tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50147895697850325012024-03-14T04:53:02.811-05:00AIC Interns 2010Sandy Guttmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016873618020649726noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-13277751178931394772010-08-06T13:12:00.012-05:002010-08-06T14:39:35.790-05:00Work or Play?Many of my colleagues have mentioned how lucky we are to be getting paid to talk about something that we all love all day and get compensated for it. And it's true, how many people get the opportunity to do what they love? The work portion of our position is to research and construct lesson plans for our tours. The play portion is everything else that goes along with the job, such as giving the tours and interacting with the viewers whether they are school age or adults.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxj9fKZHDI/AAAAAAAAADY/U3O-OpKHHDM/s1600/IMG_3001.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 188px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxj9fKZHDI/AAAAAAAAADY/U3O-OpKHHDM/s320/IMG_3001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502382752728161330" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxVofHa27I/AAAAAAAAACY/ixv_cmeg1NU/s1600/DSCN4227.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 232px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxVofHa27I/AAAAAAAAACY/ixv_cmeg1NU/s320/DSCN4227.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502366998775651250" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Other really fun aspects of the position is having the opportunity to get involved with the different summer programs that the Art Institute is associated with.<br /><br />For example Maya, Sandy and I got involved the Target Arts and Wonder, which was a free program for families to come to the Ryan Education center and make art.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxYFEoLZvI/AAAAAAAAACw/vlUUoSpjU5E/s1600/DSCN3812.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 276px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxYFEoLZvI/AAAAAAAAACw/vlUUoSpjU5E/s320/DSCN3812.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502369688904754930" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxZnXAxbnI/AAAAAAAAADA/7b7Floe8NjY/s1600/DSCN3825.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxZnXAxbnI/AAAAAAAAADA/7b7Floe8NjY/s320/DSCN3825.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502371377466928754" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxXuDEoQ5I/AAAAAAAAACo/iuCtwDwDHcc/s1600/DSCN3803.JPG"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxZDKLnMlI/AAAAAAAAAC4/s9kWacB4ZZ4/s1600/DSCN3813.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxZDKLnMlI/AAAAAAAAAC4/s9kWacB4ZZ4/s320/DSCN3813.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502370755547443794" border="0" /></a><br />We decorated totes and made really cool 3D self portraits that both the children and adults enjoyed making.<br /><br /><br />Sandy and I were also lucky enough to get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">involed</span> with helping out at the Children's Museum at Navy Pier. It was "Play With Your Art Day," the Art Institute had a booth where the children could design their own hats inspired by Edward Hopper's Nighthawks.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxcLSSEyJI/AAAAAAAAADI/Z4U_W_Y4XcU/s1600/DSCN4277.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxcLSSEyJI/AAAAAAAAADI/Z4U_W_Y4XcU/s320/DSCN4277.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502374193695869074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxcuIy3qVI/AAAAAAAAADQ/LaiBfeo6O5k/s1600/DSCN4235.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TFxcuIy3qVI/AAAAAAAAADQ/LaiBfeo6O5k/s320/DSCN4235.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502374792444488018" border="0" /></a><br />So you tell me.... Is this work or play?Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03009291873480036924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-9082939769219001362010-08-05T15:46:00.017-05:002010-08-06T09:22:18.008-05:00The Dream TeamI’m going to follow in Sandy’s footsteps and talk about a tour theme that I never got to do. For one, I could never think of a good enough title. It kept turning into “Pieces that have crazy backgrounds that no one knows about.” Pretty lame. Adrienne told me that I should call it “Past Lives”, and if it ever emerged, that’s what it would be. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFwWm3bGjUI/AAAAAAAAD08/32whYW-2ORA/s1600/Old+Guitarist.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFwWm3bGjUI/AAAAAAAAD08/32whYW-2ORA/s320/Old+Guitarist.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502297701708369218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFwWuYkvZsI/AAAAAAAAD1E/M-YumbMh8LA/s1600/old+guitarist2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFwWuYkvZsI/AAAAAAAAD1E/M-YumbMh8LA/s320/old+guitarist2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502297830866249410" /></a><br />Pablo Picasso, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Old Guitarist</span>, 1903-04.<br /><br />An icon of the Art Institute, and <span style="font-style:italic;">the</span> highlight from Picasso’s Blue Period, this piece is a real crowd pleaser. With students, it’s great to talk about how color is important to the mood and meaning of a piece. But one of the most interesting parts about this painting is what’s behind it. X-Rays and ultraviolet photography show that Picasso used this canvas to paint two other pieces. You can even see a woman’s eyes in the paint above the guitarist’s head. There is also a visible seam where Picasso painted the canvas over the leaves of his kitchen table. Poor Picasso was so broke! No wonder he was blue. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFwVelkvSjI/AAAAAAAAD00/8ivr8nj9CfE/s1600/155114_1109049.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFwVelkvSjI/AAAAAAAAD00/8ivr8nj9CfE/s320/155114_1109049.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502296459966368306" /></a><br />Charles Ray, <span style="font-style:italic;">Hinoki</span>, 2007<br />As Sandy said, the interns <span style="font-weight:bold;">love</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">Hinoki</span>. I mean it’s a tree. In a museum. Carved from another tree. Love. It.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFsn-iCVmqI/AAAAAAAAD0s/72SGV-56GZI/s1600/225_1214368-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 252px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFsn-iCVmqI/AAAAAAAAD0s/72SGV-56GZI/s320/225_1214368-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502035325005175458" /></a> <br />Egyptian Model Boat, c. 2046-1794 B.C.<br />I know I’ve used this before, but anything that has to do with death and mummification is a hit with any student. This boat was supposed to come to life with the person in the afterlife to guide them to safety. Using this piece also pays tribute to my favorite childhood movie, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Indian in the Cupboard</span>. Things coming to life → always a good pick for a tour. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFsnCKuY54I/AAAAAAAAD0c/-qWy0XmO5Wo/s1600/83483_384007.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 278px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFsnCKuY54I/AAAAAAAAD0c/-qWy0XmO5Wo/s320/83483_384007.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502034287955339138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFsnSZ6RQ3I/AAAAAAAAD0k/-_sKk5qSa60/s1600/84115_393017.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 198px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFsnSZ6RQ3I/AAAAAAAAD0k/-_sKk5qSa60/s320/84115_393017.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502034566909608818" /></a><br />Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, <span style="font-style:italic;">At the Moulin Rouge</span>, 1892 (right) and <span style="font-style:italic;">Equestrienne</span>, 1887 (above).<br /><br />I’ll admit it, I just really love Lautrec. The creepy faces, weird colors and all. Maya and I had a great discussion about these paintings on an adult tour. People can talk about them forever! The <span style="font-style:italic;">Moulin Rouge</span> painting once had the green woman (presumably French dancer, May Milton) cut out because dealers didn’t think it would sell. All the figures have their backs turned to Milton because she was about to head off to America to become a big star. Lautrec even painted himself into the background! The <span style="font-style:italic;">Equestrienne</span> painting was displayed on the wall of the Moulin Rouge as visitors walked in. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFsmf8SRGlI/AAAAAAAAD0U/hQZbqXtPkyQ/s1600/140703_859337.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 157px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFsmf8SRGlI/AAAAAAAAD0U/hQZbqXtPkyQ/s320/140703_859337.