Objective: What enables people to build spaces where they can be their authentic selves?
Slogan: Ownership of the human experience
Members: David Cirillo, Harrison Lin, Nico Medellin, Leo Onor, Ramee Saleh, Bridget Schilling, Bridget Youngs
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Third Post:
The Enablers – Cohort Post 3
For our final piece, we chose to reflect on our personal limitations and expectations within community expression and authenticity. Our personal focuses have varied throughout the summer, but many of our takeaways followed similar veins. Some of us have been frustrated with the amount that certain voices are heard and taken seriously within communities, especially with the number of tragedies and publicized atrocities that have taken place this summer. Our reflections show how we make peace with, or struggle with, the limitations to which people are able to express themselves in their communities and to which communities are a reflection of all of the people within them.
Bridget Schilling
For this reflection, I decided to focus on the community development and reclamation aspect of empowerment on a more superficial level. The City of Austin and affiliated offices have taken measures to address Austin’s environmental impact and reduce it where possible. They make this accessible through compost collection, community-gathering areas that focus on the environment and nature, good public transportation for Texas, etc.
These are the kinds of efforts that frustrate me when they stand on their own and are advertised as the pinnacle of community development and reparations. However, I can also see them as a necessary part of other ongoing movements and a potential catalyst for people who are participating in the City’s projects who might find themselves becoming inclined to mobilize.
I have been doing a lot of reflection recently about the standards to which I hold people and the expectations that I set for specific outcomes. I think that I personally tend to alienate people this way, but I generally still maintain the standards. One of my goals for the summer is to improve on my ability to meet people where they are at and work with them there. The other day, I read an article condemning the Austin Black Lives Matter organizers for not being radical enough. I lean towards being a radical leftist, but when I read the article, which demanded that the organizers reject police support and take over the city, I was reminded of how small the community of organizers in the city even is and doubted the ability of such a small group to live up to the expectations set by the dissenters. I realize that, to a lesser degree, I am probably doing the same thing to people around me and to the communities in which I take part. While, by no means do I plan on shying away from a radical endgame just because it is hard, I am trying to be better at appreciating the small things that people are doing in communities, without which projects, they may not be engaging at all.
I volunteered at the Zilker Botanical Gardens in Austin, doing basic garden-work and manual labor. The woman who was in charge of organizing volunteers told me that they only have 5 full-time staff members and that they rely heavily on volunteers. I got 6 other people from the co-operative in which I have been living to come with me pretty easily, whereas, no one volunteered to come with me to a Black Lives Matter vigil a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes, meeting people where they’re at means doing things other people’s way, while building relationships that might lead to more engagement later on.
I also saw the value in the work that we were doing in the Botanical Gardens. They are run by the department of Parks and Recreation and are truly beautiful. They are in the middle of the city, but are a quiet haven from a sometimes-hectic urban environment. I find that it is healthier for me and the communities around me to appreciate, rather than hold people to a standard of being players in my long-term plan.
David Cirillo
For this theme I decided to focus on one of the major political movements in Paris right now, regarding the passage of a new labor law designed to free up the labor market and allow more work with easier ways to gain and lose jobs. The youth are dead-set against it and hold almost daily manifestations (protests) and major industry-wide strikes as a result. A few weeks ago we faced consequences of such a strike with our train getting cancelled.
I witnessed a protest by La Republique. There were at least 3,000 people. They were organized yet clearly livid, they were fighting to maintain a tenant of the French labor system, job security. They were also fighting for any jobs at all, as there are almost none for young French persons beyond temporary contracts and internships.
This was one protest of many, and there were spaces for these protests to be carried out and heard. Even so, the labor law passed. Sometimes, even with spaces of expression, even when your expressions are heard, there are limitations to which you can be listened to or respected. The government passed the law despite heavy disapproval and virtually disowned a demographic in the process.
Demonstration doesn’t always lead to action, as seen many times in the United States. And although I think the labor law is a necessity in some ways in order to create jobs by loosening a strict market reluctant to hire because they can’t fire, I understand that spaces for expression can be just that, but when you want to reach a broader audience, that audience can choose to listen or to turn away. It is more often the latter.
