workshop 6 (last and final workshop YAY)

Posted on November 21, 2009 by djadan

Title of Workshop: Mercedes Matter – A Retrospective 

 

Category of Workshop: Arts at Baruch

Date & Time of Workshop: November 17, 2009 1 – 2 pm

 

Brief Description & Workshop Goals: So right now you’re probably thinking how did Diana and Jessica (and Roxanne who tagged along with us) make it to two places at the same time right? Well that’s because we’re awesome! J lol See what happened was that we really wanted to get these workshops over with so after English we all ran to some weird building we had never been to before to see if maybe hopefully they would let us in early and out early. However, this was not so. By the time we left Martine and Kali were still waiting outside and me and Jessica had to go so we gave up. We did our community service (Roxanne just watched us -_-) and then we texted Martine to ask her where she wants to go eat when suddenly she gave us good news: the gallery thing was still open! So we ran over there and begged this lady to please let us in and since she was very nice she did J So we kind of got an express tour of Mercedes Matter’s work. Overall I didn’t like her work very much but then again I’m not much of an art lover so Matter shouldn’t take offense. I did like one particular piece (I don’t know the name because like I said we had the express tour) that was like the second piece the lady showed us. She said that was Matter’s early work that reflected ‘the artist pre-abstract’.

Explain why you selected this particular workshop & how it took you out of your comfort zone. If it didn’t take you out of your comfort zone why not?:  I selected this workshop because it was the last one I needed to do and I didn’t have a lot to do during the break so it was ideal for me. It didn’t take me out of my comfort zone but I do think it took the lady out of her comfort zone. The poor lady was obviously very pressed for time between trying to show us the paintings and wrapping up the gallery that she even forgot to sign our papers and didn’t answer some questions. But all in all shout out to the lady that helped us: thanks!! J

How did this workshop meet or fail your expectations? Would you recommend it to another student? Why or why not?: The workshop did meet my expectations because it had a lot of art work which I assumed it would have. I would recommend it to another student because although I didn’t fall in love with the piece it doesn’t mean they won’t.

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workshop 5/ Community Service/ UNICEF

Posted on November 21, 2009 by djadan

Title of Workshop: UNICEF

Category of Workshop: Community Service/ Global Awareness

Date & Time of Workshop: November 17, 2009 1:00 – 2:00

Brief Description & Workshop Goals: Ok so because some people didn’t do Light the Night, Analucia kindly offered the us an alternative: volunteer with another LC and work with UNICEF. At first I thought it was going to be some long tedious, boring thing but it really wasn’t. See what we had to do was help the LC (12 or 21 I forget) at their bake sale by collecting donations or handing out fliers. Jessica and I chose to work together at collecting donations so at 1:15 we showed up for duty. That’s when the peer mentor chick gave us a big sign that said “UNICEF BAKE SALE”, a can to collect donations in, and lollipops (because we were also selling lollipops). So we walked around for a while, trying to stand in areas where it was likely people would give donations (like at the bottom of the stairs from the 2nd floor down & in the eating area right outside the place where the cashiers are) and even approached some people and ended up getting a fair amount of donations.

Explain why you selected this particular workshop & how it took you out of your comfort zone. If it didn’t take you out of your comfort zone why not?: I selected this workshop but it was my only other option? Lol. But I did learn stuff from it but more about that later… This experience did take me out of my comfort zone a little because it was kind of awkward to be standing around with a big sign asking people for money. But on the plus side Jessica was there so it was pretty fun.

How did this workshop meet or fail your expectations? Would you recommend it to another student? Why or why not?: I would recommend it to another student because it’s not just any regular old workshop, it’s actually doing something to help others. I expected it to be kind of awkward and it was but I think in the end it was worth it.

What do you feel you learned from the workshop experience? What surprised you about it? What could you take away from the experience?:  Well during the donation collecting I didn’t really learn anything but in the meeting we had before the event I did learn stuff. I learned that UNICEF collects money to buy essentials for poor kids and families in third world countries; I learned that a few dollars that might not mean a lot to us can buy a lot of things for others; and I learned that lollipop cupcakes are not a very good mix.

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Arts at Baruch: Mercedes Matter: A Retrospective

Posted on November 21, 2009 by Roxanne Torres

Date: November 17, 2009

Time: 1:00 – 2:00PM

Location: Mishkin Gallery

This workshop is basically an art tour or an art gallery of Mercedes Matter’s abstract paintings and art works. It’s a showcase of her quite bizarre, strange and colorful paintings. It is not an art for everyone, especially for those who doesn’t really appreciate the type of art one believes a child can do.

I selected this workshop because I desperately needed a workshop for Arts at Baruch. And I, myself do create art through drawings and sketches due to the influence of my mom, who is also a painter herself. It didn’t take me out of my comfort zone at all. I find it quite interesting, actually. I learned a lot about the artist, Mercedes Matter. I learned that she has been a painter all of her life, incorporating her unique takes of ideas through abstract painting. I noticed this in her use of vivid colors and the movement within the patterns and the strokes of her paintings and drawings. What strikes me the most is that she spent months, sometimes years in some of her paintings.

