engagement
guide to reflection
ArtPower!’s Guide to Reflection
Our goal at ArtPower! is to explore the arts as a vibrant, important part of the way we understand ourselves and our society. So we create opportunities for audiences to connect with the artists, learn about the context of the artists and their work, explore the themes they address, and ultimately reflect on the experience as a whole.
Why Reflect?
Reflection allows us to delve deeper into a performance or film to understand what the artist was trying to convey and think about how we were impacted by the experience.
Reflection is a process of learning.
The goals of reflection are openness and insight as well as the realization that our own perspectives can and should be questioned and re-examined.
How and When to Reflect?
The process of reflecting about a performance can take place in many different ways. It can be a discussion with your classmates, it can be a debate with your friend, or it can be a personal activity. All offer different benefits and all are valid ways to understand a work of art.
Written Reflection
Writing down your thoughts about a piece of art gives you the opportunity to explore your own ideas and can help you uncover new perspectives about the work. Some people find that writing down their ideas and reactions helps them see things in a completely different light.
The Three Key Elements to Reflection
Explain–what you saw and what it reminded you of
Explore–your own preconceptions and assumptions; connect your personal experience to the broader issue(s).
Analyze–the way it made you feel, what it made you think about, the overall impact
Questions to Ask Yourself
When writing a reflection, it can help to ask yourself questions about the performance as a starting point:
What did I see? Simply describe the action, the clothes, the lights.
Was there something that caught my eye? A specific performer? A prop? A particular section?
How did it make me feel?
What was the mood in the theater? Was it joyful or serious?
How did the environment feel? Was it dark or light?
What did it remind me of?
Did the music or the movement or the words remind me of anything? If so, what did it make me think about? What connections did it create in my mind?
Think about the expectations you had when you arrived. Did the performance meet those expectations or were you surprised by what you saw? If so, explore where those expectations came from and what the artist did to break them.
Was it what I expected?
What would I have liked to see?
Did I feel like there was something missing in the experience? If so, what?
How would that have changed the performance? Why do I think the artist chose not to include it?
What sticks with me?
When I think about the performance or film, what do you think about first? Why that part?
Sharing Your Experience
Written reflection also allows you the chance to share your thoughts about the performance with others. In this way, we are able to have a dialogue about a performance that makes it a more powerful communal event and activity.
ArtPower! welcomes your reflections on the performances we present. Selected writing may be posted on the ArtPower! Engagement webpage as well as in Power Line, ArtPower!’s Performance Magazine, with your permission.
To submit your reflections, please send them to Amy Thomas, Director of Marketing and Communications, at athomas@ucsd.edu or (858)822-3199.