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502033699963738706" /></a><br />Ivan Albright, <span style="font-style:italic;">Picture of Dorian Gray</span>, 1943-44<br />In the beginning of the Summer I hated this piece. So. Much. But now, I’ve grown to love it! This was painted for the 1946 movie of Oscar Wilde’s book, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Picture of Dorian Gray</span>. Though the movie was filmed in all black and white, this portrait was the only part of the movie to be filmed in color. Creeeepy. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFsl9bizCLI/AAAAAAAAD0M/kRhQu-v0jbc/s1600/161459_1223910.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 192px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFsl9bizCLI/AAAAAAAAD0M/kRhQu-v0jbc/s320/161459_1223910.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502033107059148978" /></a><br />Felix Gonzalez Torres, <span style="font-style:italic;">"Untitled" (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)</span> 1991<br />Who doesn’t love candy? Felix Gonzalez Torres created this portrait of his boyfriend, Ross, after he died from AIDS. The candy is set every morning at 175 lbs., Ross’s ideal weight. Throughout the day visitors are asked to take a piece of candy, causing the piece to shrink and loose weight. It shows Ross’s sweet and colorful nature, as well as the regeneration of life every morning. Plus the students get to pick out their own piece to eat! Incredible edible art. <br /><br />So that's the dream tour. And hopefully one day someone can use it! This internship has been an incredible experience. I've never met a more encouraging, enthusiastic group of people, and I was actually excited about coming into work each morning. Annie from adult programs told us that we'll probably run into each other at CAA (College Art Association) conferences screaming and hugging. I can only imagine...Mary D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07564591682934939112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-91626753099644321952010-08-05T14:37:00.000-05:002010-08-05T14:37:24.328-05:00FANTASY TOUR: The Little Tour That Could<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With our time at AIC coming to a quick close, it's fun to reflect on the tours that never were. David and I stuck pretty firmly to our </span></span><a href="http://aicintern2010.blogspot.com/2010/07/travel-and-transformation-ultimate-tour.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Travel & Transformation Tour</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - alternating the order and pieces that we used and sharing research with one another, since after all it was s</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">uch a solid tour theme</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. In addition to our Travel & Transformation tour, we also had to put together ABCs In Art Tours which included "Animals In Art", "Color, Line, and Shape", and "My Five Senses" for younger audiences which focus more on the experience of interacting with the artwork and aren't as strictly content based.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Either way, we've been keeping ourselves quite busy touring, exploring, and researching - so it doesn't quite surprise me that I didn't get the chance to put together my fantasy tour. BUT it is going to be up for grabs for future docents, so feel free to borrow it!!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And now for the tour: Fabulous Fibbers & Incredible Illusions</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The idea for this tour came from my desire to design a tour in which I could utilize Adriean van der Spelt's/Frans van Mieris' </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tromp-l'Oeil Still-Life with a Flower Garland and a Curtain</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> - since I have a "thing" for Dutch Baroque still-life painting, being the first topic I researched as a freshman dabbling in the field of Art History. This painting is one of my absolute favorites in the collection, because of the attention to detail, particularly the surface qualities of the different textures, objects, and materials all expertly conveyed in oil paint!! I honestly feel as though I could reach my hand up and pull that curtain across to unveil what lays concealed.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFrkyCs2SeI/AAAAAAAAAmk/SpmFsKHCYyA/s1600/2775_761195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFrkyCs2SeI/AAAAAAAAAmk/SpmFsKHCYyA/s400/2775_761195.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tromp-l'Oeil Still-Life with a Flower Garland and a Curtain</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Adriean van der Spelt/Frans van Mieris (Dutch)<br />
1658<br />
Oil on Canvas (or is it...)<br />
</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's a fantastic story that is being referenced here - the ancient Greek myth of the rivalry between two painters Zeuxis and Parrhasius. The two rival painters were in competition with one another to see who could paint the most lifelike picture. Zeuxis painted an image of grapes so lifelike, that birds landed upon the painting to peck at the painted grapes. Parrhasius then showed his image - a painting of closed curtains, so real that Zeuxis tried to pull them away to reveal the painting hidden behind the curtain. Parrhasius won the contest, astonishing Zeuxis, and creating the legend of illusion that inspires this very tour.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're going to fast forward in time with the rest of our works to see how artists use illusion, tromp-l'oeil, and other tricks of the trade to depict things that could never quite exist in reality.</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFsHy9uuPdI/AAAAAAAAAmo/qiPB1IwshQQ/s1600/4215_881803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFsHy9uuPdI/AAAAAAAAAmo/qiPB1IwshQQ/s400/4215_881803.jpg" width="266" /></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time Transfixed</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Rene Magritte (Belgian)<br />
1938<br />
Oil on Canvas</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Magritte's realism and illusionism is super fun. I'm a big fan of having visitors say discuss what this painting means to them, based upon their own personal associations with the various objects and imagery. Plus his mirror that reflects/doesn't reflect is AWESOME!</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFsI6ogbZ_I/AAAAAAAAAms/FQqcyXxmpa0/s1600/6241_514933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFsI6ogbZ_I/AAAAAAAAAms/FQqcyXxmpa0/s400/6241_514933.jpg" width="256" /></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Woman Descending the Staircase</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Gerhard Richter<br />
1965<br />
Oil on Canvas</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The illusion here lies in the discussion of what we're looking at. Is it a photograph? Is it a painting? Is it both? Questions like these really spur fantastic discussion, which is what these tours are all about!</span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFsK8OiAzUI/AAAAAAAAAmw/DiIG5PwsYaw/s1600/6216_763199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFsK8OiAzUI/AAAAAAAAAmw/DiIG5PwsYaw/s400/6216_763199.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Table with Pink Tablecloth</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Richard Artschwager (American)<br />
1964<br />
Formica on Wood</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm a gigantic fan of this work. Yeah, it's a cube. Yes, it's geometric and abstracted. BUT if you go ahead and take a closer look at it, you'll notice that the brown is actually the negative space beneath the table. It's fun to explore and discover the way in which the illusion transforms the way in which you think about the object.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFsQLeU_w1I/AAAAAAAAAm0/GJAPjXBh7j8/s1600/155114_1109048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFsQLeU_w1I/AAAAAAAAAm0/GJAPjXBh7j8/s400/155114_1109048.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hinoki</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Charles Ray (American)<br />
2007<br />
Cyprus Carving</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then there's </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hinoki.</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> What is it? How was it made? How did it get here? Why carve a tree out of a tree? This work was one of the summer hits for the 2010 Museum Education Interns. We LOVE </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hinoki</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Yes, it's a challenge to talk about, and yes it's a bit of a struggle trying to get the students to stay about 3 feet away, but the discussion is always so rewarding.</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFsREPb9AyI/AAAAAAAAAm4/m5rN5xOf0aQ/s1600/147456_933857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFsREPb9AyI/AAAAAAAAAm4/m5rN5xOf0aQ/s400/147456_933857.jpg" width="352" /></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being Not Truthful Always Works Against Me (Edition 1/10)</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Stephan Sagmeister (Austrian) & Ralph Ammer (German)<br />