It somewhat failed my expectations because I was quite excited to be in an art gallery, but her paintings and charcoal drawings did not really appeal to my taste. I do appreciate the colors and the brush strokes, but I’ve seen these kinds of artwork before. Abstract art isn’t really my cup of tea when it comes to art, unless it’s by Pablo Picasso, who I think effectively conveys meanings and emotions behind his bizarre artworks. I would recommend it to another student if he or she desperately needed an Art workshop or is in the mood for a nice stroll in an art gallery.

I learned a lot about Mercedes Matter and her passion for art — she began painting at the age of six— which is what really impressed me about her. This workshop definitely encouraged me to continue with my own passion for drawing and appreciating other’s artwork.

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workshop 4

Posted on November 21, 2009 by djadan

Okay so there was a little mix up. The first work shop that I did ( the cookies thing/ Freshmen Reception)  is actually being counted by Analucia as Academic Enrichment and I put it as Student Life soo yeah…. Now I’m going to do a new Student Life….which was actually a while ago but yeah….

 

Title of Workshop: Club Fair

Category of Workshop: Student Life

Date & Time of Workshop: Umm sometime in late September or early October. Let me check….Thursday, September 24th at 12pm.

Brief Description & Workshop Goals: Well even though this wasn’t really a workshop the goal of this event I’m guessing was to get newcomers involved in Baruch clubs. Basically what happened was that some friends and I had nothing to do on our (then seemingly) long two hour break and we heard a lot of noise down in the gym so we decided to explore. Once we got downstairs we saw that it was the club fair and honestly we were going to leave but then we saw candy and cookies so we stayed. We walked around a few times, saw a few clubs, and then left.

Explain why you selected this particular workshop & how it took you out of your comfort zone. If it didn’t take you out of your comfort zone why not?: Like I said we didn’t really pick this particular club we just happened upon it. But it was pretty good. I mean we got to walk around at our own pace and leave whenever we wanted to so I wouldn’t say it took me out of my comfort zone.

How did this workshop meet or fail your expectations? Would you recommend it to another student? Why or why not?: I didn’t have expectations but if I did this fair certainly did meet them. I learned about a lot of clubs like the Ecuadorian Club, the Bowling Club, a lot of sororities, and a Hispanic business club I forgot the name of. I also learned that although I gave my information to a bunch of clubs (and did plan to attend them) this semester has been very busy and I have been unavailable to attend any meeting.

Oh and yeah I would recommend it to another student.

What do you feel you learned from the workshop experience? What surprised you about it? What could you take away from the experience?: I learned that the first semester of college is really time consuming. Like I was in honors classes in high school so I thought college would be fairly easy for me and in a sense it is but its just a lot of work to do. Therefore, even though I really wanted to go the Ecuadorian Club meetings a lot of times I had to do other things like study of a test or finish up a homework of whatever so I couldn’t go. I can take away from this though is that I need to schedule my time better in future semesters so I can do my work and do things I want to too.

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Workshop #4: Suicide Prevention

Posted on November 19, 2009 by alopez1

Today, November 19, I attended a workshop at the counseling center concerning suicide prevention. Madhavi and I tried to make it to the one at 1:00 but, unfortunately, we were told that it was completely full and that they’d be giving another at 2:30 at the counseling center across the street. This meant that we’d have to miss ecology lecture but we knew we needed this workshop to fulfill our ‘Personal Enrichment’ workshop category, so we went anyway. After taking a creepy elevator ride to the 9th floor in a building we’d never been in before, we watched a 25 minute video that centered on a few college students who either knew someone who committed suicide or attempted suicide themselves. I personally found the video kind of disturbing. Sure, we all feel stress, but it is eye-opening to hear stories of young people who just completely crumbled under pressure to the point of no return. It’s also sad to hear stories of people who displayed clear signs of negative behavior and the people around them were blind to those signs. It teaches everyone a very important lesson: don’t ignore your friends/family members when they depict a sudden change in mood or personality and don’t be afraid to probe. Sure, they may get mad at you at first for ‘interfering’ in their lives, but ultimately, they will thank you. Some people just don’t realize that there is always an open ear to rely on when you simply need to vent, and that there are counseling centers ready to aid you with whatever you need. Sometimes, all it takes to relieve stress is to know that there are other people who’ve got your back. After the video, a few of the doctors/directors from the counseling center sat down with us and asked us questions concerning our feelings about counseling in general and about the causes of suicide. Being that mental illness is such a taboo in our society, everyone is pretty much reluctant to talk about it in public, so no one really volunteered any information when asked. I found myself forcing nods and mhm’s to make up for the awkward silence, and in turn, the doctor’s statements were pretty much directed to me because they thought I was actually enthusiastic about what they were saying. No good deed goes unpunished, they say! Ha. Honestly, I wish I could’ve gone to the stress & anxiety workshops they had instead of this one, but I’m glad I got this workshop over with.

