It's November... and yes, I'm STILL talking about my internship.
It's obligatory, for a class, but making me all nostaligic-y for the joys of a steady career in the arts. God bless grad school, but I guess I would have rather made art this past weekend than have written 30 pages analyzing its distributive systems this weekend.
Ai!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Ode
I'm wrapping up my projects and trying to make sense of it all for my fall replacement...
I dusted John Dewey's head one last time...
I've bought my souvenirs...
And frankly, I've nothing more to say. Thanks for the memories, DC!
I dusted John Dewey's head one last time...
I've bought my souvenirs...
And frankly, I've nothing more to say. Thanks for the memories, DC!
Friday, August 21, 2009
When I Grow Up
Looking over my blog, I realized that I very flirtatiously said very little about "what I want to be when I grow up." Rest assured, cohort, I have nothing actually figured out. It was more a feeling inspired by my trip to Americans for the Arts: there do indeed exist organizations which simultaeneously require you to work in a cubicle AND build a working environment which is equal parts positive, friendly and driven. Melikes!
This arts education policy jazz is just so exciting! I mean, I'm impressed by the organization's ability to target in on decision-makers, and to follow-through with powerful advocacy -- for the arts!!! It resonates with me, circa 1991 (inner child), who was looking forward to high school for three reasons: the drama department, art class, and newspaper. Then Measure 13 happened, causing my district to adopt block scheduling, and as a result I couldn't take any of those classes, which were scheduled at the same time as all the college prep courses. Nowadays, my old school district doesn't even offer French anymore. It's criminal. What the hell else keeps you from doing pot and getting pregnant (simultaneously) in Gladstone, Oregon?
Career-wise, I'm in a unique position, as both an educator and an arts administrator; I know and care deeply about both fields. I love that there exist other professionals who are so competent and effective in their pursuit of implementing meaningful policy changes; policies which ripple and resonate and make a huge, often-taken-for-granted impact. The question is: do I feel that in a museum? As much as I love museums, are there any out there that have energy and impact -- not just pretty things, quiet offices and polite educational programs? Hmmm.
Arts + Education + Policy. I'd like to know more about it. I think that sounds pretty good.
This arts education policy jazz is just so exciting! I mean, I'm impressed by the organization's ability to target in on decision-makers, and to follow-through with powerful advocacy -- for the arts!!! It resonates with me, circa 1991 (inner child), who was looking forward to high school for three reasons: the drama department, art class, and newspaper. Then Measure 13 happened, causing my district to adopt block scheduling, and as a result I couldn't take any of those classes, which were scheduled at the same time as all the college prep courses. Nowadays, my old school district doesn't even offer French anymore. It's criminal. What the hell else keeps you from doing pot and getting pregnant (simultaneously) in Gladstone, Oregon?
Career-wise, I'm in a unique position, as both an educator and an arts administrator; I know and care deeply about both fields. I love that there exist other professionals who are so competent and effective in their pursuit of implementing meaningful policy changes; policies which ripple and resonate and make a huge, often-taken-for-granted impact. The question is: do I feel that in a museum? As much as I love museums, are there any out there that have energy and impact -- not just pretty things, quiet offices and polite educational programs? Hmmm.
Arts + Education + Policy. I'd like to know more about it. I think that sounds pretty good.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
the end in sight
This blog was built to describe the beauty of a summer in DC, a summer waning in its humid glory. I only just realized that it's been in the low 90's all week, because I've felt so warm and happy. Yet as an Oregonian, any mention of this temperature range is usually enough to freak me out.
Life on the Hill continues to be lovely, and I enjoy my historic house and the beautiful brick townhouses. I'm winding down on cultural excursions, mostly out of exhaustion and the desire to relax. Furthermore, I've accepted some cold, hard truths:
Life on the Hill continues to be lovely, and I enjoy my historic house and the beautiful brick townhouses. I'm winding down on cultural excursions, mostly out of exhaustion and the desire to relax. Furthermore, I've accepted some cold, hard truths:
- I will never, ever want to pay $18 for a ticket to the (private) Spy Museum.
- The Medical History Museum that no one ever visits is truly too inconvenient to visit.
- The Newseum, which retails for $17.76, will probably never be worth $17.76 so long as I'm living off a student loan.
- The Textile Museum could be interesting, but so is Direct TV -- which is conveniently located in my living room, rather than somewhere off Dupont Circle.
Yep, I'm mentally checking out. I am tired of my suitcase full of clothes, tired of rationing my deodorant, and I miss my car. Twelve weeks is a weird amount of time to live somewhere: too long to sustain a tourist-mentality level of interest and curiosity, yet too short to buy another full-sized tube of toothpaste. Consequential long-term feelings of surreal displacement!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Such excitement!
After a relative lull, due to near complete burn-out (too much school followed by too much work and too little money all around), I am again indulging in extracurricular events which I will surely miss once I've left DC.
Yesterday I had the most fabulous opportunity yet -- a meeting at Americans for the Arts, and the chance to meet and talk with some mighty impressive staff: Director of Federal Affairs, the Local Arts Agency Services Coordinator, and the Arts Education Manager. Among others in Membership, Marketing, Research and Events. Long story short, I think I figured out what I'd like to do when I grow up. And I'm totally excited that someone back home set up the Emerging Leaders network in Eugene; sweeeeeet!
