EPISODE SIX: Persona Impacts Art
By Dairell Alvarico
Hosted by Dairell Alvarico

Official Transcript:

[THEME SONG – KOLBY THOMPSON.]

Dairell Alvarico:

Great to see you all again everyone. Here’s to our second year with our new format: Podcasts.

I am excited to introduce the first episode for the year, one that dives into the art scene, more specifically the  impact of someone’s persona when it comes to creating art, the personalization of intricate details and how life experiences and preferences shape the focus of a canvas. 

Welcome to Sheyenne Perspectives from Mustang Post News, I’m Dairell Alvarico.

Dairell Alvarico: Creativity in the form of art can show how diverse society can be. A lifestyle, a talent, some personal affiliation that makes someone who they are. In all four corners of the world, creativity can be sought and shaped. From the first line of a child’s drawing to the beginning stitches of a single crochet. 

It would be no surprise that in the very walls of Sheyenne, creativity runs a great deal among the students. Take, for example, our Artist Spotlight on last year’s issues, previous talents such as Field, Karianna, and Brianna were, rightfully so, displaying their amazing art on The Mustang Post. 

When it comes to their implications and moral messages, it was definitely not scarce. Their works were brimming with their own personal touch, an element that makes an artwork distinct from its peers.

Throughout time, different artworks can reflect an artist’s persona and experience. In this episode, we delve deep into the personal aspects of art and its creation, and answer the question: how can a work of art mirror a student’s diversity? 

In order to gain more insight on this topic, I have gathered people who are familiar with art and creativity and can give a broader perspective about it.

Reagan: My name is Reagan Koppelman, I’m a junior.

Autumn: My name is Autumn Radebaugh, I’m a senior.

Ms. Murphy: I’m Miss Murphy, I’m an art teacher here.

Dairell Alvarico: Art has different meanings for different people: it is ambiguous, it’s fluid and diverse and is sprinkled with details that derive from a person’s interests and experiences. This concept is the basis of what persona can do to influence art, and it is very much so with their unique responses to my simple question: what is art?

Reagan: For me, Art is I guess primarily like a hobby.

Dairell Alvarico: That’s Reagan Koppleman.

Reagan: Like a way to express myself and just like cool off like aside from just like basic like primarily academic focused classes art is like a way to like channel basic my views and like the things that I think in like a constructive way which can also just be fun, win awards, stuff like that.

Dairell Alvarico: Reagan focuses more on portraying what he sees of society’s affairs and how he can express his perspective of  it visually. His view on art leans towards it being a medium, his works are tied to his beliefs… a frame of reference of the outlooks he has on topics that are prevalent for editorial cartoons.

Dairell Alvarico: Autumn has a similar attitude towards art, however her point of interest is on spreading the appreciation of beauty.

Autumn: I feel like a big thing for art for me is like, In Senior Comp. we did like uh a little thing . Where we like picked three of our biggest values and one of the ones I picked was beauty because I feel like , there a lot of like importance in appreciating the beauty of like, not only of the outside world but also like, focus on inside everyone’s minds and stuff so I feel like a big part of art for me is recognizing and spreading beauty.

Dairell Alvarico: Beauty is everywhere in art, it’s the fire that motivates society to turn their heads and admire the work artists put and yet beauty isn’t the only response art creates: revulsion, disgust, confusion, introspection, and much more. 

Those responses, from enrapt beauty to rejection are difficult to portray, but how does an artist get to the point where they can make an audience respond the way they intend? Perhaps it has something to do with an artist’s growth, their development of style and skill that translates into audience manipulation as they develop their persona throughout the years.

Ms. Murphy: I think art can really be a great way to reflect society, uh where we’re at as a species along with like you know the personal venture that people have with art work.

Dairell Alvarico: As an art teacher, Ms. Murphy has observed what students can do as they slowly understand their potential and what they can pursue…when it comes to filling a blank canvas. Reagan and Autumn definitely fit the bill seeing as she spoke with her arms raised to gesture to them both.

Ms. Murphy: At this point in their lives um you know teenagers are really figuring out how to express themselves through their own personal lens um so I think that comes out through their artwork and I think especially these two how they see the world and interact with it.

Dairell Alvarico: Expression is what a teenager holds close to their heart, it’s part of the stepping stones that lead them to discover who they are and what they want. In this phase of life, they discover the deeper intention of the world’s angle: Socially, psychologically and politically.

Ms. Murphy held true to her words FOR not long after, the two students shared their inspirations that were brimming with their own personal touch, and of what connection they have with their work that’s parallel to their own lives.