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Suicide Prevention

Posted on November 19, 2009 by mn103110

I attended a suicide prevention workshop today at the Counseling Center in the building across the street from the VC. We watched a vhs documentary about college suicide. It made me sad to think that college freshmen, like me, could commit suicide due to the stress they encounter in school. It really surprised me that people were feeling that low about their work load. I would just drop some courses. It also seemed like some of the kids in the video were undergoing social difficulties. I’m glad Baruch has the learning community program because it really does help freshmen make friends. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in college students, which is a scary statistic. We should all look out for our friends and family that seemed depressed.

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Creating a Resume

Posted on November 19, 2009 by mn103110

I attended a workshop that was about creating a good resume. In this workshop, I learned more about Thank You cards. I also learned about what to omit on a resume, such as my high school accomplishments and internships. It really is unfortunate that all of the work I did prior to college doesn’t make an appearance on my resume. I think knowing how to create a good resume is a necessity for anyone who wants a job. I was surprised to learn that you shouldn’t round your GPA on a resume; even if its a 3.49, you shouldn’t round it to a 3.5. It was interesting to find out that any GPA below a 3.0. shouldn’t be mentioned on your resume. Overall, I learned a lot from this workshop.

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Suicide Week

Posted on November 19, 2009 by mfigaro

Suicide Week

11/19/09

In this workshop there was a video on suicide and the different signs of people who may be warning of suicide. I think that this workshop is especially important because there is a lot of stress for college students. I know that there is always a trade-off between doing work, getting paid, and sleep for most students. So this stress may reach unsafe levels in which it becomes depression. But sometimes it is hard to diagnose if you don’t see the signs. This workshop is important for all students to see not only for themselves but also for their fellow classmates who may be going through unusually large amounts of stress. Out of all the workshops I’ve been to I think this addresses an issue that is very serious especially for students who feel overworked and under constant pressure. Everyone should be aware because it may mean someone getting help that they need.

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Mercedes Matter Art Gallery

Posted on November 17, 2009 by Kali

Today Martin, Jessica and I attended the Art gallery, later joined by Roxanne and Diana. After a quick stop at Popeyes, we went and waited in an extremely long line at the gallery. We had arrived around 12:40, and the gallery started at 1pm. It was past 1:15 when we finally were able to enter the two clear doors that seemed so far away… Unfortunately Diana, Jessica and Roxanne waited in line for no reason since they had to leave a couple of minutes earlier to do their community service with UNICEF, but later returned once we had left.

Once inside the gallery, the guide was very informative, she explained to us how Mercedes Matter is considered a modern artist and how her art changed as she grew older. Personally there were some pieces (her earlier pieces) that did not really appealed to me. As we moved through the walls were Mercedes paintings laid, my perception of her work changed, she had done these abstract paintings that were very full of color. Color is very important to me because it draws my attention. Also the guide, pointed out how Mercedes incorporated a lot of triangles in her “still life” paintings.

I would definitely recommend this workshop to everyone else, because it is a valuable experience especially if you like art. This workshop was fun since the guide knew what she was talking about. It passed by pretty quick after we were in there, the only thing I think should be changed is the line waiting. Maybe if we are able to reserve like a set time, because if I hadn’t grab some food before the workshop I would have starved. But aside from that, the gallery is worth seeing. =)

P.S. The person who signed my planner said congratulations, since that was my last workshop.

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Mercedes Matter

Posted on November 17, 2009 by mfigaro

Title of workshop: Gallery Tour Mercedes Matter

Arts at Baruch

11/17/09 1-2pm

I went to the Mishkin Gallery and there I learned about Mercedes Matter who lived from 1913-2001. I learned a little bit about how the invention of the camera changed and influenced art so it was more about expression rather than recording. She was trying to develop her own art form in her paintings. I noticed that her works became progressively uninhibited in the sense that she did not include outlines of her images and symbols but rather she only had a general blur or shape. Most of her later works incorporated triangles as the primary shape. All the pieces were full of vibrant colours. In the last piece I saw her brushstroke was so relaxed that she actually allowed the paint to run because it was expressive of herself as an artist. This workshop was interesting becuase it made me at least open my mind to new styles of art even if I don’t like the piece. It was more expressive of the artist but it did not necessarily evoke any feelings from me. But seeing the freedom of Mercede Matter’s works makes me better understand about breaking molds and going beyond the usual and being original. I would recommend other people to go even if they don’t like art becuase to me hearing about her reasoning behind the works made them more powerful and I can use that idea of breaking barriers in my own life. Art is not only painted on a canvas but rather it comes in many shapes and forms so I appreciated this workshop to help me as a person and as an artist.

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