Bridget Youngs
While reflecting upon how the values of individuals make up the values of a community, it became salient to me that my observations of the very much mimic my personal goals and values. I found myself observing behaviors in others that I either pride myself upon or have shame about. As I noticed this, I tried to observe things that I assumed to be dissociated with my psycho-emotional state. The more I tried to separate my observations from my experience, the more I found them to be interrelated. This surfaced one of my largest fears; which is a knowledge ceiling. We see what we know, and we only know what we have learned. But do we not learn by assimilating what we already know? Is learning really accumulating new knowledge, or are we simply readjusting our framework and re-labeling it to fit new information?
It now becomes critical to define “knowledge,” which here I am referring to as intellectual fitness. In Crossfit, there are ten elements of fitness (endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy) and I believe that knowledge is similarly multifaceted. Unlike fitness, however, I believe that some of these elements are yet to be explored and there is no metric to gauge development. How do I know if my problem solving ability is dynamically improving or if I’m just minorly adjusting within an existing framework? If results are favorable, it is easy to overlook the methodology that brought us there.
A dear friend of mine, Clare Creedon, told me this week that you don’t become the person you want to be by remaining who you are. I could not imagine this to be more true. One must not only endure challenge but also embrace it. This week, my challenge is to push myself to figure out what it means to acquire new knowledge, and to see if I can observe my surroundings without attachment. I aspire to observe in its purest form, which I believe will lead to authentic learning. Taking my surroundings in as they are, without labeling or assigning my own semantics.
Nico Medellin
A personal limitation in my life would have to be my ability to set limits for myself. This has proved frustrating in the past. I find it difficult to admit to myself that I have limits, for a I am only human. My inability to set limits will often result in working myself ragged towards goals and projects that may not always align with my interests. I will also grow extremely frustrated with myself when I feel that I am not accomplishing what I believed I wanted due to unrealistic limits.
In the upcoming weeks I will take some time to determine what aspects of my life and work I deem are truly important and are not comfortable setting limitations on. At the same time, I will take the time to determine what aspects of my life I am comfortable with setting limitations.
Ramee Saleh
The recent news surrounding police brutality has hit me hard. There’s been a lot of hurt and questioning in these moments. Then more news about retaliation against cops was more upsetting, and it seems hard to ground yourself in a chaotic world. In San Francisco, I looked to Black Lives Matter rallies to find some healing. While it was good to surround myself with like-minded individuals demanding change, it also reminded me of the limitations. Rallies and protests, I think, are critical and necessary to making sure issues are addressed but at the same time the issue is so much bigger. There’s so much I want to change and I felt I couldn’t do anything. Yes, writing to congress people and police departments asking for more accountability can produce some change, especially if the masses participate. But it’s going to take so much more to fix this fundamentally broken system. Although I admire the work of activists and appreciate attending these safe spaces, I still struggle to grapple with the fact that what I’m doing is not enough.
Leo Onor
As a black male in America, I have had a front-seat view of the concerns many of my African American peers hold. Concerns about the future of their existence in America and about whether other Americans will ever validate their struggle are at the forefront of their arguments. Why are we disproportionately killed during police stops? How is suffrage and affirmative action a solution for nearly 3 centuries-worth of discrimination? Why are we being killed for no reason? For many of my peers, the events that have occurred in the last few weeks have answered their questions – for better or for worse.
What is more tragic is that there is no clear solution to any of these problems; solutions range from protesting to picking up arms and shooting police officers. It has made me question whether any of these problems will be solved or if these news headlines will simply repeat themselves.
Harrison Lin
With all the news, these past few weeks have been emotionally rough. All I can say is that my thoughts are out to those hurting, angry, or afraid, and I will do whatever I can in my power to assist them. I called some close friends. We cried together. We talked about how much we loved each other. We talked about what we could do. We clung onto our frayed nerves.
I’m going to admit that I’m not the most connected or knowledgeable about recent complex social and political dynamics, so in order to avoid stepping into a zone where I may seem ignorant, I will focus on a narrower scope this post. I want to ask the question: what is it to live a ‘Good Life’ from different perspectives? My focus from the beginning has been to understand people through meaningful, empathetic conversation.
I’ve reached out to a few people recently. Amongst these: Doug Timmermeyer, graphic designer. Mattias Flander, R&D CAD engineer. Amber Wang, a recently-graduated Rice alum. Meg Suttles, a barista at my favorite coffee shop. Logan Beck, a local fabrication designer and woodworker.
