the little mermaid

Aipad was really great because I got to see a lot of originals by photographers whose work I really admire (i.e. Bill Brandt, Ansel Adams, Robert Mapplethorpe - to name a few).  

This week I really started to plan out new art pieces to work on.  I have three new journal covers in progress - I'm just waiting for my materials to arrive so I can put together the journals.  They'll soon be ready for sale and up on my Etsy page!  I also will be participating in a "gallery show" here at the building where I live.  It's going to be really great.  I'll put up pictures once my materials have arrived.  

On another exciting note, today Stephanie and I sat in the front row for the Little Mermaid!   (These seats are more than $120.)  I would definitely see it over and over again.  The set was so dynamic and amazing.  I don't know if I've ever seen a better set - even the Phantom of the Opera.  Of course, the costumes were amazing too.  

the guggenheim

Today I went to the Guggenheim Museum.  It was pretty cool to see the work of artists that I had actually met in a Museum (like Alan Sonfist).  And I saw paintings by Franz Kline, one of which I had to do a copy of in my painting class last summer.

Yesterday I finally got Emilie's website up and running!  There are still a few pages to add to it/kinks to work out, but I was very proud of myself.  Click here to check it out!

Monday the elephants from the Ringling Brother's Circus marched down 34th street (only a few blocks from where I live), but a bunch of us were hanging out at the corner bar and I ended up wanting to sleep more than wait until 1 AM for elephants to walk by.  

Tomorrow I'm seeing Aipad at the Park Avenue Armory and I might go to the Museum of Natural History.

summation of the week

So I haven't written in a whole week because I haven't been up to much besides getting food poisoning.  On Tuesday I babysat. Thursday I got food poisoning. Friday I got addicted to The Tudors.  Saturday I bought Twilight but watched The Tudors most of the day until I couldn't wait any longer to watch Twilight. Twilight made me feel better for sure.  And today I finished a scholarship application, season 2 of The Tudors, and went to see ASSSSCAT.

guys & dolls

Friday night I did nothing but fill out applications for various things again.

Saturday started out with Barbie's birthday party at Toys-R-Us in Times Square.  Apparently Stephanie and I were the only 21 year olds in attendance without smaller children so the photographer loved us.  He got pictures of us with our dolls while we waited in line to purchase them (they were handing out $3 "Then and Now" Barbie's so of course I had to get one), a picture of me looking at the Disney barbies, a picture of the cashier handing me my Barbie.  It was ridiculous.  I tried to find the pictures online, but so far no luck.  After that we went to the MoMA all day and afterwards Stephanie and I went to see Guys and Dolls at the Nederlander Theater. It was really great!  

Today was spent in a coffee shop working on the completion of my applications.  Then of course, Stephanie and I waited in line forever to get tickets to ASSSSCAT.  We were very productive for the duration of our wait and I even got some reading in.  I'm reading this book that Emilie gave me called Rise and Shine.  

photos posted!

I finally put up photos (which you can see in a slideshow to the right).  If you click an image then you can go to the album and view the whole picture.  Expect more to be added to the album soon!

quiche

Saturday night we did make it to the gallery opening and it was really great.  It was curated by my bosses' friend.  We were really hungry after the opening so we decided to try Dallas BBQ which is right down the street from where I live.  It was really good!  and so cheap!  They had these really great frozen cocktails.  I had a Texas sized pina colada - yummy.  We stayed in the restaurant a long time just talking and hanging out so we didn't do anything afterwards except go back to my room and fall asleep.

Sunday we went to Central Park and it was sort of a crummy day, but the park was so nice and relaxing.  It felt like I was actually in nature.  We started the day late so after Central Park we went back to my room to pick up Rebecca and Jess's stuff and headed to their hotel - The Michelangelo.  It was just north of Times Square and it was a really nice place.  We had dinner at TGIFriday's - don't judge.  And then we walked all the way back from 51st street to the UCB for ASSSSCAT.  I slept over at the hotel and we had a girls' night in, watching Mamma Mia! and sipping wine.  

Unfortunately I didn't get to sleep in because I had to go to work.  It was a rainy day.  We had our seminar (Jess and Rebecca wandered around all over Manhattan so they didn't come).  Dave McKenzie was the artist who talked to us.  His work was okay.  I really liked his ideas but I felt that his work is still a little immature.

On Tuesday I had this really great lunch with Emilie at a yuppie French restaurant.  The quiche I had was the best quiche I've ever tasted.  It was incredibly creamy, almost like a custard.  At first I wasn't going to order it because it was made with swiss cheese, but I'm so glad I did.  Kelly met up with us after I was done with work to go to dinner at Elmo.  She came to NYC on MegaBus for $14 roundtrip so I'll probably try to go visit her in D.C. before I go back to Michigan.  After dinner we watched It Happened One Night until we couldn't stay awake anymore.  