2006<br />
Interactive Projection</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here's where the tour concludes. I am a firm believer in ending with a bang. This work not only teaches a lesson about fibbing, but also is great fun because it is interactive. Loosely based on Charlotte's Web, the well-meaning message spun into the web is part of a computer program that reacts and changes to one's shadows in the exhibition space. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Basically, this tour would have ruled if I had the time to write and research each of these objects. I hope that a future docent or intern might take inspiration from this little tour that never was...</span></span><br />
<div><br />
</div></div>Sandy Guttmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016873618020649726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-35105543777563327962010-08-05T11:44:00.011-05:002018-01-23T21:09:27.330-06:00The Powers of Perception...<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFskx28GvbI/AAAAAAAAD0E/7Q1mXCu4NZw/s1600/IMG_2970.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502031808742997426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFskx28GvbI/AAAAAAAAD0E/7Q1mXCu4NZw/s320/IMG_2970.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
Maya introducing the students to the touch gallery<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFskg87JbEI/AAAAAAAADz8/9z0B2b75tbw/s1600/IMG_2952.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502031518291815490" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TFskg87JbEI/AAAAAAAADz8/9z0B2b75tbw/s320/IMG_2952.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Adrienne discussing Dan Flavin's <span style="font-style: italic;">One of May 27, 1963</span>, 1963<br />
<br />
As our time here at the museum comes to a close, we’ve been thinking about the tours we’ve found most rewarding. Maya, Jen, Adrienne and I were assigned to give a tour to high school students from the Blind Service Association. I was a little nervous about giving this tour because honestly, I didn’t really know what to do. So to prepare for the tour we talked with a few staff members that had done similar tours in the past and scoured the Education Resource Center for ideas. A few days before the tour we decided to walk around the museum paying special attention to four of our senses: smell, taste, sound, and touch. We were astounded at what we discovered! There are so many pieces in the museum that require more senses than just looking. Here is a run-down of our <span style="font-style: italic;">Powers of Perception</span> tour…<br />
<br />
(Mary D.) Our tour began with bringing the twelve students and four chaperones into Griffin Court, the main entrance of the Modern Wing. Since I love the design of the Modern Wing, I thought it was important for the students to understand more about the space they were standing in, even if they couldn’t see it. Smell, sound, and touch all played a really big role for the entire tour, and these senses worked really well for understanding architecture! First I had them tell me what they sensed in the space around them. I was bombarded with a dozen answers! They were telling me “It must be big, because everything echoes,” and “The air is a lot colder and more open in here.” Thought that could sense light said, “The ceiling must be glass, because it’s much brighter when I move my head upwards.”<br />
Next we headed outside to Pritzker Garden. I asked them what the differences were from the inside of the building. They caught on that it used the same flooring and that the only thing that separated inside for outside was a large glass wall. They loved listening to Louise Lawler’s sound piece, <span style="font-style: italic;">Birdcalls</span>. Lawler squaks the names of artists in the modern wing to make them sound like birds.This was a piece that we didn’t know about until we listened closely! Here's a clip of the same piece installed at the lily pond of the Huntington Library:<br />
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<br />
(Adrienne) Going into my piece on the blind tour I was a bit worried because it was the only piece we planned that is purely visual…or so I thought. I spoke about Dan Flavin’s florescent light piece “One of May 27, 1963” and had the kids come very close. Probably too close, blind people see with their hands and when I asked if they could sense anything around them one girl reached directly in front of her and held onto the vertical florescent light.<br />
<br />
Other than that mishap, I think the talk was successful. A few kids who did have some level of sightedness were able to tell the others that the light was red while the ones who could not see and were standing close to the pieces could sense the warmth of the light and the buzz of the electricity. It was very interesting to experience a light piece in this way. Flavin’s objective is too create an environment with the light and I had never thought about sensing that environment with any other sense than sight.Mary D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07564591682934939112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-35462926688823317552010-08-05T11:18:00.001-05:002010-08-06T11:33:21.924-05:00Separated at birth?<a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TFw15M1FaMI/AAAAAAAAACE/PPj0M_Z79ck/s1600/IMG_8189.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 466px; height: 311px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TFw15M1FaMI/AAAAAAAAACE/PPj0M_Z79ck/s320/IMG_8189.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502332101552597186" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Alex Katz, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" class="italic" >Vincent and Tony</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> 1969</span></div>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05036952237395421146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-20225590255758754932010-08-04T11:01:00.000-05:002010-08-05T15:56:51.467-05:00MAD MEN DAY!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFrh1yLA4sI/AAAAAAAAAFU/Gvkd6dV_SKg/s1600/Henri+Cartier+Bresson+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFrh1yLA4sI/AAAAAAAAAFU/Gvkd6dV_SKg/s400/Henri+Cartier+Bresson+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501958208903766722" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFrlj3NPEAI/AAAAAAAAAFs/FrmtOGLhTAs/s1600/Henri+Cartier+Bresson.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 360px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFrlj3NPEAI/AAAAAAAAAFs/FrmtOGLhTAs/s400/Henri+Cartier+Bresson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501962299064127490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo by Henri Cartier Bresson</span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFrluxGyhSI/AAAAAAAAAF0/6hm6BXaOwmI/s1600/Mad-Men.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFrluxGyhSI/AAAAAAAAAF0/6hm6BXaOwmI/s400/Mad-Men.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501962486405039394" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:78%;">(Left: Bresson photo; Right: Mad Men)</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>All of us interns have expressed a love for the stylish and era accurate AMC show, Mad Men. Upon seeing the new Henri Cartier Bresson exhibition for the first time (which is BEAUTIFUL) Jen, Mary H. and I noticed a few photos that looked as if they could have been taken right on the Mad Men set. Errr... I suppose since Bresson came first, Mad Men just looks authentic enough to have been in one of Cartier Bresson's photos.<br /><br />In order to show our love for the show and the Cartier Bresson exhibit we interns decided to dress the part for one of our last days here on the job. It wasn't easy finding late 50's early 60's clothing options in our contemporary wardrobes, but I think we managed to put together some pretty snazzy outfits.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFri1Uo6TnI/AAAAAAAAAFc/eShflWWdPqk/s1600/IMG_8180.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFri1Uo6TnI/AAAAAAAAAFc/eShflWWdPqk/s400/IMG_8180.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501959300487728754" border="0" /></a>All the ladies in front of Gerhard Richter's 1965 - "Woman Descending the Staircase"<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFrkH-rtMYI/AAAAAAAAAFk/lJQZZGZfQ4o/s1600/IMG_8185.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFrkH-rtMYI/AAAAAAAAAFk/lJQZZGZfQ4o/s400/IMG_8185.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501960720523014530" border="0" /></a>Mary D. and I in front of David Hockney's 1968 - "American Collectors"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFrnd_xr_aI/AAAAAAAAAF8/24Ffa4F40pE/s1600/IMG_8190.