The Goodman Award: Hopkins and the Arts
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Posted by: Hopkins Insider | 
May 3 2010 | 
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Name: Aaron Jen
Year: Class of 2010
Hometown: San Marino, CA
Major: Neuroscience
Not many people would consider art to be a focal point of the Hopkins curriculum. Likewise, I came to Hopkins 
knowing that I wouldn’t be an art major. Like many others, after a lifetime of artistic study I came to Hopkins thinking, “What if I had gone to art school instead? Will I live to regret not doing so? Is my life going to suck, when it could have been amazing?” Unfortunately, I don’t yet have the answers to those questions, and I probably never will. What I’m here to write about, then, is the ways that Hopkins fostered my pursuit of the arts when I was almost certain it would push them away.
Most majors at Hopkins will have ample room for elective classes, something that anyone interested in the arts can take advantage of, and they certainly do. I have seen all types of students in the art classes I have taken, from the most studious pre-medical Biomedical Engineering majors, to recent West Point transfers, and everything in-between. As electives to my Neuroscience major I took two Photography classes, one Photoshop class and one film production class. These classes are some of the highest points of my time at Hopkins. In addition to teaching me valuable techniques and introducing me to incredible sources of inspiration, these classes allowed me to receive feedback from both professional artists and my peers on a regular basis, which was extremely helpful. My professors in all of those classes were also teaching at MICA, the Maryland Institute College of Art, and I know this is the case for the majority of the art faculty. With the amount of talented and experienced teachers on hand, Hopkins students have access to an art education that is comparable to a top-tier, dedicated art institute, a fact that is quite often overlooked.
Of course, the opportunities for Hopkins students to pursue the arts don’t end there. All Hopkins students can take credited classes at MICA, which is only a short bus-ride away. A Homewood Arts Certificate exists for graduating seniors who have shown significant contribution to the arts at Hopkins. The Digital Media Center regularly holds free workshops on topics such as web design, music production, and publication design. Numerous clubs exist on campus for students with similar artistic pursuits to meet, such as the Photography Club and the Art Club. Student-run publications, such as “Zeniada,” often request for student-submitted art. There are also many a cappella, theater, and dance groups, who together comprise some of the most talented and dedicated individuals I have ever met.
Finally, there is the annual Louis E. Goodman, M.D. Award, which I was fortunate enough to receive, along with my friend and fellow photographer Ramon Lee. The Goodman Award was established by the late Dr. Goodman to encourage prospective doctors to pursue their interests in the arts by providing a monetary award toward a project of the student’s choosing. For my project I chose to create a miniature fashion magazine, comprised of photographs and interviews with clothing-store owners located in Baltimore. The magazine was named “Surveyal,” and it was exhibited this past March in the Mattin Center with Ramon’s project, “The Mission: Rescue Baltimore.” With the assistance of the Goodman Award, enough copies of the magazine were able to be printed and distributed around the city and on campus. [Editor's Note: All of the pictures in this entry are from Aaron's work.]
That’s all I want to say about that, though, because what I made for the Goodman Award isn’t important. It’s what you can create at Hopkins, with the many opportunities available to you, that inspires this post. Indeed, we are at a school where artistic pursuits are encouraged and nourished. As proof, new art classes are being introduced with each passing semester, such as the recently established “Digital Photograhy II” course (and I highly recommend it!).
The take-home message is this: if you feel art in your veins, know that at Hopkins you are in good hands, and in good company. And for those who aren’t so inclined, take the time to stop by the art exhibitions and look at the art on the walls around campus. You might be surprised by what you find.