What helps these people get out of bed? What helps them affirm life, especially in the wake of these many, many tragedies? What helps them affirm death, and the objectively very very very short time we have on this earth? What do they do to maximize positive, rewarding, meaningful human experiences within this lifetime? And furthermore, in the interest of happiness, should we even challenge existence? Is that counter-productive to achieving happiness? Is happiness oblivion of the truth?
While I didn’t get answers to all these questions by talking to these people, I did glean a few insights into what sustains their day-to-day.
Mattias finds meaning in creation. His work focuses on advancing technologies to areas previously unexplored. He is the aeronautical engineer, but underground.
Doug lives for design. He views the world as a designed space, and views critically thinking about aesthetics, function, and purpose in spaces as a means to impact environments, and ultimately people.
Amber finds solace in creativity, human expression, and wandering. She is constantly thinking about the best ways to impact those around her for the better through design-thinking. Having come back from a seven-week trip around Europe and Southeast Asia, she returned with reverse-culture-shock, and is re-evaluating the institutionalized way-of-life we have here.
Meg has felt an itch. She started working at Blacksmith shortly after high school. She’s worked up to management, and has stayed at the shop longer than any other employee. She finds deep meaning in both participating and sharing the craft of coffee. But she finds that she has more to share with this world. Meg will be packing up and heading to Austin to start school again – hopefully architecture and art.
Logan needs grit, sweat, and dust. He works nine hours a day in an open-air studio doing the thing he loves. He makes well-crafted, bespoke, and unique woodworks for local clients. After five years of working in other studios, he has opened one of his own. His existence is carrying on his grandfather’s legacy of craftsmanship in his own style. When he passes, he knows that his works will live on.
Myself? I’ve found that studying people’s motivations and lifestyles has given me some perspective into how to make the most of my time on earth. They have carved – or are carving – thriving spaces into this world. My heart aches each minute wasted in idle – not enjoyed, not spent creating something beautiful, or not spent with people I care about. I hope to fill my days with abundant meaning, participating in the experience that is to be alive, free, and aware – while sharing experiences with those less privileged than myself.
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Second Post:
Following in line with our purpose to better understand how people act in their environment and how and when they choose to act “authentically,” the Enablers made our second theme to be one exploring “personal empowerment and self-expression.” Upon discussion, we realized that we all thought of empowerment and self-expression in different ways — which when you think about it is perfectly apt! We express different sides of ourselves in different settings (think professional place vs an activist rally) but that doesn’t mean we are being inauthentic. To further explore what it means to be empowered in a space we did our activities in a multitude of places — a barbecue, Pride parade, and engineering lab just to name a few.
Bridget Youngs
On the Fourth of July, one of the largest traditions in Boston is to watch the fireworks behind the Bunker Hill Monument from the Charles River. People come from all over the country to watch the fireworks and go to free concerts: it makes me think that all of New York took a trip to Boston for the holiday. As an observer in a large park, it was amazing to watch total strangers welcome each other to their crowded barbeques on the Esplanade. Being from a small town in Texas, when my family would have a picnic our closest neighbors would be acres away. And as much as we talk about southern hospitality, which is definitely a fantastic attitude, the Northeasterners I have interacted have a different but equally warm demeanour. With mild culture differences, I think it is very interesting to compare and contrast our engagement with the human experience. As a Texan I’m not particularly partial to sitting on a crowded train, and I will gladly drive to the store even if it takes 20 minutes longer (Groceries are heavy! The way I see it, I can either go two times a week and get a few small things or just go on Saturday and be good for two weeks… Texan logic. I promise I’m still assimilating!). However, I also realize that the culture here has so much to offer: nowhere else in the world could I walk out my back door and see world class runners getting a few miles in along the 129km river that holds the oldest canal in North America. And to top it off, it is hard to walk past 30 foot statues of Paul Revere on my way to my Sunday bagel without relishing in the historical significance of the area. I cannot help but think that with everything happening in the world, it becomes all too easy to forget what an incredible nation we live in. These past few weeks in Boston, I have found personal empowerment for both myself and others in the powerful symbolism and culture to be found in America.
David Cirillo:
I personally found a group of Americans abroad and marched with them in Paris pride, which was a very self affirming and beautiful experience for me, especially in resilience and remembrance to attacks on the LGBTQ community, first and foremost being Orlando…but it carved out a very nice space in which I clearly expressed myself openly and freely and met like minded people in the process. It also brought together a community I am a part of in a place that I am more foreign to, so it provided a melding of community and bonding which is very comforting in any place, especially when abroad and especially when your community is under attack.