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFrnd_xr_aI/AAAAAAAAAF8/24Ffa4F40pE/s400/IMG_8190.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501964397308542370" border="0" /></a>Sandy and David by Alex Katz's 1969 - "Vincent and Tony"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFrpA3lO8-I/AAAAAAAAAGE/zpN6CFRWDPM/s1600/IMG_8199.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 314px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFrpA3lO8-I/AAAAAAAAAGE/zpN6CFRWDPM/s400/IMG_8199.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501966095915873250" border="0" /></a>My personal favorite photo - all of us in front of Rothko's 1953 - "Untitled (Purple, White and Red)." If you've seen Mad Men you may remember the Rothko in Cooper's office - here is our verision of that scene.<br /><br />I think today pretty much sums up our experience as Museum Ed interns - meshing good art with good pop culture references to make the museum experience accessible to everyone.<br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-7026163597648410202010-08-03T13:53:00.008-05:002010-08-05T14:45:48.372-05:00I LOVE Adult Tours!I've recently realized how much I enjoy giving adult tours. Between last Thursday and this Tuesday I gave three:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday: </span> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Modern Hightlights Tour</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFsNuZvryXI/AAAAAAAAAGc/IoMgoKQfz9E/s1600/DSCN1273.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFsNuZvryXI/AAAAAAAAAGc/IoMgoKQfz9E/s320/DSCN1273.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502006460599224690" border="0" /></a><br />This was the first tour that I was allowed to give by myself though I was scheduled to give the tour with senior lecturer, Annie Morse. I pitched the theme of Modern and Contemporary Portraiture and I planned on doing two pieces, Picasso's "Mother and Child" and Hockney's "American Collectors." Annie decided to contribute a visit to Felix Gonzalez-Torres's "Untitled (Portrait of Ross)" for the final piece.<br /><br />A few hours before the tour Annie called me to ask if I'd like to talk about the Gonzalez-Torres and just do the whole tour myself. My first thought: "OMG, WHAT!?! I can't do that!"...what I said to Annie, "Well, I'm brushing up on the other pieces right now, but I think I can handle it...can I tell you in a couple hours?" An couple hours later I felt sufficiently well versed on my other two pieces to tackle the FGT, which I had talked about before. Long story short: I did it! <span style="font-style: italic;">I tackled an adult tour by myself for the very first time!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFsNRxFk9sI/AAAAAAAAAGU/oujoQe3N1sE/s1600/DSCN1277.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFsNRxFk9sI/AAAAAAAAAGU/oujoQe3N1sE/s400/DSCN1277.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502005968648861378" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Friday: <span style="font-style: italic;">Matisse in Nice Tour with Jen</span></span><br />Jen and I signed up for the Matisse in Nice tour without really knowing what he did in Nice and why we would have a tour specifically about that time. After a lot of studying we knew so much, not only about Matisse's Nice period, but about his entire career that we thought we should try to include every Matisse displayed in the 3rd floor....which we did. (Note to future interns: don't do more that 5 or 6 pieces on an hour long tour) Though we had a very successful tour, we later realized that we probably should have edited our selections down from almost 10 to half of that.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday: <span style="font-style: italic;">Highlights of the Museum Tour with Jen</span></span><br />Jen and I have spent most of our internship researching and touring later highlights of the museum from Post Impressionism to the present. We both love Contemporary Art and so it was a bit of a challenge to expand<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFsTrsW_6cI/AAAAAAAAAGk/zjyWeeptDq8/s1600/DSCN1320.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFsTrsW_6cI/AAAAAAAAAGk/zjyWeeptDq8/s320/DSCN1320.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502013011126118850" border="0" /></a> our oeuvre to include the earlier masterpieces in the museum's collection when it came time to plan our highlights tour.<br /><br /><br />Again, we were a bit ambitious and not only did we plan to do 7 pieces in an hour long tour, we also planned to take our group through 3 different wings of the museum. (Another note to future interns: take the distance of your pieces into account when planning the timing of your tour). We were fine for the first few pieces: Manet's "The Races at Longchamp" and Van Gogh's "The Bedroom," but we became a bit pressed for time and rushed by the time we got to Wood's "American Gothic" and Matisse's "Daisies." All in all, I think the tour went well and even though we didn't really have a theme to connect all of the pieces, by the time I got to our final piece, Hockney's "American Collectors" I realized how all of the pieces we looked at did have some sort of influence, whether direct or indirect, on our final piece.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFsUOeK8rNI/AAAAAAAAAGs/yxyWQEYzjNE/s1600/DSCN1327.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TFsUOeK8rNI/AAAAAAAAAGs/yxyWQEYzjNE/s320/DSCN1327.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502013608612900050" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-18516029796482313552010-08-03T13:52:00.002-05:002010-08-06T15:32:00.228-05:00The Art of The Self Portrait<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A famous motif that artists from all times return to over and over again is the self-portrait. Inspired by the many self-portraits I've come into contact with over the years as well as the gallery containing the Thomas Struth photographs of people in museum spaces, I embarked on a project photographing myself in various galleries that I grew to know and love over the course of working here at AIC this summer. Enjoy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFxw4sKrBrI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/ujcbDlhiFvE/s1600/struthcaillebotte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="502" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFxw4sKrBrI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/ujcbDlhiFvE/s640/struthcaillebotte.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas Struth<br />
<i>Art Institute of Chicago II</i><br />
1990<br />
Chromogenic Print, Mounted to Acrylic</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFxZ9fwS9BI/AAAAAAAAAnA/uv4VksiFrxc/s1600/islamgothic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="486" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFxZ9fwS9BI/AAAAAAAAAnA/uv4VksiFrxc/s640/islamgothic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFxaslxEefI/AAAAAAAAAnE/D4PThEZxu5Q/s1600/womansp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFxaslxEefI/AAAAAAAAAnE/D4PThEZxu5Q/s640/womansp.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFxbMpVsFkI/AAAAAAAAAnI/loIx2ujiNyc/s1600/impsp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="486" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFxbMpVsFkI/AAAAAAAAAnI/loIx2ujiNyc/s640/impsp.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFxbiahbV_I/AAAAAAAAAnM/JYkSZxqKPFI/s1600/pimpsp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="486" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TFxbiahbV_I/AAAAAAAAAnM/JYkSZxqKPFI/s640/pimpsp.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Sandy Guttmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016873618020649726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-29137039625953745572010-08-03T10:51:00.005-05:002010-08-03T12:22:45.899-05:00"Inked" AIC...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Jajthv3zJyA/TFg7ueQlaFI/AAAAAAAAABI/UtLM3Rx_Qic/s1600/IMG_2985.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Jajthv3zJyA/TFg7ueQlaFI/AAAAAAAAABI/UtLM3Rx_Qic/s320/IMG_2985.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501212614415706194" /></a><br />UPDATE: Mary D. and Maya got AIC tattoos! <div><br /></div><div>Well, not really... We did just find out that the gift shop sells temporary ones though. We're partial to the Van Gogh and Mary Cassatt images. Check it out!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mayahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14316884938922463240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-10664355901116442032010-08-02T11:23:00.000-05:002010-08-06T11:32:50.832-05:00Captain Obvious<a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TFw3fVTFujI/AAAAAAAAACM/ZuoznZjdMvI/s1600/DSCN1354.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 354px; height: 265px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TFw3fVTFujI/AAAAAAAAACM/ZuoznZjdMvI/s320/DSCN1354.