"... I am what I do with my hands"

Last week we had our last scheduled meeting with Audrey & Randal, followed by de-installing the thesis show! That went by way to quick

We got together at school before heading over to Finale to chat about our past four years at The School. Aud and Randal were so generous for treating us to a coffee and dessert!

The debrief is a really great way for Audrey and Randal to get our feedback on our experience over the past four years. Starting from our freshman year in the foundation program, to transitioning into the fine arts program all the way through planning and installing our final Thesis work.

They are always looking to improve the program and what better way then getting information from us! We had plenty to say about what was working really well in the program to what we wish we had more of or could have changed.

Aud said we gave her the best feedback she’s had in a few years! Apparently we feel just as passionately about the program as she does. I really don’t know what I’m going to do without them next year!

The following Friday after the crits was the long awaited opening reception of our Senior Thesis Show  - Lead to Gold – which was also a night that First Friday’s was happening at the Thayer St. galleries.

Friday night was absolutely perfect! We had a really great turn out. It was so lovely to meet everyone’s friends and family who showed so much support for everyone!

My parents and my boyfriend made the trip to the city to see my show. It was a big week for my sister at my sister’s school, who is just ending her freshman year, so unfortunately she wasn’t able to make it. But I’m looking forward to the brunch in just a few short weeks, that she will definitely be attending! We had a lovely dinner following the show with my parents downstairs at Davio’s. If you haven’t been – I absolutely suggest going. The service and food was absolutely incredible! It was the perfect ending to a good show! Later I went out to celebrate with my fellow fine artists I am going to miss you guys so much!

It’s been a little over a week since I had my last and final crit at NESAD. Our guest critic was Al Miner, assistant curator at the MFA Boston.

What a long day! And I was the first student to kick start this endless day of crits! Al had some awesome things to say about my work that will further help me as I transition from a student to a practicing studio artist! Al had a great personality and sense of humor that really broke the ice right at the start of the day. He was very disarming and the crits went along as a big conversation, way to break the tension! What was great about Al is that he is a practicing studio artist as well as a curator, so we got opinions both from an artist and curatorial standpoint. It was great to hear viewpoints about object placement in the gallery but also advice on materials and working process in the studio. Not only did I, but everyone, had really great feedback from Al. We couldn’t have had a better guest speaker!

Following this long, 6-hour critique day was my art history exam. But I can’t complain – I got everything (everything meaning all my exams and crits) done and out of the way in one day, and at the beginning of exam week. So the long day paid off – and I did pretty well on my art history exam! Go senior year!

Now it’s time to relax and recuperate before the start of summer classes. Then I can officially say my college career is DONE.

I got the internship for Howard Yezerski this summer! I couldn’t be happier, this is a great way to end my senior year! I start in June and I’ll be working through the whole summer. I’ll be working on a summer project, organizing inventory and making sure all information on the work is there. I’m looking forward to spending time with Howard and his assistant Margaret. They were both so welcoming and I think we’re going to have a great time this summer!

Today is a great day! I got an email this morning from Howard Yezerski Gallery asking me to come in for an interview! I couldn’t be happier! Tomorrow at 11:30 is the big day!

This week (the last week of classes!)  is a crazy mix of emotions from stress to excitement and relief that pieces are getting finished and everything is finally coming together!

We have three days – and counting – to finalize our thesis work in preparation to hang on Saturday! Is this week really here already? Today is my last photography class, which I’m going to miss so much! I learned a great deal in this class, now I’ll be able to take fabulous pictures all summer long!

Friday was the Illustration opening. What a turn out! I really enjoyed the show. Naturally there are a lot of cartoons that bring me back to my childhood which is a nice change from this crazy, senior year life. The turn out was great, most of the artists attended the reception that was followed by a talk on the History of American Illustration by Murray Tinkelman, director of the Low-Residency Illustration MFA Program at University of Hartford. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make the artist talk, but it was great to chat with the artists in the show and hear about what they’re doing, life after college, since that will be me in just a few short weeks!

One more week of classes and we’ll be into finals. Wasn’t it January just yesterday?

Its hit me that we’ve come to get the end of the semester once we start getting final course evaluations together at the front desk. Not to mention they will be distributed only next week! Fliers preparing students for locker clean out and other end of the semester notifications have been sent out!

On the other hand, things are really starting to come together for our thesis show. We’ve been practicing artist talks and having lots of studio time to finalize our work. Only a week from Saturday and we hang the show!