Harrison Lin:
Something that I have held close to heart this summer has been continuing to pursue my dream to work as an engineer-creative in the design field. Despite working a pretty corporate and un-relevant job this summer, I’ve made great pains to carve out time to create spaces where this dream of mine can unfurl. These past few weeks, I’ve called together dinners with fellow designers, interviewed CAD/New Product Development engineers at my company, toured Houston’s largest fabrication studio (TX/RX Labs), and snagged an after-hours part-time job at a custom contemporary woodworking studio in Houston called handsandmachine. Through these experiences, I’ve surrounded and connected myself with people who I would love to emulate and follow: the CAD engineer through challenging technical design, TX/RX labs through diverse rapid prototyping processes, handsandmachine through fine craft and aesthetic, as well as through my designer peers that are each finding their own way in the design world.
Nico Medellin:
The particular focus of my cohort this week is that of personal empowerment and how individuals can be empowered. In order to begin discussing empowerment and what it means to me, I will begin with a definition. Traditionally, individuals that are empowered are the individuals that will accept nothing but the best for their time and their effort, they are the individuals that always seem to know exactly where and why they are going somewhere in life, they are the kind of people that always seem to fire within them. Until very recently, I would categorize myself as one of those individuals
Due to the fact that I will be beginning my final year at Rice University this fall, I have been spending a considerable amount of time contemplating who I am, who I want to be, and what I want to do once I walk out of the Sallyport come May. These pasts few weeks have been very enlightening. What I’ve realized, or at the very least what I had thought I had realized, was that it was extremely difficult to be empowered when you do not know who are or where you want to go. That was until I came across this definition of empowerment courtesy of the Oxford dictionary. Empowerment (noun) – The process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights.
I have spent the last several weeks reflecting, meeting and talking with young professionals, and exploring various career choices in order to develop a better sense of myself. While I may not have the answer yet, what is important is that I am taking the time now, rather than later, to have that difficult conversation with myself about who I am and who I want to be. And that to me make me feel empowered.
Ramee Saleh:
In the vein of personal expression and self empowerment, I opted to attend San Francisco Pride. Even as soon as I found out my placement in SF people were already telling me that Pride was an event not to be missed in the city. Indeed, it seems that all of SF stops for a weekend — from the massive street closures to the increased buzz around the Castro to an influx of rainbow patterned items at the local Target. I was also excited to attend because it was not only my first Pride event ever, but also my first Pride event as someone who recently came out as identifying as queer. I was very excited on all fronts.
On the one hand, Pride was definitely fun. The atmosphere was very accepting and it felt amazing to be around amazing LGBTQ folk. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I thrived off of the energy. At the same time, Pride felt distant and corporate. San Francisco notoriously has a major issue of homelessness and I wonder if the people living here find it ironic that they hang rainbow flags everywhere and also hate the problem of homelessness when 30% of homeless teens identify on the LGBT spectrum. As I stood and watched the Pride parade with the endless floats of tech companies, I wondered if the people marching were actually queer members of the company or just random people who wanted to be in the parade. While my friends in computer science joked about deciding which company to work for based on their float, I waited patiently for the grassroots and local organizations to come through. People who were doing the messy work of activism and not profiting off of putting a rainbow decal on everything.
Overall, attending Pride left me with mixed feelings. While the flavor of Pride has definitely changed (much more product placement, much less discussion of queer issues though that can be found if you look), Pride is still a place of empowerment and self-expression. The Orlando shooting sombered the mood of Pride a bit, as it should. It reminds us that any gathering of queer people is an act of resistance, and that should never be taken lightly.
Leo Onor:
As part of my internship, I have to organize and coordinate all sorts of events; from ice cream socials for recruiting volunteers to creating science kits for children in impoverished countries. It can get a bit hectic. For example, my job this week is to run a camp! But this camp isn’t for fun and games. Instead, it’s to improve the literacy of nearly a hundred students. I’ve been scheduling the events for this camp for several weeks, and now I am attending the camp to make sure it runs smoothly. The children that go into these camps are lower socio-economic students that are learning new avenues for expression. Not only are they learning about the significance of literacy, they are also understanding that the opportunities that they are getting are far better than those their parents received when they were younger.
