<\/a><\/span> | Jan 26, 2022<\/span><\/p> At the beginning of the semester, we reflected on the relationship between democracy and the arts. While my initial reaction, informed by my experiences and my gut, was to think that democracy needs the arts way more than what the arts need democracy. In reality, I was not sure how to understand this relationship. I tried to first answer to myself what even is democracy, and found a tangled world that I would rather skip than confront. Democracy has always seemed like an abstract concept to...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Sarah Witmer<\/a><\/span> | Jan 26, 2022<\/span><\/p> On Wednesday, January 26th, we will be meeting with John A. Johnson, founder of Verbal Gymnastics Theater Company. As described on the organization's Facebook page, \"Verbal Gymnastics is an interactive theater company where storytelling and art meet the community.\" This description fits perfectly with our class's own objectives of connecting arts and democracy. We have spoken with numerous members of organizations, agencies, and museums to hear their perspectives on the place of the arts in...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Ileana Sanchez<\/a><\/span> | Jan 26, 2022<\/span><\/p> In the weeks leading up to St.Olaf\u2019s Interim term, we discovered that our campus would be shut down and all students would be participating in an online class remotely. Covid had yet again dismantled our lives in a way no one saw coming. For many of the students in Democracy and the Arts that meant no study abroad program, no traveling, and no D.C. On the other hand, this allowed students like me, who are not able to study abroad due to other circumstances, to get a chance to participate in...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Sonia Wessen<\/a><\/span> | Jan 26, 2022<\/span><\/p> I intend to major in studio art, and took ID 242 largely in concession to the\u00a0importance of entrepreneurship and communication skills. This course\u2019s ACE requirement forced me to think more of administrative policies and outreach. I will describe my proposal in more detail at the end of this post. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 I\u2019m naturally an insular person, so it was personally fulfilling to talk with so\u00a0many people over a developing white paper proposal. I find myself seriously wanting to see my proposal become...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Landry Forrest<\/a><\/span> | Jan 26, 2022<\/span><\/p> I had no idea where to start while writing this reflection. Logically, I went back and read reflections from the last time this course was offered in January of 2020. Illogically, I assumed I\u2019d be able to gather some inspiration about how and what I could reflect on by reading the experiences of a class offering pre-pandemic. How can one compare marveling at the sights of the National Mall in person to seeing a pixelated version of it through the Google Maps Street View feature? The short...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Abby Johnson<\/a><\/span> | Jan 26, 2022<\/span><\/p> Like many Oles, the Zoom room is not where I thought I\u2019d be in January of 2022. Dreams of off-campus Interim study opportunities were crushed by a deadly virus variant whose name sounds like a Transformer action figure. So this month, we traded Washington DC and all of its in-person glory for virtual meetings and discussion forum notifications filling our inboxes to the brink. Louis\u2019s enthusiastic parody of \u201cInto the Unknown\u201d from Frozen 2, called \u201cInterim Online\u201d, is a testament to how wild...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by William Fecko<\/a><\/span> | Jan 26, 2022<\/span><\/p> Now that we are nearing the end of our tenure as students in Democracy and the Arts, I\u2019d like to take it back to the beginning of the course to reflect on what my expectations were against reality.\u00a0 My introductory blog post focuses on the fact that I am not well versed in politics, and that this lack of knowledge was the biggest challenge ahead of me for the course, as well as what I thought I would learn the most about. Talking retrospectively, politics hasn\u2019t been my biggest thinking point...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t by Arden Sasak<\/a><\/span> | Jan 26, 2022<\/span><\/p> The ending of this class is mildly frightening.\u00a0 That might seem at first to be a misleading statement. To clarify, the material of this class isn\u2019t frightening; I\u2019ve had an overall interesting and enjoyable experience. But this class ending means that I\u2019m one step closer to my impending graduation from St. Olaf in a little over four months. The end of my time at St. Olaf means that I\u2019m going into life for the first time without being dictated by any form of an educational system, which feels...<\/p>\n<\/div>read more<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t![\"Sarah](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1405\/2022\/01\/IMG_1720-1-850x478.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSarah Witmer- Wrapping it All Up (More or Less)<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChoose-Your-Own-Adventure Blog Post<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"National](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1405\/2022\/01\/maxresdefault-850x478.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNational Museum of African American History Reflection<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Introduction](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1405\/2022\/01\/unnamed-1-1-850x478.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIntroduction to the National Museum of African American History and Culture<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Pre-flection](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1405\/2022\/01\/unnamed-1-850x478.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPre-flection – Marcus Hauck<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"A](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1405\/2022\/01\/24750545018_b3b063fabd_b-850x478.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA Final Reflection<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Final](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1405\/2022\/01\/114.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFinal Reflection!<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Final](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1405\/2022\/01\/IMG_7084-850x478.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFinal Reflection!<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin me for a Blog Post, One Last Time<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Interim](\"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/54ed332de4b0487f159f9685\/1628010114779-CC5OZSUMY5QPFHRCOHAS\/IMGP2269-01+%282%29.jpeg?format=500w\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInterim Final Reflection<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Verbal](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1405\/2022\/01\/Screen-Shot-2022-01-25-at-21.17.16-850x478.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVerbal Gymnastics with John A Johnson<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA Reflection on Democracy and the Arts (Covid edition)<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Final](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1405\/2022\/01\/081A8980-CA25-4984-AA92-EFCD1B4D8476-850x478.jpeg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFinal Reflection<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Final](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1405\/2022\/01\/Screen-Shot-2022-01-11-at-10.08.47-PM-850x478-1.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFinal Reflection<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tZig-zagging: A Final Reflection<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Final](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1405\/2022\/01\/Unknown-1.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFinal Reflection<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFinal Reflection on Democracy and the Arts<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Reflection-National](\"https:\/\/ids.si.edu\/ids\/deliveryService?id=https:\/\/www.si.edu\/content\/img\/museums\/banner\/nmah.jpg&max_w=600\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tReflection-National Museum of American History<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Verbal](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1405\/2022\/01\/Screen-Shot-2022-01-28-at-15.30.07-850x478.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t