Jeff Tweedy wrote a song a few years ago that a bit of an anthem. The plot is summarized by the line, "I'm coming home via Chicago." (It's a great song). I'm out of New York, out of Illinois, and back in the Twin Cities. Briefly, about finishing my time in NYC, it was hellish. Very hectic and very stressful, but its done. Papers due in one week period: 10 pg, 4 pg, 3 pg, 2 pg, plus art, not to mentioning packing to come home, not to mention packing art to mail home. My final critique took around 15 hours to prepare for. Though, packing art to mail is one of the most obnoxious things I've ever done in my life. Disregarding the unpleasantries of my last week, things were well. I frequented a lot of great coffeehouses and drank much black coffee. I was a little upset that my last day in the city was full of downpouring rain, although as I finished packing at 3.45 a.m. (may 17) and started walking to the subway, I've never seen the city more peaceful. When I got off the subway at JFK (way out in Brooklyn) at 5:45 a.m., get this, I heard birds chirping. Now, I had heard a bird or two in the city chirping before, but not a dozen. Add this to watching a Brooklyn sunrise, it was a good way to leave the city.
Count five days in Rockford with friends and family, finally being able to relax. Rockford is really green and has zero skyline! I hope to make several trips there this summer.
As far as Minneapolis and Saint Paul are considered, it's great being back. My first evening back was spent taking pictures of the Minneapolis skyline. Hard Times Cafe, the Black Sea Restaurant, Coffee News Cafe, County Cyclery. Guess what, I converted my ten-speed bike to a single-speed! No more derailleurs for me. For employment, I'm working at the Frogtown Summit Partnership. Frogtown and Summit are two neighborhoods in Saint Paul. It's an urban outreach aimed at helping the communities. Lots of very wonderfully diverse peoples in Frogtown and Summit. Its really quite the perfect job for me. I'm very anxious to start next week. And for living, I'm on-campus for June until I move into my apartment in July in Southwest Minneapolis. After this post, this blog shall become defunct.
I'll end by saying something special. You may understand or you may not.
It's summer in the city.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
finishing,
You'll walk through the park and see a dozen pink trees and numerous green trees. It's a sign that we can forget the obnoxious winter. Brooklyn to Manhattan, home to school, via bicycle is actually faster than the subway. Now, the subway takes 25-30 minutes. Biking takes around 22 minutes. Now, the farther you go, the less that is true, but I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to bicyling.
Yesterday was good. We, the NYCAMS crew, had an excursion to the Museum of Modern Art's Restoration lab. This statement should be obvious: As paintings, sculptures, photographs grow older, they wear down. We didn't get to see the photography department, though we had a private tour with a friend of John's in the sculpture and painting department. It wasn't so much as being in the same room as famous art, for you can do that in the museum. It was something about seeing The reverse side of a Pollock canvas. Seeing X-rays of Picasso paintings. (X-rays to show the layers of metallic paints and to see what is the original layers and what a previous restoration did to the painting). Watching the application and learning about the process of restoration toward Edward Hopper paintings. (Using solvents and relaying varnish). A Tanaka painting that was mismanaged in the transportation and the someone put their hands onto the edge of the canvas while they were carrying it. (Hand oils applied to canvas will, over time, attract dirt and grime). Readministration of waxes to bronze sculptors to protect from little children's hands. This fascinating wooden chair sculpture, even though it was on a pedestal in a the musuem, some tourist decided to sit in it and it cracked.... a lot. So, to summarize a paragraph: wow.
The afternoon, however, was spent researching Christo and Jean Claude. If you don't know them by name, search for them on google images. They are probably most recently famous for their installation of "The Gates" in Central Park (February 2005). Over the past thirty years, they've done "Wrapped Pont Neuf, "Islands," "Valley Curtain," "Running Fence," plus many other fascinating pieces. I'm writing my research paper on their "Wrapped Reichstag" from 1971-1994. This quote, I'll try to use in my paper. "I believe very strongly that 20th century art is not single in the realistic experience. It is the very deep political, social, economical experience. I live right now with everybody here." Though their art is temporary, usually only lasting two to three weeks before it is taken down, it is also the process of the art. People who hate the idea of it and voice their opposition are part of the art too. I watched a documentary about his Wrapped Pont Neuf (the first bridge ever built in Paris). One man was arguing to another about the wrapping. One exclaimed how much he hated it and how it was not art. The other disagreed and said "regardless, if it was not for this piece, you and I would never have met. Would never have talked." Part of the important of the work is in the social dialogue of the pieces. I like those two. Christo and Jean Claude.
After researching, Jameson, Chantel, and I went to this spot in South Williamsburg overlooking the water that I found. Being along the East River, most of it is blocked off by piers, docks, or expensive restaurants. I'm glad that I explore a lot because this was a beautiful location.
Yesterday was good. We, the NYCAMS crew, had an excursion to the Museum of Modern Art's Restoration lab. This statement should be obvious: As paintings, sculptures, photographs grow older, they wear down. We didn't get to see the photography department, though we had a private tour with a friend of John's in the sculpture and painting department. It wasn't so much as being in the same room as famous art, for you can do that in the museum. It was something about seeing The reverse side of a Pollock canvas. Seeing X-rays of Picasso paintings. (X-rays to show the layers of metallic paints and to see what is the original layers and what a previous restoration did to the painting). Watching the application and learning about the process of restoration toward Edward Hopper paintings. (Using solvents and relaying varnish). A Tanaka painting that was mismanaged in the transportation and the someone put their hands onto the edge of the canvas while they were carrying it. (Hand oils applied to canvas will, over time, attract dirt and grime). Readministration of waxes to bronze sculptors to protect from little children's hands. This fascinating wooden chair sculpture, even though it was on a pedestal in a the musuem, some tourist decided to sit in it and it cracked.... a lot. So, to summarize a paragraph: wow.
The afternoon, however, was spent researching Christo and Jean Claude. If you don't know them by name, search for them on google images. They are probably most recently famous for their installation of "The Gates" in Central Park (February 2005). Over the past thirty years, they've done "Wrapped Pont Neuf, "Islands," "Valley Curtain," "Running Fence," plus many other fascinating pieces. I'm writing my research paper on their "Wrapped Reichstag" from 1971-1994. This quote, I'll try to use in my paper. "I believe very strongly that 20th century art is not single in the realistic experience. It is the very deep political, social, economical experience. I live right now with everybody here." Though their art is temporary, usually only lasting two to three weeks before it is taken down, it is also the process of the art. People who hate the idea of it and voice their opposition are part of the art too. I watched a documentary about his Wrapped Pont Neuf (the first bridge ever built in Paris). One man was arguing to another about the wrapping. One exclaimed how much he hated it and how it was not art. The other disagreed and said "regardless, if it was not for this piece, you and I would never have met. Would never have talked." Part of the important of the work is in the social dialogue of the pieces. I like those two. Christo and Jean Claude.
After researching, Jameson, Chantel, and I went to this spot in South Williamsburg overlooking the water that I found. Being along the East River, most of it is blocked off by piers, docks, or expensive restaurants. I'm glad that I explore a lot because this was a beautiful location.
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