A mass email, written an hour ago. Knock out 2 birds with 1 stone....
Hello Everyone!
I apologize for the hiatus, but school and the end of school and life have all attracted and held on to my attention. I have been doing well, really well. After some long hours, late nights, and dark chocolate, all my work has been turned in and summer is well on its way. Chicago is now my home more than ever. I remember feeling at home when I began running into non-classmates in Prague, and then feeling strange when that happened my first time in Chicago in 2006. And so now, not only do I run into familiar faces almost everywhere I go, but I have enough beds, couches, and floors to welcome my rest whenever needed (I have already taken advantage of this).
The end of school did not at all feel like the end, which is great. I have made so many friends at SAIC, and we continue to keep each other active. Through phone calls, emails, tea, and bike rides, we continue to talk about life and art as one. I am beginning to feel more confident in calling myself an artist, although this is still one of my many identities. I am learning how art and academics can intermingle. art as exploration, as study. experimentation as art, fieldwork. On the last day of class, Lin Hixson briefly mentioned how a performer must simultaneously be in the performance, making it happen, and be outside of the performance observing both herself and the audience. This duality struck a chord with me and how I approach academic fieldwork and artistic performance. An academic doing fieldwork is simultaneously inside the moment, learning though life and experience, while outside observing the greater situation, position, and history of the entire experience. I think there are more connections between performance and academics, and I would like to continue to explore these themes.
My SAIC friend YoonYoung recently successfully completed a project dealing with art, community, and research. She held a garage sale/art exhibit outside of a local coffee shop. The items for sale were tagged with stories, questions, and comments relating to their history and her relationship to the items. And so passersby and potential customers were not only provoked by the objects themselves, but the humanity and character put on the object through the knowledge of its history. Through these insights YY and I could engage the customers (community members) in conversation. YY finally met her neighbors, exchanged email addresses with other local artists, and took a snapshot of each customer with their new objects, about to engage in a new story. The artistic mind which framed this project created the space for concrete action and insights into the community. We have written about it and will continue to work on these ideas.
* * *
Now, the summer. I wrote to you about the profound effect of the Czech lands on my mind and soul. I wrote that I felt the longing to return to that nature, that there was so much more to learn and gain. And so, with fate on my side and with the faith and finances from Sarah Lawrence College, I am to return... in two weeks! I was awarded the Meredith F. Russell Fieldwork Fellowship in order to study the relationship between sustainability and art making in the Czech Republic. I will return to Valasske Klobouky for a couple of weeks to assist in their annual scything of the meadows and then travel to Southern Bohemia to teach dance on an organic farm and 500 year-old mill. It is incredibly exciting and I am incredibly lucky.
So, in preparation for the next two months abroad, I am making a book list to supplement my experiences. If you have any good reading suggestions, non-fiction or fiction, that have something to do with sustainability, art-making, or interconnection, I would love to hear them. I hope to fill my days with hard work and new experiences, and my nights with writing, reading, and self-reflection. Maybe you can help diversify those night hours.
* * *
Speaking of good books, I just finished a great one by Daniel Glick called "Monkey Dancing." It's a non-fiction narrative about Glick and his two children (ages 9 and 13) and their 5-month adventure around the world experiencing soon-to-be-extinct natural phenomena. It is really enlightening and informative and honest. I highly recommend it!
And so I am soon off for another adventure.
I hope to email again before I leave, but you can also check my blog at http://mirovy.blogspot.com for (possibly) more regular updates.
Thank you always for your interest and support, I really appreciate it.
Wear sunscreen,
annie...
Hello Everyone!
I apologize for the hiatus, but school and the end of school and life have all attracted and held on to my attention. I have been doing well, really well. After some long hours, late nights, and dark chocolate, all my work has been turned in and summer is well on its way. Chicago is now my home more than ever. I remember feeling at home when I began running into non-classmates in Prague, and then feeling strange when that happened my first time in Chicago in 2006. And so now, not only do I run into familiar faces almost everywhere I go, but I have enough beds, couches, and floors to welcome my rest whenever needed (I have already taken advantage of this).
The end of school did not at all feel like the end, which is great. I have made so many friends at SAIC, and we continue to keep each other active. Through phone calls, emails, tea, and bike rides, we continue to talk about life and art as one. I am beginning to feel more confident in calling myself an artist, although this is still one of my many identities. I am learning how art and academics can intermingle. art as exploration, as study. experimentation as art, fieldwork. On the last day of class, Lin Hixson briefly mentioned how a performer must simultaneously be in the performance, making it happen, and be outside of the performance observing both herself and the audience. This duality struck a chord with me and how I approach academic fieldwork and artistic performance. An academic doing fieldwork is simultaneously inside the moment, learning though life and experience, while outside observing the greater situation, position, and history of the entire experience. I think there are more connections between performance and academics, and I would like to continue to explore these themes.
My SAIC friend YoonYoung recently successfully completed a project dealing with art, community, and research. She held a garage sale/art exhibit outside of a local coffee shop. The items for sale were tagged with stories, questions, and comments relating to their history and her relationship to the items. And so passersby and potential customers were not only provoked by the objects themselves, but the humanity and character put on the object through the knowledge of its history. Through these insights YY and I could engage the customers (community members) in conversation. YY finally met her neighbors, exchanged email addresses with other local artists, and took a snapshot of each customer with their new objects, about to engage in a new story. The artistic mind which framed this project created the space for concrete action and insights into the community. We have written about it and will continue to work on these ideas.
* * *
Now, the summer. I wrote to you about the profound effect of the Czech lands on my mind and soul. I wrote that I felt the longing to return to that nature, that there was so much more to learn and gain. And so, with fate on my side and with the faith and finances from Sarah Lawrence College, I am to return... in two weeks! I was awarded the Meredith F. Russell Fieldwork Fellowship in order to study the relationship between sustainability and art making in the Czech Republic. I will return to Valasske Klobouky for a couple of weeks to assist in their annual scything of the meadows and then travel to Southern Bohemia to teach dance on an organic farm and 500 year-old mill. It is incredibly exciting and I am incredibly lucky.
So, in preparation for the next two months abroad, I am making a book list to supplement my experiences. If you have any good reading suggestions, non-fiction or fiction, that have something to do with sustainability, art-making, or interconnection, I would love to hear them. I hope to fill my days with hard work and new experiences, and my nights with writing, reading, and self-reflection. Maybe you can help diversify those night hours.
* * *
Speaking of good books, I just finished a great one by Daniel Glick called "Monkey Dancing." It's a non-fiction narrative about Glick and his two children (ages 9 and 13) and their 5-month adventure around the world experiencing soon-to-be-extinct natural phenomena. It is really enlightening and informative and honest. I highly recommend it!
And so I am soon off for another adventure.
I hope to email again before I leave, but you can also check my blog at http://mirovy.blogspot.com for (possibly) more regular updates.
Thank you always for your interest and support, I really appreciate it.
Wear sunscreen,
annie...
posted by annie... at 6:59 AM
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