Your zest for life is oh so good..

Dear K,

Whew. . . nice last post. We needy a heady one to balance out our light and airy posts. Thanks for all of the fantastic links. I love that GoDoGood campain.. seems appropriate for the times. I totally agree that these days, your "likeability" factor IS a factor in the job search. I tell my students this all the time - its not just about knowing the programs or having an awesome portfolio anymore.. its acting professional (and "goodness" is part of that). We had all kinds of faculty meetings today and idea of not only acting responsibly came up but also critical thinking and fostering a critical dialogue. Funny that you sent that NY Times article, I read this one in the Chronicle and was thinking of you too. Foundations.. are they changing? Are they needed? (I think so..)

When Adobe first started developing their Creative Suite, graphic designers were so fixated on "learning the programs" that they forgot about basic design principles. I always note to my students that graphic design existed long before Adobe. It is possible. And it can be amazing.

Speaking of teaching - I scheduled two field trips this week for various classes. We went to the Jaffe Center to look at books, touch old presses and smell old ink. It was a full sensory experience. In addition, took my 3D class to the Boca Museum where I watched their brains slowly explode. We saw an amazing installation by Federico Uribe, a Miami artist. Holy crap... it takes alot for me to feel overwhelmed by art anymore. (Ever feel "art-ed" out??) . . . this gave me hope in the future of installation and the general creative force here in south Florida. It was Florida without being overtly Florida. No glass. No neon. No airbrush or watercolored palm trees. I loved it. Walking into the room was and again, it a full sensory experience. He had hanging birds, trees, cows - a whole habitat built just for us. One of the most interesting things was that in his statement, he talked about sustainability and making responsible decisions towards society and the earth with his art. He even got Puma to donate 2000 shoes and over 25,000 shoelaces for his delicate assemblages. It was all of my favorite themes in one installation: detailed, obsessive and unexpected materials; nature and bold vs. quiet color. Be sure to watch the video!

Also.. rediscovered my love for Swoon. And watched this video of her and thought of you. I really liked how she talked about her process.. how she got to where she is.. and her awesome project, Miss Rockaway Armada project on the Mississippi River - and how that has morphed to other collaborative music + art projects. (Swimming Cities of the Switchback Sea) She also brought up this idea of in a disaster, what CAN artists really DO in terms of act as an agent of change, help, assistance. Her questioning of the role of the artist in the world is really interesting. If you haven't looked into those projects, you should! The community aspect makes me think of your Traveling Truck Show, Mabel's Wayback Machine, etc.

I install my piece this weekend, wish me luck! ;)

Thanks again for my recent gift... it makes me miss you so!
Love, K.