A Summary
Participating in this internship has been an amazing opportunity for me to learn so much about my town, and to develop skills. I know in my second blog I mentioned that my first project was making a definition for art. In all honesty it’s been my project the whole time. Not just coming up with a basic definition, but with using my senses to see it in action and affect everyone.
Volunteering as DJ at The Lake on 4th of July I heard music as it gave life, and bring fun to people and athletes who could hear the music. Working with Four H, I saw children show different forms of art to be seen by participates of the fair, and be judged for awards based on the work they put into their projects. I audited an art class run by Atwood local Milly Fisher. She approached her class to be as creative as possible with the materials that she gave, and I could sense the excitement that the children had when doing their projects. They were excited to work with materials that let them make colors and shapes. They could call whatever they worked on their own.
I was able to see the works of art that is all around Atwood. Work of art that have always been a part of my life. I can say that when I visit an ocean that it reminds me of the ocean mural. Visiting the new pool is amazing when I compare it with the old one. It’s not that I loved the old pool any less if not more with all the memories that my friends and I had there. It’s that, even though it took years to finally make, the amazing work that was put into this new pool has been a great addition to Atwood that everyone enjoys.
Several interviews have been conducted by me in the past couple of months to respected advocates of the arts. All the interviews were enjoyable. I learned much about how others felt about the art that is in rural areas. I was able to work on interview skills and creating conversations to answer the questions that I had. A skill that is particularly difficult for a person with Autism like me to develop. They all showed a great love and a great concern for arts in general. All of them from teaching, writing, to drawing, and sewing incorporated some form of art into their lives and into their history. So they understand that all people enjoy some form of art, but many times there just aren’t enough people that support art in a rural setting; all for various reasons. Some from a lack of interest, many because they are participating in another event, and others don’t always find out about events.
It’s one thing find something you love and think that there are others who love the same. It’s a completely different feeling when you actually meet, see, hear, and talk with people who share that same love. So I believe that the definition of art is longer and worth more the few sentences that it’s given, because that is the way people feel about art whether they know it or not. I hope that I can put what I’ve learned in the past few months into good use. It’s been fun, and if anyone is thinking about being in this internship I would tell them that the experience is well worth the effort.
