story links
Art and sport have always been closely linked. From 1912 to 1948, the Olympic Games included artistic competitions in five areas – architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture. Medals were awards for original artwork inspired by sport. Since then, organizations like Art of the Olympians, founded by US Olympic discus champion Al Oerter, and British Olympian Roald Bradstock have set out to find the link between sport and the arts.
Continuing this tradition, several Digital Media Design students at the University of Kentucky School of Art and Visual Studies (SA/VS) have discovered the same connection between their own artistic and athletic careers. The College of Fine Arts (CFA) had the opportunity to meet with four of its student-athletes to discuss the symbiosis between their creativity and athleticism.
Students include:
- Darci Kahn, Junior BA Digital Media and Design Major – UK Women’s Track and Field Team, 100m hurdler and 400m hurdler. Visit Darci’s website: https://darcisimone19.wixsite.com/website.
- Lincoln T Young, Senior BA Digital Media and Design Major, majoring in Animation – UK Men’s Track and Field Team, Pole Vaulter. Visit Lincoln’s website: https://thefrozensparrow.com/. Young will graduate in the UK today.
- Arianna Patterson, Senior BA Digital Media and Design Major, with Minor Media Arts and Studies – UK Women’s Gymnastics Team.
- Julz Williams, BA majoring in Digital Media and Design, minoring in Media Arts and Studies — UK Women’s Cross Country and Track Team.
CFA: What is the connection between art and sport in your life?
barge: I tend to enjoy the process of creating art, but I’m not always happy with the outcome. Usually when I’m not satisfied with the result, many of my colleagues LOVE my work. The same goes for the track: I love the process of getting better and practicing, but sometimes the result doesn’t always end up the way I planned. But the people around me always remind me that I’m doing amazing things and that I’m exactly where I need to be.
Young: There are some parallels between what I do in athletics and my art. The most literal is the way a good sense of movement and the way the body works has given me a huge advantage in animating because it’s second nature to break down a physical movement into its component parts. Also, art and pole vaulting are similar in that the goal is simple and there are very few rules on how to get there. Just as the best vaulters all do certain things in a similar way according to the laws of physics, so many good works of art have things in common, and there are principles that can be used to focus creativity to create something beautiful. I think it’s this balance between order and intuition that leads to performing well in sports and creating a work of art that moves emotionally.
Patterson: As an “artistic gymnast”, attention to detail has always been an important part of gymnastics, which has carried over into all areas of my life, especially my creative endeavors. My main interests are video editing, graphic design and voice acting. I’ve made a few music videos and edited some gymnastics videos for my team. I also make coloring books for children. I think there’s a kind of rhythm to all of this. Every piece, be it a video, graphic piece or voice-over script, they all have their own song and every detail is like a dance. One thing I’ve always loved is making things pretty. I like to pretty up my gymnastics skills with nice straight legs, pointy toes, beautiful jumps and leaps. I also love making pretty videos with nice angles, edits and cuts, and graphic designs with nice colors, patterns and textures.
Williams: There is definitely a connection between art and athletics in my life. I really got into art in my sophomore year of high school when I started my YouTube channel. Back then it was solely focused on my life as an aspiring college runner and now my art is fully influenced and nurtured by the community of runners and other young athletes around me.
CFA: How does one affect the other?
barge: Art and music are my two outlets in life. When life isn’t going so smoothly I always have track and art to help me feel better and forget about the rest of the world.
Young: I don’t think arts and athletics really influence each other, for me personally. While they are similar, I have not found any use in trying to achieve any sort of symbiosis between the two. Apart from the fact that art reflects life and I’ve done a few projects related to my sport in the past, there isn’t much overlap.
Patterson: I think the attention to detail has positively influenced my creative work.
Williams: Launching my YouTube channel ultimately led me to finding my passion in the field of digital art and there will always be some of my running in my art because it was such a big part of what got me started . The feelings and excitement of running impact what I create in my art.
CFA: Which came first – your artistic drive or your sporting drive?
barge: My sporting drive came first. I’ve been doing sports since I was two years old, but I never allowed myself to really explore my artistic streak until I graduated from high school. I enjoyed making art projects from an early age, but I never took the time to delve into it.
Young: My artistic urge came a long way before my athletic urge. I have always enjoyed sporting activities; However, I knew I wanted to practice art in some form in my life long before I started pole vaulting.
Patterson: I think as a gymnast, my athletic and artistic drives play off each other. Gymnastics, unlike many other sports, is a perfect balance of athletic performance and artistry. You can’t have one without the other, both are very necessary to be a great gymnast.
Williams: My sporty drive definitely came first. I grew up very active and was always involved in some type of sport or activity. In high school, I saw the urgent need I had for a creative outlet. Creating and editing videos/photos filled that gap I had and really enabled me to be successful at running.
CFA: What else would you like to share about your experiences as a student, athlete and artist?
barge: What I enjoy most about both art and the track is being able to influence and inspire children and younger people through my talents. A lot of athletes tend not to take on other talents that we have because we are so focused on our sport. I chose to study art because I want to learn more about art and am passionate about it. I encourage everyone to choose an area that they love and want to learn about, just as they love their sport and want to learn about it.
Young: For me, art has always been an innate gift, and while it requires immense effort and dedication, I’m always in control of the outcome. I think my sporting journey has been an advantage for me because it’s almost the complete opposite. My sport also requires a lot of effort and dedication, but at least for me I have virtually no control over how my body works. It taught me a lot of patience and humility. Pole vaulting is a very mental sport and if you can maintain composure when your brain isn’t doing what you want it to be pretty easy in most other areas of your life.
Patterson: My career goals are to keep making children’s coloring books, do many types of video projects like music videos and commercials, and become a successful voice actress.
Williams: Being a student, athlete and artist has given me so many opportunities I never thought possible. I was able to create several videos for a national high school that runs a media company and connect with people across the country and encourage them in all of their passions and pursuits. To have the opportunity to reach out to people and bring love and joy to them through my art and love of sport has been so fulfilling and truly a blessing.
Comments are closed.