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502333856172587570" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">We were able to meet with John Molini of Packing this week and he was one of the coolest and most down to Earth individuals we have come across in our Museum Practices Seminars. A perfect way to end our trek through the inner workings of the Museum! Just sayin'. </span>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05036952237395421146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-38339707936701396122010-08-01T10:59:00.000-05:002010-08-06T11:17:23.196-05:00Why Should We Care?<span style="font-family:verdana;">So, my partner in crime Sandy stumbled across this gem on the Art Institute’s YouTube channel:</span><br /><br /><object style="font-family: verdana;" height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/N9RukUvAqyI&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/N9RukUvAqyI&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Kudos to the geniuses who decided to have the “two sisters” dress up as the Renoir. Instant classic. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Needless to say, we haven’t been able to get the song out of heads, particularly the hook warning visitors to “expect the unexpected” at the Art Institute. Sure, it’s a cheesy jingle from the 80’s, but the statement rings no less true now then it did then, both for visitors and educators. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I had my first and only Roads Scholars tour this past week and despite my planning, there was nothing I could have done to prepare me for what was in store. I did the tour alongside Terah Walkup (she is AWESOME by the way, just in case you didn’t already know) covering European Modernism & Contemporary Art. We surveyed Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism, and Contemporary, all in a brief hour and a half that went as quickly as it came. I tackled Surrealism with Magritte’s On the Threshold of Liberty, 1937 and Pop Art with Lichtenstein’s George Washington. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TFwyufMAzeI/AAAAAAAAAB8/gVLuIIbcU-Q/s1600/5496_641790.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TFwyufMAzeI/AAAAAAAAAB8/gVLuIIbcU-Q/s320/5496_641790.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502328618967158242" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Rene Magritte, On the Threshold of Liberty 1937<br /></span></div><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TFwyJDwxUeI/AAAAAAAAABs/8txr0dhBWnc/s1600/george"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TFwyJDwxUeI/AAAAAAAAABs/8txr0dhBWnc/s320/george" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502327975949980130" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Roy Lichtenstein, George Washington 1962</span><br /></div><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TFwyJS4duRI/AAAAAAAAAB0/0FBEjHYZKro/s1600/SSPX0088.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TFwyJS4duRI/AAAAAAAAAB0/0FBEjHYZKro/s320/SSPX0088.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502327980008782098" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Road Scholars program members visited the AIC for three days participating in gallery walks, talks, and related gallery programs. They differ from most visiting groups in that the majority of them are not casual museum goers and have formulated views and theories on art. This makes the resulting tours more challenging and the ensuing conversations more in-depth than those you normally get on a Highlights Tour on a Thursday night. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I started off with the Magritte and Surrealism and everything was going exactly as planned (a sure sign that something is about to go wrong) when a woman cut me off to inform me that not only did she not like nor care about the piece but that she didn’t know why anyone else should care either. I expected that type of comment and question further along our tour during Minimalism or Pop Art (based off of past groups reaction to those movements) but certainly not that early on in our tour. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />I wanted to answer her question with my personal opinion, but I figured it would be better to let her colleagues and fellow Road Scholars tackle it for her. Why exactly should we care about this work? The result was a series of colorful, intelligent, and honest responses from people not necessarily defending the work, but suggesting that one need not like a work of art to appreciate what it represents from an art-historical perspective. Some commented on the technical and aesthetic qualities of the work while others on the content and its significance. After it all, she may still not have liked Magritte’s work, but her nods and smile hinted at a newfound way of looking and appreciating art. I’d consider that a small victory for art!</span>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05036952237395421146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-57522992686628156332010-07-26T16:23:00.004-05:002010-07-27T16:59:30.427-05:00PERKS OF WORKING AT AICSo, I'm not sure if it has been quite stressed enough - but I LOVE THIS JOB. In addition to seeing amazing works of art all day, every day - having a back stage pass to the museum is almost worth more than the art itself, metaphorically speaking that is...<br />
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Over the course of the last four weeks, we have had regularly scheduled museum practices seminars in which different departments have come to us, as well as welcomed us into their spaces letting us quite honestly pick their brains on the ins, outs, ups, and downs of working at this institution. So far we have met with<br />
<ul><li>Mark Pascale, curator of Prints and Drawings, </li>
<li>Bob Eskridge, Executive Director of Museum Education</li>
<li>Public Affairs and Marketing</li>
<li>Development</li>
<li>The Teens and Library Program</li>
<li>Kate Bussard and Liz Siegel, curators of Photography</li>
<li>Conservation</li>
</ul><div>and that's only the beginning - we have yet to meet with Contemporary Art, Security, Art Packing, and the director of the museum Jim Cuno himself!!! In case you can't tell - I really, really, really like the Museum Practices Seminars. Don't get me wrong, touring has been an absolute blast, so has the research, but understanding how the museum functions is completely fascinating.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Some highlights of our meetings have included:</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE34TFVuyrI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/ckTL57qG3KE/s1600/chagall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>- Telling PR/Marketing about our <a href="http://twitter.com/overheardAIC">twitter</a> and having them in return give our twitter unbelievable press.<br />
- Seeing some of the amazing creative work done by the high school interns through the program After School Matters.<br />
- Going into the refrigerated rooms in photography with the curators (I SAW A BOX OF CINDY SHERMAN'S AND ALMOST CRIED) - they store the black and white photographs at about 60 degrees fahrenheit, and the color photographs at 40.<br />
- Jen receiving a copy of the book published from the <a href="http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/VictPhotoColl/index">Victorian Photocollage Exhibition</a>, because she loved it and Liz Siegel curated it.<br />
- Having Mark Pascale pull out two different editions of rare Toulouse Lautrec posters, a Degas pastel drawing, Bruce Nauman color screenprints, a Charles Ray marker drawing, a Miro print - and we have been invited to come back and have prints pulled out for us (I know I want to see some Warhol!!).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE36Y1cRIKI/AAAAAAAAAlg/leS9iOQ_eVQ/s1600/lautrec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE36Y1cRIKI/AAAAAAAAAlg/leS9iOQ_eVQ/s400/lautrec.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toulouse-Lautrec, <i>Aristide Bruant in His Cabaret</i>, 1893</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE367_5U13I/AAAAAAAAAlk/2K4Dhl18CZI/s1600/degas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE367_5U13I/AAAAAAAAAlk/2K4Dhl18CZI/s400/degas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edgar Degas, <i>Landscape with Smokestacks</i>, 1890</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE35kVdboxI/AAAAAAAAAlY/WTsWMHP69l4/s1600/nauman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE35kVdboxI/AAAAAAAAAlY/WTsWMHP69l4/s400/nauman.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce Nauman, <i>Study for Holograms</i>, 1970</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE359ZUcgCI/AAAAAAAAAlc/aS0Qfv-t1MY/s1600/charlesray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE359ZUcgCI/AAAAAAAAAlc/aS0Qfv-t1MY/s400/charlesray.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Ray, <i>Untitled</i>, 2003</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">- Getting a private walk/talk from Mark Pascale at the <a href="http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/exhibition/ChicagoStories">See America First Exhibition</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">- Seeing Manet's <i>Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers</i> both on the wall and up close and personal in restoration mode at Conservation.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE35S-xgX5I/AAAAAAAAAlU/ZyMZVEHenmw/s1600/manet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE35S-xgX5I/AAAAAAAAAlU/ZyMZVEHenmw/s400/manet.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edouard Manet, <i>Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers</i>, 1865</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>- Seeing the lovely <i>Chagall Windows</i> being cleaned in preparation for their return to display this coming fall!! </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE34TFVuyrI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/ckTL57qG3KE/s1600/chagall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE34TFVuyrI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/ckTL57qG3KE/s400/chagall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marc Chagall, <i>America Windows</i>, 1977</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