For the last two days, I’ve been interacting with a particular student called Brandon. Brandon is a 3rd grader whose snot only sometimes drips down his face. He is incredibly smart, and during reading exercises, it’s not uncommon for him to ask questions about character motives and 2K16 player stats. On one occasion during a break, he asked me why I was doing my job as a coordinator. That was a really weird question for me. I had gotten an internship through LRME, so now I had to complete my internship. This was my first thought. I didn’t think about whether I wanted this job or why I would want this job, but that I had an obligation to complete my job. This pulled me down a rabbit hole of whether or not I was doing any of this for myself. Was choosing Chemical Engineering on my mother’s suggestion her choice or my own? Did I even want this internship at an oil company? Was I in control of my own life?
It was at that point that I realized I have been living a lie. I had sold my soul to the Man because “that’s where the money is.” And now He is going to milk me for everything I am worth. Well, I refuse to do that anymore. It’s time for me to forge my own path, and start that Bohemian Tea Shop that I’ve been meaning to open. But not really though.
I realized that I actually was in control of my life. I really enjoy the work that I have been doing despite having been assigned to it. And yes, even though my mother suggested that I major in ChemE, she has told me pursue Native American Folk Dancing at one point too.
But seriously, I think the key to seeking one’s authenticity is by experiencing new things that force him/her to question themselves. Without my friends and family helping me, I probably wouldn’t be where I am now. Without being assigned to my position, I would not have learned skills that are WAY out of my area of expertise. If Brandon never learned how to read, for example, how would he ever know if he liked reading or not?
Needless to say, I’m still struggling with personal development, but with each new experience this summer, my understanding of myself is getting more concrete.
Bridget Schilling:
After my last reflection, observing the more visible presentation of culture in Austin, I decided to go to an event that was based in grassroots mobility and counterculture. On the 4th of July, I stopped by an event hosted by Revolutionary Alliance of Trans People Against Capitalism (RATPAC) called “F*** the Fourth,” a fundraiser for their next year of operations. The group focuses on how mainstream culture, politics, and priorities can silence marginalized voices and put people in harm’s way.
I grew up in a town outside of Boston and the environment in which I was raised was one that did not heavily criticize American norms and it have been considered some form of treason for me to be at an event that upheld ideas that went specifically against the glorification of the United States on the most pro-USA day of the year.
I did not feel entirely comfortable at the gathering and left early on, since I felt that I was infringing on a space that did not belong to me and that I should not try to claim as my own. However, the discussions I heard and the tone of the event and lineup filled a lot of the holes that I felt were left (and mentioned in my last reflection) in the visible parts of Austin’s culture. There was anger over the erasure of queer people of color from the Orlando shooting and community pain from the way that trans people are usually left from discussions of LGBTQ+ rights, rather than including them in queer liberation. So soon after the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and during celebrations at Pride parades, there is a lot of hurt within LGBTQ+ communities about the voices that have been left out or forgotten; the Stonewall Riots were started by a black drag queen and a trans woman; Pride has become a privately sponsored corporate event often celebrated by young cis straight people. A lot of the ironies that Ramee felt are felt too within queer communities, especially the most marginalized. The focus of RATPAC for the next year will be the Austin emergency trans housing program, a cause that is pretty much untouched by the many corporations that paint their logos with rainbow flags every year.
I felt a strong sense of community at the event, but I also understand that it was not there for my entertainment. Although allies are welcome and contributions help, the event and the group create a community for those who can relate to each other and who may be more in need of others to relate to than shows of empty solidarity from outside sources.
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First Post:
The purpose of our Common Interest Cohort is to explore the various ways people express and pursue their most authentic selves within communities. We are also interested in exploring what limitations exist that prevent people from achieving a sense of true self.
Our starting point was to immerse ourselves in not only our work, but also our city. This included everything from attending cultural events to exploring psychology in an academic environment.
David Cirillo
I want to view different spaces and areas in which communities find expression, safety, and agency. I want to see what shapes such experiences and how they are formed.
How can we find places and spaces of empowerment in society?
I went to a market on the outskirts of Paris, a neighborhood where a majority population are poor and muslim. There was a stark difference in dress, graffiti, but also in the culture. There were posters for community gatherings for ramadan etc, there was a warmth to the community. Mosques were a place of gathering and celebration even in the denigration of muslims within France and Paris lately.