For instance, Autumn previously shared that she recognizes and spreads beauty, and that made me wonder. How does she convey that in her art in regards to that?

So of course, I had to ask her. 

And when I did, she leaned forward into the mic, her face deep in thought.

Autumn: I suppose, I have a work in progress right now where it’s um. It’s a sculpture of a girl and she’s like standing in water and screaming basically and I’m going to like paint the surface of the sculpture with oil paint and it’s going to depict um like a family on the ocean on one side and the other side like somebody alone on the other side and that one has a lot more meaning because it’s like, for me it’s about my relationship with like home. I’ve always felt drawn to the ocean and it always felt like home.

Dairell Alvarico: There is beauty in knowing that home is where the heart is, and yet within the heart bears the feeling of desolation where one can truly feel alone, so much that you can even almost scream.

However no matter the agony, as long as there’s a door that welcomes you, as long as there is the familiar warmth of an awaiting embrace. A family, you can’t truly be alone despite being oceans apart. You’re drawn in, the unbending connection of tranquility, comfort, and contentment. A sorrowful thoughtfulness that emancipates the hidden beauty of home.

As for Reagan, his inspiration originates directly from the environment he grew up in, and the dynamic within his family.

Reagan: I only started pol cartoons recently but I guess my dad, my grandpa, they’re both politicians. My mom was a paralegal so I had lots of connections to like government and law. Um and I guess and also being in things like debate, speech and like student congress now I recently started mock trial team uh I guess politics have always been central in my life it’s just only now I’ve really started expressing my own views on them.

Dairell Alvarico: The amount of key elements in Reagan’s life, such as the extracurricular activities he joined and the career of his parents and grandfather have helped bolster his ideal standing when it comes to expressing his art. 

The political agenda, its effect in society and all the branches under the umbrella term has created leeway for Reagan’s creative undertakings to be manifested into canvas.

What he has learned from his family, his clubs and personal journey has formed his own take of what he perceives of politics. It merged with his persona, his way of thinking and what he believes in. Dabbing in politics is a huge chunk of his persona,

and to take it further up a notch, he expands his agenda with illustrating ideas to make it visional, with its own straight to the point message.

Reagan and Autumn are like two sides of the same coin. They love art, that’s evident enough, they love to create, to make their ideas a reality. It is what makes them stand out, to be their own person and Ms. Murphy couldn’t agree more.

Ms. Murphy: But definitely especially with these two being a junior and a senior you see some deeper development and personal voice in their work. Um, and even just now sitting here listening to these two talk about it. I was like, oh yeah of course.

Dairell Alvarico: But how can these two be so different from each other? What makes them unique? What can they do to further express themselves in the long run?

I turned to Ms. Murphy again, knowing that she would have the answer to that.

Ms. Murphy: Autumn’s soft sensibility I think is also present in her work and um it’s really exciting to see that happen. I know Autumn’s interested in career in art um looking into that so definitely for her, like developing a portfolio, having a strong voice, those are things that will help you get into a solid art program, and um just learning to think like an artist I think is really important for everybody.

Ms. Murphy: Reagan’s sense of humor I think is very present in his work. I don’t really know what Reagans gonna do with the rest of his life, but um again developing critical thinking skills, uh taking feedback, being able to dissect the world around you are all important skills that adults need.

Dairell Alvarico: How marvelous it is, how intricate yet passionate that in the art scene anyone can do anything with what they want to express, what they want portrayed to the rest of the world. Sharing a part of themselves that is so personal and important, that harnessing the imagination of its agenda results in multiple paths of articulate meaning.

Every time you walk past an art gallery full of works from various artists, even the displays outside by the 1202 art room in Sheyenne, you are unraveling someone’s growth and diversity that led them up to that point. With your own eyes, you are witnessing someone’s identity.

May it be a sculpture of a woman screaming in water, or a depiction of school censorship on watercolor papers or Bristol boards. The diverse results that are presented to the public is more than just work, it’s an artist’s personality, their experience, their life. Look closer into it and you can see truly how persona can impact art.

[THEME SONG – KOLBY THOMPSON.]

Dairell Alvarico: This podcast was recorded and edited by Dairell Alvarico.

Sheyenne Perspectives theme music was composed and performed by Kolby Thompson under the direction of Mark Berntson. Thank you, Reagan, Autumn and Ms. Murphy, for sharing their wonderful thoughts and experiences. 

So long, everyone. We hope to see you on the next episode of Sheyenne Perspectives.

This has been a production of Mustang Post News.