Studying the arts and humanities can help us better understand the facts of science and mathematics and provide an opportunity to better understand ourselves.
That’s the message that Don Baker shared in his opening address of the first Arts and Humanities Capstone Symposium at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts on Friday morning. Baker, who holds a Ph.D. in political science, currently serves as an economic and commercial officer at the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He has also served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Poland, Mexico and Jamaica. Before he began his career as a foreign service officer, Baker served as a humanities instructor at ASMSA for six years.
Baker said at one time humanities was a part of a tradition of students receiving a liberal arts education in which they would study a broad array of disciplines. With the fear that the United States was falling behind the rest of the world, a heavy emphasis on mathematics and sciences was developed in recent decades. But it is because of the developments we are making in science and mathematics that the humanities deserve an equal amount of attention today, he said.
“We live in a world dominated by science, and that’s a good thing,” he said. “Just recently, we took the first photograph of a black hole, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the very origins of the universe. In mapping the human genome, we have the potential to cure diseases that have plagued mankind throughout our history.
“If we are to prepare for and perhaps even reverse the effects of climate change, the answers will depend largely on science. And yet, it’s precisely because the sciences are so dominant that we need the humanities more and more.”
While science and mathematics give us facts, information, truth and certainty, the humanities provide us the possibility of seeing how all areas of knowledge fit together, he said.
“The more we learn and discover about the physical laws that drive the universe, the DNA that makes up our genetic code, the effects of chlorofluorocarbons and greenhouse emissions on our environment, the more important it is that we bring human wisdom and judgment to bear to try to ensure that we use this new knowledge wisely and responsibly,” Baker said.
“The humanities give us the tools to analyze and grapple with serious moral and ethical issues, determine what it means to be a good human being, and what should be the objectives of public policy. Perhaps most important, the humanities offer the possibility for reaction and the potential to understand ourselves — the mystery of the human heart, man’s search for meaning in an often confusing universe.”
He said the humanities gives us the tools to explore the issues of today honestly and rationally which will lead us to be better scientists, physicists, engineers, mathematician, coder and more.
This is the first year ASMSA held the daylong symposium emphasizing the arts and humanities projects and research conducted by students. Previously, a Senior Research Symposium for arts and humanities was held in conjunction with the West Central Regional Science Fair. As ASMSA began to place more emphasis on the arts and humanities over the past several years, it became clear those students’ works deserved a day of their own.
The event featured sessions throughout the day in which students presented their capstone projects. Some sessions featured presentations of original works of fiction and nonfiction writing, works of original music, original films and visual art pieces. Other sessions covered presentations on research papers in arts and literature, history and social science.
“I’m very proud of all the students who participated,” said Dr. Mary Leigh, a humanities instructor at ASMSA and a co-organizer of the event. “I feel like their hard work really made this come together. Organizing it is one thing, but it’s really their efforts and the seriousness they put into their research that made this a really good day.”
Dr. Neil Oatsvall, a history instructor at ASMSA and the other co-organizer of the event, said the event’s success was a reflection of the mentorship that the school’s arts and humanities instructors provided the students.
“I think today really showed the quality of student mentorship in the Humanities Department,” he said. “The projects we had and the strength of them is really a reflection of bright students, hard work and the mentorship of my colleagues.”
Students were recognized in eight categories: visual art, music – performance and lectures, film, creative nonfiction, creative writing, arts and literature, history and social science. An overall winner was recognized in fine arts projects (visual art, music, film, creative nonfiction, creative writing) as well as an overall winner for humanities projects (arts and literature, history, social science).
Sydney Harris, a junior from North Little Rock, won first place overall for fine arts projects. Harris’ project — titled Hubris and the Color Brown — focused on the use of fiber and materials such as yarn and fabric within her artwork. Her main inspiration was Eva Hesse, an American sculptor known for her pioneering work in materials such as latex, fiberglass and plastics.
“I was mainly inspired by other artists, Eva Hess specifically, just the way that she allowed herself to enjoy working with materials,” Harris said. “A lot of people thought my work was gross looking or a little off beat or weird, but I just kept doing what I wanted to do. I sold work today. I’ve never done that before.”
Chloe Biermann, a junior from Fayetteville, won the overall humanities award. Her research project — Fashion and Fancy Dress: Elite Expressions of Masculinity Through Costuming — focused on men in the 19th century holding historically accurate costume balls that would allow them to wear fashions from previous centuries that may not conform to current fashion.
Biermann said she wanted to focus on fashion history for a research project. She stumbled across a photo of a man wearing 17th century fashions, but it was from the late 1800s featuring a man dressed for a costume ball.
The overall winners were chosen by the Humanities Department faculty members. First- through third-place winners in each individual category were chosen by outside judges.
Individual category winners included:
Visual Art
1. Sydney Harris of North Little Rock 2. Emma Hill of Hot Springs 3. Ethan Hemphill of Conway
Music – Performance and Lectures
1. Ashley Pizzolato of Donaldson 2. Tamryn Woolfork of Marion 3. Marley Vincent of Barton
Film
1. Alex Kaye of Conway 2. Madison Powell of Jonesboro 3. Kaitlynn Halliday of Yellville
Creative Nonfiction
1. Hadley Medlock of Alma 2. Max Dearing of Fayetteville 3. Shealyn Chestnut of Havana
Creative Writing
1. Tierney Earnest of Benton 2. Van Gulledge of Perryville 3. Kaitlynn Halliday of Yellville
Best Overall Poetry: Danielle Kuntz of Hot Springs Best Overall Fiction: Tierney Earnest of Benton
Arts and Literature
1. Dinah Everton of Hot Springs 2. Amanda Buxton of Jonesboro 3. Jack Selig of Benton
History
1. Chloe Biermann of Fayetteville 2. Amanda Carson of Russellville 3. Lorin George of Hot Springs
Social Science
1. Sophia Ladd of Wynne 2. Elizabeth Byrd of Little Rock 3. Serenity Islam of Helena