After Saturday this semester is really going to finish up quickly. Monday morning we record our artist talks in the gallery infront of Audrey, Randal and the dreaded video camera! But there shouldn’t be too much pressure, we’ve been getting in lots of practice so the talk should be a breeze!

Recording Monday is the perfect because we will be able to finalize our artist talks before our final crit on Tuesday with a guest reviewer! Tuesday is a long day in the fine arts program. Crits are all day from 9-5 AND this semester I have an art history exam that evening. Oh the life of a student. On the bright side, this is the ONLY day I have crits and exams!

Congratulations to all my fellow 2012 classmates in the graphic design program!

Designing Under the Influence (DUI) opened this past Friday! This was the first opening of the senior student shows.

Everyone looked so elegant at the opening, not to mention the awesome turn out! The entire second floor of The School was packed!

The graphic design senior show is one of the biggest student exhibitions. Fliers, brochures, posters, cards, pamphlets, bags – you name it, filled the entire second floor at 75 Arlington. And they’re designed exceptionally. It’s amazing that these students are just senior undergraduate students.

Only two more openings and it’ll be my turn!

My Thesis book came in!!!

The first part of the end is here. Every fine arts senior makes a book of their thesis work. It’s a pretty easy process done through iPhoto and the books look fantastic! What’s great is that you can always order the book anytime you want – as long as it’s saved in iPhoto! Thirty years from now, I could order the book again!

We order three copies of the book – of course, we receive a copy, one copy gets put in the school library and Audrey keeps another copy. The books look absolutely beautiful! They’re great because we can take them anywhere – if we have an interview or we’ll be out of town looking at museums, they’re easy to carry and ready to be shown off

Ilona Anderson

This Friday I joined Molly and Nichole to First Fridays to show the freshman where the galleries were located and what First Fridays is all about! Lisa (a junior fine arts major!), Keri, Audrey and Celine also took the walk down to 450 Harrison! Not to mention it felt like a nice spring day, the weather was great!

Ilona Anderson had an exhibition, Cornered, in the memebers’ space at Kingston gallery. We stopped there first to see her and the exhibition in the center gallery by Joan Baldwin titled Sit & Be. In the middle room there were large scale paintings on a flat canvas, painted into the wall and some hanging sculptures which were extremely interesting.

Joan Baldwin

Lamp shades hung from the ceiling with intricate details on the outside of the shade. I loved these smaller pieces because they reminded me of the type of lighting we have in our summer home in Maine.

Earlier Audrey and I were discussing what I’d be doing after school, and I expressed my interest of getting an internship in a gallery for the summer. I’d love to work in a professional gallery, working with artists and contemporary art work. A chance to work as an intern at Howard Yezerski Gallery arose and I was fortunately able to meet him and have an opportunity to send over my resume for an internship!

We ran into many friends down at the galleries and saw so many great exhibitions! One of my favorites was at Carroll and Sons, as well as seeing one of my good friends, John Roy.

Photographer Stephen Tourlentes was on exhibit at John’s gallery this Friday. Tourlentes takes landscape photos of prisons all over the United States. Large archival prints made with a 4×5 negative are framed throughout the gallery. The images are absolutely breath taking. The extreme beauty and high quality of the photos creates and eery quality that keeps me totally invested in the work.

I had a really great night with my fellow NESAD friends and got to see some really compelling contemporary art!

It’s that time of the year again – student shows will be the new exhibitions in the gallery until the end of the semester. Starting with the foundation show! I really enjoy this show because there is SO much to look at! It’s great to see so many talented and creative freshman that will soon be joining the fine arts program!

There was a great turn out at the foundation show last Thursday. There were some new projects that I hadn’t had the opportunity to make when I was in the foundation program. In a design issues and process class, students were assigned to make a piece that creates an experience for the viewer that triggers all the senses except visual.

One of our students had her project on display during the opening. Located just down the hall from the gallery, viewers were invited to come into the room, sit down and partake in the sensual experience. Blindfold, eliminating our visual sense, partakers sat down and put headphones on, triggering our hearing sense. Dramatic music heightened the thrill and experience, before participants even began. A box sat before the them and were encouraged to stick their hand into what seemed like the longest tunnel in history. After making it through a rough, prickly tunnel, viewers finally reached the big finale. Little critter Sophia the guinea pig awaited her big debut once her soft fur was touched. That wasn’t so bad! Faculty professor, Lydia Martin even took part in this thrilling experience!