Sadly Jess and Rebecca went home today but I had a really great day working with Emilie today.  I reorganized a lot of the studio/cleaned.  Tonight I'm just working on different applications - bureaucratic stuff.  Next week we're going to start having meetings to organize a gallery show here at the house with work from the students in my program.

staten island

Last night my friends got in after I got home from work and it's been so great to have them here.  We went to a bar called the Crocodile Lounge and with every drink purchase you get a free pizza - so that was awesome. 

Today we took the Staten Island Ferry to Staten Island (obviously) but it was really hazy so we couldn't see the skyline very clearly and Staten Island was pretty boring.  It was really warm today though - over 60 degrees - so just being outside was nice.  Tonight we're heading to a gallery opening and hopefully the after party.

hedda gabler

On Tuesday I helped the gallery set up for PULSE - the high-end art fair for galleries all over the world (the Armory is another art fair that is slightly better than PULSE).  We installed wallpaper and wainscoat in our booth and of course hung up pieces by Eric Beltz.  

Yesterday I worked with Emilie and started designing her website.  It's going to look so good!  After work, Stephanie and I went to volunteer as ushers at the American Airlines Theater for the play Hedda Gabler starring Mary Louise Parker.  After we were "trained," we were standing in the house before it was opened to the public and we weren't paying attention when suddenly a woman was playing the piano.  And I turned to Stephanie and said, "Oh my god!  What if that was Mary Louise Parker .. It's probably not her .. but what if it was?!"  And then after a while she stopped playing and got up and turned around and it WAS Mary Louise Parker and she said, "Well, it's not going to get any better."  (Referring to the piano piece.)  And then she walked off stage.  And I freaked out.

The show was really really good though and I would definitely usher again - it was so easy.  

Today started incredibly early at PULSE.  There was a lot of cool work there and I enjoyed the free breakfast buffet.  

Tomorrow night two of my friends are coming from Michigan to visit me and I am so excited!

sailor man

On Wednesday I got to go back to Emilie's studio and we decided that I'll now be working with her two days a week instead of one.  A few of us from the house went to School Night at the UCB too.

Thursday Stephanie and I tried to go to a movie screening, but we didn't get in line early enough (it's hard to wait in lines when you're at work) so we went to Chevy's for dinner instead.  They still make the best soft shell tortillas.

Friday I had a meeting with Emilie and did a lot of planning for my independent project this fall.  (Secrets to be unveiled soon...)  I went to the Schroeder Romero opening with Jay (my boss) and was heading to a lecture, but the building where it was to be held was locked.  So instead of I went home and watched Sweeney Todd... I was also on call so that's that.

Saturday Stephanie and I headed to the Rockefeller Center.  We saw the Atlas statue, Saint Patrick's Cathedral, and the original Soup Nazi (Seinfeld) restaurant!  Then we met up with our new seminar group and toured a few galleries in Chelsea.  My favorite one was the first one we saw.  The gallery was set up like a museum - which is a pretty rare occurrence - where Piero Manzoni's work was on display.  It was really great.  He was a very revolutionary artist - he would sign his name on anyone's body and they would then be issued a certificate of authenticity as one of his works of art.  He did a bunch of crazy stuff like that and really questioned what made something art, what made something valuable.  We also went to a bookstore called Printed Matter which sells all artist publications.  After going grocery shopping and eating dinner, Cait, Stephanie and I went to the Irish pub down the street - Tir Na Nog - and hung out for a while.

Sunday we had to get up "early" and go to our last seminar meeting with Emilie at her studio.  After our meeting a few of us went to Brooklyn College for the Folk Feet Traditional Dance Showcase.  The theme was "dancing the dead" and we saw various dances of death, mourning, and remembrance practiced in Brooklyn's immigrant communities.  Some of them were really upbeat while others were very solemn and touching.  We also discovered that the closest Target is near the college ... and that if you stay on the 2 train too long, you'll end up going back the way you just came from.  Obviously we went to see ASSSSCAT and this time we were number 3 and 4 in line so we got to sit right in the front row!  It was awesome and hilarious.

Today I went to work like usual and saw Whiplash at the UCB.  There was a surprise act at the end by the actors from Sailor Man.  It's a play based on Popeye the Sailor Man cartoon.  It was really good!

Tomorrow I'm helping Morgan Lehman set up for PULSE.