This afternoon, I attended a forum of the Museum Education Roundtable, titled "Museums and Schools: Compelling Collaborations and Perplexing Partnerships." VERY interesting, although of nearly equal interest was the setting -- the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. This is also the set of "America's Most Wanted," and several displays are dedicated to John Walsh.
So, Museums and Schools. Can I just reiterate that the Phillips Collection is incroyable? Today's forum was based on an upcoming issue of Museum Education; we heard three case studies of great museum-school partnership programs. The Phillips Collection's Jacob Lawrence Migration Series Program is just so great, and through, and I took many notes so as not to forget names like the Institute for Innovative Learning...
I smell a possible research re-re-proposal a-brewin'...
Yesterday I had the most fabulous opportunity yet -- a meeting at Americans for the Arts, and the chance to meet and talk with some mighty impressive staff: Director of Federal Affairs, the Local Arts Agency Services Coordinator, and the Arts Education Manager. Among others in Membership, Marketing, Research and Events. Long story short, I think I figured out what I'd like to do when I grow up. And I'm totally excited that someone back home set up the Emerging Leaders network in Eugene; sweeeeeet!
This afternoon, I attended a forum of the Museum Education Roundtable, titled "Museums and Schools: Compelling Collaborations and Perplexing Partnerships." VERY interesting, although of nearly equal interest was the setting -- the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. This is also the set of "America's Most Wanted," and several displays are dedicated to John Walsh.
So, Museums and Schools. Can I just reiterate that the Phillips Collection is incroyable? Today's forum was based on an upcoming issue of Museum Education; we heard three case studies of great museum-school partnership programs. The Phillips Collection's Jacob Lawrence Migration Series Program is just so great, and through, and I took many notes so as not to forget names like the Institute for Innovative Learning...
I smell a possible research re-re-proposal a-brewin'...
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
August already?
Hello Mom (she admits to consistently reading this, so, thanks, Mom)!
I have to make this short, as I'm trying to leave work a bit early, and no longer have Internet at home --
This past weekend I moved out of my GW dorm and into a lovely house on Capitol Hill. Glorious, glorious space! This house is a beautiful little historic house with two fireplaces on the ground floor, narrow hallways and all kinds of exciting cabinetry. And a garden with French glass doors.
Last night I attended the American Art Museum's 1934 exhibit, finally -- it was quite superb, and I love their collection of Paul Manship sculptures.
I followed this up with an NPG program -- Culture in Motion, a sort of melding of biography and the performing arts in which one actor portrayed Andy Warhol, and the actress (head of Public Programs) portrayed an interviewer.
I was prepared for it to be really bad, honestly -- something about museum theater sounds all wrong to me -- yet it was actually okay! Better than watching TV, at least. It didn't need to last for an hour and a half, and I found it bizarre that both actors had their scripts in front of them the entire time... not blatantly reading from it, but still, obviously so... and at times the script sounded informercialistic ("Why Andy, tell me what led you to react against the post-modern-abstractionists of 1950's New York!).
What was neat, though, was the fact that apparently all of "Andy's" dialogue was culled from real interviews he provided during his lifetime -- subsequently cobbled into a script for the museum, but nonetheless a rather absorbing way to communicate the artist's intentions, motivations and opinions. I learned a hell of a lot, which is good. I think there's more potential to be explored, however, and came away puzzled that I should have ever been resistant to the idea of partnerships between museums and the performing arts...
I have to make this short, as I'm trying to leave work a bit early, and no longer have Internet at home --
This past weekend I moved out of my GW dorm and into a lovely house on Capitol Hill. Glorious, glorious space! This house is a beautiful little historic house with two fireplaces on the ground floor, narrow hallways and all kinds of exciting cabinetry. And a garden with French glass doors.
Last night I attended the American Art Museum's 1934 exhibit, finally -- it was quite superb, and I love their collection of Paul Manship sculptures.
I followed this up with an NPG program -- Culture in Motion, a sort of melding of biography and the performing arts in which one actor portrayed Andy Warhol, and the actress (head of Public Programs) portrayed an interviewer.
I was prepared for it to be really bad, honestly -- something about museum theater sounds all wrong to me -- yet it was actually okay! Better than watching TV, at least. It didn't need to last for an hour and a half, and I found it bizarre that both actors had their scripts in front of them the entire time... not blatantly reading from it, but still, obviously so... and at times the script sounded informercialistic ("Why Andy, tell me what led you to react against the post-modern-abstractionists of 1950's New York!).
What was neat, though, was the fact that apparently all of "Andy's" dialogue was culled from real interviews he provided during his lifetime -- subsequently cobbled into a script for the museum, but nonetheless a rather absorbing way to communicate the artist's intentions, motivations and opinions. I learned a hell of a lot, which is good. I think there's more potential to be explored, however, and came away puzzled that I should have ever been resistant to the idea of partnerships between museums and the performing arts...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