I really want to further explore into safe spaces for the LGBTQI community after obvious events of the past week, explore into what happens when safe spaces of expression for a community are threatened, and the responses as such.
Ramee Saleh
I want to understand how different spaces are constructed and maintained for marginalized groups — how they construct a safe haven for self expression. These things take labor and time and I want to understand that work that goes behind them.
I went to a neighborhood called Bayview, predominantly African-American and impoverished. They were holding a Juneteenth celebration with a self-produced play about life “on the hill” (Bayview) and different neighborhood vendors. The whole community came together to dance, socialize, and reflect. These grassroots movements for reclamation within neighborhoods bonds communities together in the face of oppression.
Nico Medellin
I want to understand the underlying reasons why people do you not feel like their authentic selves, specifically in academic environments. A symptom of this environment is the imposter syndrome. “Impostor syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even in face of information that indicates that the opposite is true. It is experienced internally as chronic self-doubt, and feelings of intellectual fraudulence.” (Caltech Counseling) I want to explore how prevalent imposter syndrome is at Rice University, what groups are affected the most, and what causes individuals to experience imposter syndrome. This could be a result of the college’s culture, discrepancies in individuals’ definitions of success, or another unknown factor.
Questions for the future: What causes individuals to feel like imposters? What will it take to take make someone realize their worth? How can I help them?
My goal for this week is to create a Google survey that includes questions pertaining to gender, major, year, and individual’s experience with imposter syndrome. I will be sharing my survey with my cohort on Friday in order to receive feedback on the survey.
Leo Onor
I want to understand how young children cope in an environment that stifles self-expression. The first decade of a person’s life is the most important time of development. Environmental factors such as who one’s parents are or where one goes to school undoubtedly has an effect on a child’s mentality for the rest of his or her life. Usually, school is supposed to be a safe haven for children. It’s the escape from the problems at home. What is so troubling however is that in urban areas, school is simply another toxic environment for one to grow up in.
Part of my work has to deal with outreach in inner-city elementary schools. In particular, I work with two different schools: Crockett, a well-performing school that not 3 years ago, had a pass rate of only 35%, and Blackshear, a school with the highest homeless child percentage in Houston. In Crockett, art is framed and placed all over hallways. Tiles in and outside of classrooms resemble piano keys and guitar strings. Teachers are incredibly enthusiastic about their jobs. In Blackshear, you’d be lucky to find anything resembling art. And teachers, though obviously passionate, are jaded by the lack of impact their presence has on their students’ lives. What is worse is that this school lacks the funding to change any of this.
Questions for the future: Do the students at Blackshear have a positive outlook on life? How do they express themselves in an environment that doesn’t teach them how? How will this affect their development? All of these questions are asked in relation to Crockett students.
Plans for the future: I will be going back to both schools, and I will talk to several students one on one. I will also speak with teachers to understand how their students change over the years. Since I can’t follow these kids around for the rest of their lives, this is my only way of finding long-term effects.
Harrison Lin
My goal is to learn about personal and existential authenticity in the context of human thriving – in other words, I’d like to explore how people choose to exercise and leverage the freedom awarded to them through their actions to create the life best for them. One particular area of study could be to observe attitudes toward work and play – to study how people treat their work as well as their free time.
This past week, I attended a symphony at Miller Outdoor Theater and made dinner with a friend who is a budding entrepreneur.
The theater was an interesting experience. Hundreds upon hundreds of people gathered in the Houston rain and humidity in well-disciplined near-silence to observe the meticulous recreation of Dvorak and Tchaikovsky.
A brief side-note to discuss the architecture of Miller Outdoor Theater – it’s amazing. The massive, unapologetically industrial slanted open-air roof naturally ventilates the space, provides a visual focus directly center-stage, and provides shelter without exclusion. The massive hill surrounding the theater provides a natural amphitheater for acoustics, and during sunset, the sky illuminates the symbolic sun-god statue at the top of the hill.
Anyways, what I was absolutely impressed with was the utmost respect which the hundreds of attendees treated the event. Not a peep was to be heard, even from the casual spectators sitting on the hill. A communal gathering to appreciate of high art. Each individual made the personal decision to come out and spend their evening with loved ones and family instead of staying at home and watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians or playing videogames while eating a TV Dinner.
