Blog: REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE

So--last semester I decided I wanted to involve myself in a course that allow myself and seven other students to completely organize an entire exhibition at our gallery space here on campus.  It sounded like a fun and beneficial experience to me--as someone interested in the arts.  Inuit art was our topic.  I wasn't initially pumped about the subject matter until I read up on the stuff and we begane the creative process. Now what does that mean?  And why might puting a show on in a gallery space seem difficult and appropriate enough to create a whole three credite course out of it?  Well my friends, I will tell you what--our gallery director, Cheryl Kramer, has a pretty challenging job.  There are soooo many things involved in the process, that it could be a two semester course...which, actually it is turning out to be!

 

Beginning in the fall semester we did our research and became mini experts on Inuit life and the history of their art-especially their sculpture.  We were beginning the process of puting together a cohesive catalog for the exhibit.  We learned techniques behind writing an academic catalog as well as labeling art, and writing about individual pieces.  We also learned different techniques involved in speaking about art in a gallery setting and how to give tours and involve viewers in the gallery experience.  We had several workshops, met experts in the field of Inuit art, and we got to see the work we were going to be exhibiting.

 

There is a couple that lives very close to Ithaca College who collects Inuit Sculpture.  They have a pretty extensive collection which they keep in their home here, and they donated to Ithaca College to display them in this exhibition.  The collection consists of upwards of 40 pieces of works ranging in sizes and materials...from stones to antlers and whale bones...from sizes of objects smaller than a tennis ball to figures as big as an adult male's torso. We were each assigned a number of pieces that we would be writing about for the catalog, and we put on our gallery gloves, brought our measuring tapes and went to see the work for the first time. exciting stuff! (I have pictures of this event...I still need to load them..stay tuned)

 

So a whole semester FLEW BY!  The opening date was not set until February 28, 2008 (TODAY) so the entire semester we spent on puting the catalog together, editing, editing, and some more editing.  I still haven't seen it yet, but I am sure it is great!  Actually..it is soo great that a teacher actually asked if we would allow her to add it as a course material for her class. Pretty cool stuff.  It has been one heck of a process....and it is FINALLY here!  

 

Now-you must be wondering, "JJ, if you say the course was for LAST semester, and the show isn't until right now...aka: the FOLOWING semester...what kind of grade did you get if the class is technically not over yet?"  Well I say to you, "GREAT question!"  haha...ok, so this is how it works. We all knew that we couldn't have a 'real' grade that shows what we did in full because the project wouldn't be complete until the end of March... so we took incompletes...which just shows up as an "I" on your transcript until the teacher gives you a grade. This is perfectly fine...until I realized that I am graduating in May...which means I applied for my diploma, and they looked over my records and they  (the Registrar's office) keeps bugging me and telling me I don't have enough credits to graduate.  Ohh silliness...but once this show is over with I will have a grade, whatever it is--I am not concerned, passing would be fine by me! So, as far as I know, I am on track!  My four years of this winter wonderland is slowly...creepingly slow...soooooo glacierly slowly...coming to and end. And most you..my dear readers..are just beginning! (lucky)

 

If you happen to be in the Ithaca Area tonight--come for the opening 5-7pm in the Handwerker..if not...here are some dates of some events that you are more than welcome to attend:

Wed, March 5 at 1:00 pm--we are giving a tour to Jack Rossen's North American Prehistory Class

Wed, March 19 at 1:30 pm--we are giving a tour to the folks over at Longview

Thurs, March 20 at 6:30 pm--there will be a screening of "Nanook Revisited" and a talkback with student RB Schlather about western influences on outside societies

Thurs, March 27 at 4:00 pm--General student curator's talk---classmates and I will talk about our experience

 

I hope to see you guys there! 

PS-I have videos and pics to show you ...later...I promise!