Cheyenne Díaz Blog

Zander, M. J. (2007). Tell me a story: The power of narrative in the practice of teaching art.  Studies in Art Education, 48 (2), 189–203. This reading feels particularly pertinent to the topics that we have explored in our class thus far. Zander writes about the importance of narratives, and how human beings intrinsically utilize personal storytelling to connect with one another. This "autobiographical impulse" is especially important when building rapport not only between students, but also between students and teachers. I, along with many other members of the TC community, believe in the idea that our pedagogy should be student-centered and teacher-facilitated, so that ultimately, those who are receiving instruction can be satisfied and take the most out of their lessons. With the new media that we explored thus far, there has been an emphasis on storytelling through each of our projects, as well as the artists who have been spotlighted. Our research on Sound as a medium c...

This project gave new life to the scanner in my basement. I was excited to approach this project as I have spent considerable time researching scanography, its origins, and its methods, yet when it came time to consider what I wanted to do, I blanked. I spent a lot of time with my dad, experimenting with the scanner, figuring out which lighting works best to get the background color that I wanted, and trying different methods like "warping," "stretching," "compressing," and more, but I did not like the results it was giving me.  I ultimately decided to scan the various objects that I collect. I enjoyed the process of scanning these objects and laying them out on my flatbed scanner in my pitch black room, bouncing ideas off of my sister, who assisted me with turning off the lights and organizing my objects. I affectionately gave her the nickname of "Igor" for the night, and she dutifully followed my directions of "lights, camera, action!...

Sonidos by Cheyenne Díaz I opted to create a soundscape, utilizing audio that I recorded while on a trip to Puerto Rico with my family this past summer. Given the immense popularity of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show that shined so much light on being not only Boricua, but also being Latinx in general, I wanted to create a sound experience that brings joy and shows my pride in where I come from. I often enjoy recording "b-roll" clips of the places I visit and interesting things I see on my phone, and I rarely ever consider the audio when I do this. I will often be having conversations in the background with the person I'm with, commenting on the captivating sights in front of me.  It truly felt like a very reflective and intentional process, selecting video clips with audio qualities that were just as stunning as the views themselves, particularly those sounds of nature. I chose to compose my piece as a wordless day in my life in the nature of Puerto Rico. It be...

  Personal Learning Objectives 1. In this course, I hope to broaden my understanding of what can be used to create art beyond the traditional means that have been the standard for so long. I hope to unlearn my own biases toward certain ways of making. I have put off learning many programs and mediums because of a lack of understanding and fear of failing, so I hope that through our research in this class of different artists and art forms it will allow me to broaden my own repertoire.  2. Another goal for this course, is to gain discipline in not only my own studio practice, but also in allocating time, resources, and effort into projects. Through our Impact25 project, I aim to hold myself accountable by setting deadlines and expectations for myself that I am able to reach without the threat of procrastination and mediocre work as a result. Doing this project in a pair, and with the participation of 25 other people will give me the impetus to see the success of the project thr...

In this digital collage, I chose to create a fantastical landscape utilizing Procreate, and taking from my personal camera roll.  I have always had a fascination with sunsets, and documenting these fleeting moments in time, so in my fantastical world, the sky is always painted with the wonderful colors of the sunset. Additionally, there are lush meadows all over, filled with flowers of all kinds, waterfalls, mountains, and rainforests. In the forest, there is a colony of giant versions of my dog, Sasha, which you can ride.  Overall, this project was very valuable to me, as I have only previously used Procreate for sketches and attempts at animation. I have not used it to its full extent in terms of manipulating photos and creating collages such as this one. I went in completely blind, not having researched any kinds of techniques that I could use, and instead allowed myself to explore the app and utilize its functions as creatively as possible, without any preconceptions....