New things/ideas/stuff

It has been a while since I have written anything. It's not that I don't have anything to say, but more that I have too many things to process at the moment. First, I would like to acknowledge my meeting with Karyn Olivier. Through the Visiting Artist program, I was able to meet, introduce, and have lunch with her. Karyn recommended some readings that I found very inspiring (specifically "Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino and "Poetry, Essays, Opera" by Anne Carson). Unvortunately, I had to leave for New York the same day she arrived, but I hope to continue our discussions some time in the near future.

Next, my trip to New York was interesting and enjoyable. I have traveled quite a bit, but somehow never visited New York until a couple of weeks ago. My impression was that it has the energy of Paris with the cleanliness of Rome or parts of Los Angeles. The view from the hotel was the stereotype of a scenic view of a brick wall.



I went for a conference, but due to my inability to preregister (i.e. discount) and the boredom factor involved in the few lectures I attended, I decided my time was best spent in the museums and galleries. During my 5 days there, I saw MoMA (twice), the Guggenheim, Cooper Hewitt, Museum of Folk Art, the Museum of Art and Design, and the Whitney, as well as way too many galleries in SoHo to count. From this art overload, I left with an awareness of a couple of good photo galleries, the memory of a small number of interesting work in museums, and a sense that painting is far from dead in the Art Metropolis of the US.

Now that I am back (and appreciating the mountains and clean air so much more), I am back to a lot of work, presentations (mine and prospective applicants), critiques, and reading. Right now, I am thinking quite a bit about drawing. I'm struggling with other ways to activate still photography and interject a sense of immediacy. I feel the most effective way to do this is through humor, but I am also inspired by an urge to reintroduce process and marks of the hand into the work. With this in mind, I have just learned the simple act of sewing. Two days ago, I sewed my first pieces onto a collaborative painting I am working on with one of my professors. This idea of collaboration was initially inspired by this new painting faculty and has now expanded to a conversation within the graduate student population. I have begun a number of collaborative projects with my studio-mate, as well as with a fellow grad student in sculpture and discussions about similar projects with others in painting and photography. In the longer-term, a few of us have discussed the possibility of a large-scale collaboration in transforming the current art building just before it is demolished at the end of the summer. This seems a logical direction based on the dynamics of the current graduate students as well as the impending relocation that will last the duration of our education. This is an interesting challenge for the group and an interjection of uncertainty into our scholastic future. I guess I will have to wait and see.