The attendance of these events, as well as the existence of these incredible communal spaces, gives me faith that Houston is no longer simply the product of an oil boom – it is beginning to form an identity of culture and community. Saying that as a definite description of Houston, however, would be false. Mainly because the symphony itself was sponsored by Exxon Mobil.
I talked to Brian Barr, a good friend whom I care for deeply. I think he’s doing the absolute most authentic thing this summer – he is grabbing fate by the bullhorns and starting his own venture – a data-inspired product design company called Data Design Co. We caught up over dinner and I asked him about his day-to-day, as well as his thoughts on starting and continuing his venture. He’s an incredibly driven individual with so much vision, and I think that he is providing so much more value to this world bringing his personal form of beauty to this world instead of bending his talent to the wills of those who don’t value it. I hope to support his ventures in any way I can.
It’s these communal and personal connections that keep life interesting. Feeling like you’re part of a community as well as having personal connections keeps life interesting. On one hand, I saw how people exercised their freedoms as a community to enjoy art. On the other, I saw how an individual exercised his freedom to bring creation into the world. Overall a wonderful week in terms of post-work activities!
Bridget Schilling
I would like to explore how communities can be demonstrative of all of their members and whether a diverse community can truly be representative. I am living in Austin and have been trying to explore to see ways in which people outwardly demonstrate diversity in the city, compared to how I feel it represented through a lot of my conversations with colleagues, friends, and through my work. From what I have been able to gather so far, from public art, displays of solidarity – especially since the Latinx LGBTQ+ massacre in Orlando – and what new is represented, the Austin public seems quite segregated in its expression. Most of the graffiti and murals that I have seen do not present as political in any way, compared to a lot of the public art in Houston. I have seen expressions of solidarity in vigils for Orlando, churches waving banners that say ‘We stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters.’ and an elementary school that changed its name from Robert E. Lee. However, many of these demonstrations seem superficial: the Pride vigil for Orlando was put on at the Capitol by Austin Pride – with no mention of the Latinx community; there seems to be a general acceptance that islamophobia is bad, but I have consistently heard ignorant and judgmental comments about people experiencing homelessness; and the elementary school changed its name to Russell Lee Elementary School, presumably because it would be too much of an inconvenience to actually change the name, but it still makes a minimal-effort statement about racial injustice, without actually criticizing it.
Bridget Youngs
To explore different communities in the greater Boston area, I spent a Saturday in Provincetown during Boston Pride week. Provincetown is renowned for being one of the most LBGTQ friendly places in New England, and it was truly an enlightening experience to be there during such a festive period.
I went with another Rice student, and we began our day with a long hike on a rock pier. This is only a few miles form where the Mayflower first landed, and it was absolutely incredible. The people around us were extremely friendly, and appeared much more down to earth than many of the folks I interact with in the city. Because it was getting warm. I set my sweater down on under rock with my purse tucked inside it. I figured that few people would be walking this route (the trail was a bit rougher here) so I didn’t mind leaving my wallet and my keys in such a remote spot. I walked about 200 yards down the pier before I saw a group of people coming, so I sprinted back to get to my things. As I approached, a young couple held up my bag. “I thought you might be looking for this,” the guy said with a smile.
After the hike, we went not the city. The people around us were extremely friendly, and appeared much more down to earth than many of the folks I interact with in the city. I was genuinely surprised by the obvious display of compassion for strangers, and people’s willingness to share. I met a woman who spends her weeks traveling around New England looking for vintage jeans in thrift shops, then re-stlyes them and sells them at her store. I met an older man who owns a used bookstore who spent his twenties on Wall Street.
I think it is truly incredible that not of the oldest towns in the United States can be so incredibly progressive. I am from a suburban area of Texas where almost all of the homes were built in the 2000s, yet the culture retains much more of the “traditional conservative” values we hear people discuss in social and political spheres. My visit to Provincetown provided incredible insight to how people can join together in the human experience, living with authenticity and compassion.
Questions for the future:
Am I mostly witnessing the very white-upper-class-dominated side of Austin that is public? How do sub-communities within the city enjoy self-expression and ownership over their experiences?
Plans for the future:
I will go to arenas for expression outside of the visible presentations and listen and talk to people within those settings, i.e. underground slam-poetry or drag shows.