- Getting several different scientific and historical private consultations on works being cleaned, restored, and prepared by preparators in Conservation.<br />
<ol></ol><div>And we still haven't seen it all! We also had the opportunity to attend a Town Hall meeting in the Fullerton Auditorium, which was totally and completely AWESOME. Basically, representatives from various departments present to other employees updates, ideas, new exhibitions, and marketing campaigns. It was really, really, really cool.</div></div><div><br />
</div><div>What I'm trying to say is - the behind the scenes aspects of AIC are just as fascinating and interesting at the works in the galleries. Learning day by day all that goes into the functionality of the museum is one of the major perks of interning here, and for that I and the other interns are completely grateful! </div>Sandy Guttmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016873618020649726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-22679792757171745442010-07-22T16:30:00.002-05:002010-07-26T16:36:21.198-05:00Best Intern Duo Part IIDavid recently published <a href="http://aicintern2010.blogspot.com/2010/07/best-intern-pair-ever.html">a blog entry</a> about how he and I make the best intern pair ever, which at this point I have to agree with. We both think well on our toes, have great senses of humor, and love talking about art with anyone who will listen.<br />
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Oh and we accidentally wore the same exact outfit to work today.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE3_P3jh7dI/AAAAAAAAAlo/aY4u2OHXcP4/s1600/twins_effected.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TE3_P3jh7dI/AAAAAAAAAlo/aY4u2OHXcP4/s400/twins_effected.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Call it fate, or maybe just a real appreciation for salmon colored bottoms - we were all very surprised and mortified to walk into the docent room and realize that we have been spending a little too much time together...</div>Sandy Guttmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016873618020649726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-69040707286501145322010-07-22T14:57:00.004-05:002010-07-26T21:58:51.969-05:00Tales from the "Plus One"The "Plus One" is finally coming out of the woodwork and onto the blog! I know I've been a little slow on this, but am excited to finally write an entry! To clarify, I'm a little separate from the other interns - I'm here as the guinea pig (or "Plus One") for a budding partnership with Randolph College, and are doing other projects in addition to giving tours.<br />
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While my "home" is in Teacher Programs, I've gotten a taste of all divisions of the department. I was trained with the other interns (the whirl-wind two-week department overview!), but have been doing various projects and workshops. One thing I've been doing a lot of is working the Artist's Studio with Family Programs, which is fun. It's so interesting to observe parents work with their children on art projects. Some just sit there and read, or get on their phone. Others help their children and make suggestions. Some try to make the project for them, or tell them how to create it. Others make one themselves, and get REALLY into it. My favorite though, are the adults who come in and are pleasantly surprised by the project. I introduced the activity to a group the other night, and told the adults with the children they could make one too. One woman in particular denied pretty firmly that she would participate ("oh, I'll just let them have fun"), but at the end of the night they were one of the last tables still working. I went over to tell them it was getting time to clean up, and the same woman looked up at me (surprised that the time had gone by so quickly, I think) and said exasperately, "Creativity takes time!" Why yes, yes it does.<br />
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Another program I've participated in recently was the Digital Storytelling workshop with Teacher Programs. This was tons of fun - I went up into the galleries with them the first day, and listened to some of their insights on contemporary pieces. It was good to hear some new voice, and since many of them were art teachers they weren't afraid to approach (at least not that I could tell). I also helped to answer technological questions when they were creating their own Digital Stories. (as a side note: if any future interns are reading this I hope you have some experience on a Mac; if not get some ASAP). Surprisingly it took a good deal of time, as many had never used a Mac computer before so that was a challenge. Nonetheless, it was rewarding to see how creative and nicely done their own digital stories were, especially for only having a few hours to work on (and some had never used the programs!).<br />
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One similarity I have with the other interns is that I'm also giving tours. I've given a total of 2 (one student, one adult) with two more of the same type to go! As I've only given two, I'm not sure which audience I like better (I should probably have a bit more experience before I judge that), but my adult tour today went pretty smoothly. The tour was on Asian Art, something that I have no formal training or background in. Yikes! Luckily, the audience was very engaged and made my job pretty easy. Annie was also a great support, and I learned a lot just from watching her interact with the audience.<br />
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Next week, amidst all the craziness (another teacher program and more on-going projects), I also have an ABCs tour with little kids with Kate. I am SO EXCITED! After hearing all the other interns talk about how adorable the younger crowd is, I can't wait to see for myself!Meghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08389381564293539114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-16425481955384716252010-07-16T11:17:00.002-05:002010-08-06T11:43:09.969-05:00Best. Intern Pair. Ever.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXOXTNoYGI/AAAAAAAAABc/elamny4QRg0/s1600/bagels.jpg">
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<br /><meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>240</o:Words> <o:characters>1370</o:Characters> <o:company>Brown University</o:Company> <o:lines>11</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>2</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>1682</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><span style="font-family:arial;">Over past few weeks the more Sandy and I gave tours the more we realized that we were not only the coolest intern pair ever, but that we also had a lot in common. Behold the similarities:</span><o:p style="font-family: arial;">
<br />
<br /></o:p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Royal Lineage
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<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXNdbmEFII/AAAAAAAAABU/0xn82w2xdIs/s1600/prom+blog.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXNdbmEFII/AAAAAAAAABU/0xn82w2xdIs/s320/prom+blog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496024825782867074" border="0" /></a>
<br /><p face="arial" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Sandy and I have both descended from a long line of Chicago High School Kings and Queens. Sandy was voted Prom Queen and unsurprisingly lists this major accomplishment on her resume. I believe this is what separated her from other applicants during the interview process and the main reason she was able to land this internship. I was voted Prom King when I was in high school. Coincidence? Don’t think so. The AIC knows all.
