With the ACTion Art Exhibit just around the corner, the ACT Apprentices have been busy at work, naming and submitting their pieces. With all of the beautiful pieces floating around the room, I was unsure how anyone could settle on just one piece or collection. There were so many to choose from.
One student was busy toiling away with string and matching each end to an exact length. When asked what she was working on, Jordyn reported a wall hanging that she knit herself. The piece is rectangular with a beautiful rainbow assortment of beads and string. I gravitated to her because she was the only person working on a three dimensional piece of art, off to the side of the group in her own little world. When I approached her, she welcomed me to sit and watch so I could ask questions.
“I like it because it’s quiet. I like painting and coloring,” Jordyn said to me when I asked her why she liked being here with the Apprentices at ACT.
While working on her ACTion Art Exhibit piece, she told me that everything she knows about knitting and crocheting she taught to herself. She had once asked her sister to teach her how, but when those plans fell through, she turned to YouTube. She said, “If she won’t teach me then I will watch Youtube and teach myself.” That’s exactly what she did. She has even started to make and sell scarves to people she knows.
Physical art is what she leans toward, but she is no stranger to other art forms. She enjoys painting and coloring. She is also content to learn anything new that the Apprentice program introduces her too. She is a visual learner, so as long as she can watch someone demonstrate the skill, she is able to replicate it, much like she has watching Youtube videos for crocheting. Cool and calm, Jordyn takes each project in stride.
When I asked her what her favorite art event is she said, “ArtPrize.” We laughed when she talked about the experience of walking through downtown and being exposed to some of the art. Or rather, we were laughing about what the art exposed to her. Occasionally, there is art of nude humans, and Jordyn just has to smile about it. We spent the next few minutes giggling and when I asked her if that experience makes ArtPrize too weird for her, she said no. She thoroughly enjoys being able to walk around and see all of the art pieces and how much work has gone into every single one. Perhaps one day, artwork of her own will be featured there.
It is no surprise then that when asked if she could see herself creating art forever, Jordyn looked up from her string with a smile and said, “Yes.”
Interview and Story by Haley Wagner, Writing and Content Development Intern
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