Capstone Cultural Event 3: Eugene B. Smith Art Gallery

Bodie Lighthouse

     As one of my cultural events for my Communications Capstone class, I decided to visit an art gallery in Winchester, called the Eugene B. Smith Gallery.  When I walked into the gallery, many paintings were displayed on the wall.  The paintings consisted of mostly scenic pictures and flowers in all different seasons.  They were truly beautiful, watercolored pieces.  The artist, Eugene Smith, came out to greet me when I arrived.  He showed me around the gallery and confessed that he had hand painted all of the pieces.  Along with pictures all of sizes, he also had postcards for sale.  As I was speaking with the artist, I discovered that he actually graduated from Shepherd University with a degree in Business Administration.  His artistic talent helps to keep his business thrive, but the skills and tools he learned in school assist the success of his business, too.  After finding something in common with the artist, I was able to better connect with him.  The rest of our conversation was effortless.  Once I was finally able to finish looking around the gallery, one particular painting stood out to me.  This painting was of a lighthouse that I have actually seen before!  When I was younger, I lived in North Carolina.  Each summer my family would explore new lighthouses at the Outer Banks.  He had painted one of the lighthouses I used to visit with my family.  Bodie Lighthouse is located on Pea Island in Rodanthe, North Carolina.  Eugene revealed that he visits the lighthouse often.

The Eugene B. Smith Gallery

     My experience at the art gallery was unique.  I am not very artistically inclined, so I am always fascinated by artists.  However,  I am normally attracted to bright and flashy colors.  Being inspired and seeing such beauty in the watercolors was a new experience for me.  The watercolors were refreshing and subtle, yet able to keep my attention.  I even hope to return one day to the gallery to buy some pieces!  It was also pleasant to know that he also attended Shepherd and was doing so well for himself.

Capstone Cultural Event 1: Historic Winchester/Civil War Museum

Old Town Winchester

     Since the weather was so beautiful this past weekend, I took advantage of it by taking a trip to historic Winchester to visit the Civil War Museum.  When I first arrived in Winchester, I was somewhat concerned because the city was under much construction.  Fortunately, though, all of the shops, restaurants, and attractions were accessible and open.  Although there are many different attractions in historic Winchester, I really enjoy visiting all types of museums and the Civil War has always been an interesting topic to me.  When I discovered the Civil War Museum, I decided to explore it.  When I first arrived, several high school aged boys were working there.  They asked if I would like to hear some background information about the museum and I was eager to listen.  The boy revealed that during the Civil War, the museum was used as a hospital and a jail for the soldiers.  Because the area was constantly changing sides, the prisoners never stayed for long.  Each time the city changed sides, the current prisoners would be released.  Although the building is quite old, it is the same building used during the Civil War, with some renovations.  The doctors and nurses were always cleaning up blood from the wounded so there were no stains.

Defendant and Judge

     After the war was over, the hospital/jail changed into a courthouse.  It was used as a courthouse for many years.  Recently, a new courthouse was built and the building was turned into a civil war museum.  The bottom floor of the courthouse included a small gift shop and a room set up as the court would have been in the late 1800 and early 1900.  The judge and jury would directly face the defendant.  However, since the judge was higher, he could not see the jury.  The upstairs of the museum included many artifacts from the civil war, actual graffiti written on the walls from the jail times, and an old, working bell that I even rang!  Overall, the museum served as a major learning experience for me.  Living in West Virginia, when I think of the civil war, I generally think of Harper's Ferry, Gettysburg, or Antietam.  Honestly, I never realized the significance Winchester played in the war.  It is interesting to know that the city was constantly changing sides and played such a major part in the war.  Overall, I really enjoyed visiting the museum.  I feel lucky to live in an area rich with history.  It is up to me, though, to explore that history to learn more.  I would recommend anyone, young or old, to discover this museum.  It would even be a great place for area middle school or high school history classes to visit.

Ringing the Bell

Final Capstone Preparations

Force Recruiting and Consulting Logo

     After working on my Capstone project for several weeks, I have finished my deliverables for the project and need to spend time revising this social media plan.  In addition, I will spend the rest of the semester actually following the plan.  Developing a board design and the information displayed on the board is another task I need to complete within the next several weeks.  My initial idea for the board is a simple white background with the logo I created on the background.  The last piece of my Capstone deliverables that I completed this past week was an executive summary.  Basically, the executive summary is the paper that will be at the beginning of my social media plan.  It is a brief summary of my plan, addressing all of the different parts.  This step is necessary so someone can easily understand the point of the social media plan and decide to read through the entire plan if needed.  Since this summary does not include any new information, it was rather simple to write.  I basically pulled a few key sentences from each individual piece.  However, I need my director to read over it so I can ensure it is understandable and well-written.  After the plan is revised, I will develop a table of contents and construct one document with page numbers and each piece of the plan.  I am excited to see my plan come together in one document!
     So, after working hard and spending much time on my Capstone project, tomorrow I will be presenting my project to the Communication Department professors for evaluation.  I am looking forward to receiving feedback and useful advice to make my project the best that it can possibly be.  I am confident in my project, but understand that I can always make it better.  Not only will a better project reflect best on the Communications Department, but a better project will be more likely to impress my boss at Force Recruiting and Consulting.  In addition, this project is something that I can keep for personal records and show potential future employers actual work I have completed.  Overall, I am very satisfied with my Capstone project choice and am excited to share all of my hard work with the department professors!