<br /></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size:130%;">We are both Mexican* </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">* I am 31/32nds Mexican. Sandy is 1/4 Mexican. Together we make nearly 1 and ¼ Mexicans. </p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXNcE5ygRI/AAAAAAAAAA8/EcLjCtYzw7s/s1600/pie+chart.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXNcE5ygRI/AAAAAAAAAA8/EcLjCtYzw7s/s320/pie+chart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496024802511716626" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size:130%;">We both love bagels. </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXOXTNoYGI/AAAAAAAAABc/elamny4QRg0/s1600/bagels.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 278px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXOXTNoYGI/AAAAAAAAABc/elamny4QRg0/s320/bagels.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496025819965317218" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Plain bagels, raisin bagels, everything bagels, onion bagels, cheese bagels, cinnamon bagels, plain bagels, shrimp bagels, shrimp stew, shrimp and rice, bagels with chives, bagels with cream cheese, bagel sandwiches, You name it, we love it.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size:130%;">We both love fashion. </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXNcdgWB7I/AAAAAAAAABE/TMLL5feSxjo/s1600/blog+fashion.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 492px; height: 343px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXNcdgWB7I/AAAAAAAAABE/TMLL5feSxjo/s320/blog+fashion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496024809115879346" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Cool kicks, shades, hats, shirts, the list goes on and on. </p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size:130%;">We both love animals. </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXNb0j39BI/AAAAAAAAAA0/G-eNBUXPZx8/s1600/delicious+animals.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 572px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXNb0j39BI/AAAAAAAAAA0/G-eNBUXPZx8/s320/delicious+animals.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496024798124831762" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">We love them as pets, we love eating them, we love wearing them, we love talking about them in art...
<br /></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p face="arial" style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size:130%;">But most importantly, we both love art.
<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXNdOmIJoI/AAAAAAAAABM/i_1z0VlwIXY/s1600/34151_901375983150_912060_50105802_2104573_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 387px; height: 290px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TEXNdOmIJoI/AAAAAAAAABM/i_1z0VlwIXY/s320/34151_901375983150_912060_50105802_2104573_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496024822293472898" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">We love to create it, study it, and share our love for it with others. That's the main reason why all of the interns are able to work so well with each other and why look forward to coming in to work everyday. The last three weeks have featured a great run of touring in pairs with students of all shapes and sizes, from the littlest and most adorable 4 years olds to the slightly more “intimidating” middle schoolers. But next week that will all come to end as we will both be sent off into the world to tour on our own. I can already feel the separation anxiety… </p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05036952237395421146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-59062763365109294292010-07-15T15:34:00.024-05:002010-08-05T13:30:43.029-05:00From overbearing chaperones to touring solo!Jen and I had quite the interesting tour this afternoon. Our group consisted of 4th through 8th graders, but a majority of the students were in the 6th to 7th grade range. They were a particularly smart group, but for the first half of the tour, while Jen and I were asking what we thought were interesting and engaging questions, we were met with crickets! They looked interested in what we were saying, but the students seemed intimidated to say anything at all. This was particularly evident when we got to Seurat's <span style="font-style: italic;">Sunday on La Grande Jatte.</span> Not only is this painting one of our most famous pieces, but the teacher/lead chaperone of the group also told us before the tour that the kids were very excited to see the pointilist piece that they had discussed in class.<br /><br />Jen & I used the same "Technology & Innovation" tour that we <a href="http://aicintern2010.blogspot.com/2010/07/rising-to-challenge.html">blogged</a> about before, and we noticed that the lead chaperone began to hijack our tour towards the end of our discussion of Caillebotte's <span style="font-style: italic;">Paris Street, Rainy Day</span>. We're on a fairly tight 1 hour schedule for student tours, and we normally plan to talk about 6 pieces for about 10 minutes each. When we got to the end of the Caillebotte, and Jen was about to tell the kids to pick up their stools to move on to the Monet painting, the chaperone stepped in with, "I just want to say a few more things about this piece before we move on." My first thought was, "Sure! Why not. Maybe they're learning about something in particular in class." About three minutes later, after a *riveting* discussion of repetitive shapes, we moved on.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECrRtMYZfI/AAAAAAAAAQw/XjbyU32bPF8/s1600/IMG_1545.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECl_ReLLmI/AAAAAAAAAP4/RAZ599oW28Q/s1600/Seurat-Sunday_Afternoon_Grand_Jatte.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECl_ReLLmI/AAAAAAAAAP4/RAZ599oW28Q/s400/Seurat-Sunday_Afternoon_Grand_Jatte.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494574051832311394" border="0" /></a><br />When we got to the Seurat piece, all of the kids got excited and took their seats. They sat patiently and listened to Jen talk about Pointilism and innovations in optics during the late 19th century. The students all seemed a bit too intimidated to say much about the piece, even though they had already discussed it in class. I began to notice that the chaperone was looking impatiently at the kids, and leading some of their answers to Jen's questions. Finally, Jen got the kids to open up by talking about the different animals in the painting, namely the monkey on a leash in the front right corner, which a few of the kids had made curious comments about. Toward the end of the discussion, yet again, the chaperone said that she wanted to say a little something. She stood up and asked the kids, "Where does your eye go first when you look at this painting?" One little boy said enthusiastically, "the monkey!" and a few other students nodded. The chaperone then said, "No! Look at the little girl in the white dress. That's where your eye should go first."<br /><br />Watching this lady tell her students that they were experiencing Seurat's iconic painting <span style="font-style: italic;">incorrectly</span> really upset me. The last thing that we want to do on our tours is tell kids that there is a right and a wrong way to talk about and experience art. Everyone should be allowed to look at things differently, and our discussion of each piece allows the students to listen to each other's different points of view. A little girl next to me turned and whispered in a downtrodden tone, "<span style="font-style: italic;">My</span> eye went to the monkey..." I reassured her (fairly loudly) that everyone sees different things, and that it was perfectly fine that she saw the monkey first. I tried not to belittle the chaperone's comment, so I asked the little girl what she thought about the girl in the painting, and got her to talk a bit about that. The chaperone then proceeded to tell the kids "facts" about the painting that were just plain wrong (ie: "The little girl in the white dress is the only figure painted not in a pointilist style." ...excuse me?). Jen and I looked at each other and mutually understood that we had had enough.<br /><br />We quickly moved on to the Modern Wing, and discussed the Bonticou and Richter pieces. Since the chaperone didn't seem to know much about either of these objects, she sat back and let the kids talk more. These two pieces, by *far*, were our two most successful pieces of the day. We got the kids to talk about the different materials in the Bonticou, and how its context within the Vietnam and Cold Wars added to its symbolic meaning. We talked about photography and painting in Richter's <span style="font-style: italic;">Woman Descending the Staircase</span>, and got the kids excited about glamorous celebrities and digital photography's role in pop culture today. It's amazing how far these kids pushed these pieces' meanings on their own, without needing much help from the chaperones (or us!).<br /><br />In these past five weeks, I've learned some valuable lessons. Here are a few of the things that I would like to pass on to future interns about school group tours:<br /><ul><li>When you prepare a tour for a group of thirty 5th-8th graders, don't be shocked when a group of forty 3rd-6th graders show up. Flexibility and improvisation are invaluable skills in this job, but they also make it much more fun.</li><li>Be prepared to lengthen or shorten your tour at will. Not only do groups rarely show up on time (sometimes half an hour early, sometimes half an hour late), but you also may end up spending 15 minutes having kids pose as characters from the Seurat painting, and end up with minimal time to spend talking about O'Keefe.</li><li>Note the attention span of the group and go with it. Sometimes kids will think that every word coming out of your mouth is pure gold, and other times, you may as well be speaking Latin. If they look engaged, stick with it. If they look bored, either spice it up or move on.</li><li>When invited to happy hour with the staff....go!</li><li>Make your intern team a collaborative one. I can't tell you how helpful it is to have a group of 7 people to bounce ideas off of!</li><li>Don't let the first two weeks of training scare the crap (and fun) out of you. Touring with real kids (as opposed to your peers and supervisors pretending to be kids) is much less nerve-racking and intense.<br /></li><li>Use your lesson plan as a loose guide. Don't be upset if you've created a series of elaborate open ended questions meant to uncover the great ideological mystery behind Hinoki's tree...and you just don't get to it. Adjusting to the types of things that seem to interest the group and making sure that they take <span style="font-style: italic;">something</span> valuable away from it is much more important.</li></ul>Now that we all have our 2 weeks of training and 3 weeks of partnered touring under our belts, I think that I can speak for all of the interns when I say that we are all equally nervous and excited to start touring solo. It's been pretty nice having a right-hand-(wo)man who can keep track of time, help corral the little ones and, of course, make sure to jot down the ever-entertaining comments from the kids.<br /><br />Here are some photos of the interns from the past few weeks:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECrRtMYZfI/AAAAAAAAAQw/XjbyU32bPF8/s1600/IMG_1545.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECrRtMYZfI/AAAAAAAAAQw/XjbyU32bPF8/s400/IMG_1545.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494579866069657074" border="0" /></a>David, Maya, Meghan, Adrienne & I at the Taste of Chicago<br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECrK-tMmKI/AAAAAAAAAQo/ll7k-kdl-WQ/s1600/IMG_1546.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECrK-tMmKI/AAAAAAAAAQo/ll7k-kdl-WQ/s400/IMG_1546.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494579750511614114" border="0" /></a>Natalie, Sandy & David at lunch in the Lurie Garden<br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECrGPFCMTI/AAAAAAAAAQg/qvvy3Xav5uA/s1600/IMG_1547.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECrGPFCMTI/AAAAAAAAAQg/qvvy3Xav5uA/s400/IMG_1547.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494579669007216946" border="0" /></a>Jen & Maya enjoying lunch in the Lurie Garden<br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECq6dz3SJI/AAAAAAAAAQY/wu8T-xvUGqE/s1600/IMG_1549.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECq6dz3SJI/AAAAAAAAAQY/wu8T-xvUGqE/s400/IMG_1549.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494579466803300498" border="0" /></a>The "lazy river"/"best place to eat lunch ever" in the Lurie Garden.<br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECqsjcvsSI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/eyXnlNHMem8/s1600/IMG_1608.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECqsjcvsSI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/eyXnlNHMem8/s400/IMG_1608.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494579227798778146" border="0" /></a>Maya getting comfy and researching in the docent room<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECqlZ4FZxI/AAAAAAAAAQA/JdgIGC1Lskk/s1600/IMG_1606.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECqlZ4FZxI/AAAAAAAAAQA/JdgIGC1Lskk/s400/IMG_1606.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494579104970008338" border="0" /></a>Jen & I hamming it up for the camera<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECqpYBcdWI/AAAAAAAAAQI/P4N_AYuD_jc/s1600/IMG_1607.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECqpYBcdWI/AAAAAAAAAQI/P4N_AYuD_jc/s400/IMG_1607.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494579173191873890" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECsqsPVakI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/Zjc82BpBu_4/s1600/IMG_1596.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TECsqsPVakI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/Zjc82BpBu_4/s400/IMG_1596.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494581394821966402" border="0" /></a>Sandy, Me & Natalie at a Caribou concert @ Pritzker Pavillion<br /></div>Mary H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14849829533787307174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-55776934598030022162010-07-15T13:46:00.038-05:002010-07-18T09:00:20.527-05:00A Day In The Life of a Museum Ed. Intern<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9ajL1v1pI/AAAAAAAAAEY/yOMXMboYl1s/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9ajL1v1pI/AAAAAAAAAEY/yOMXMboYl1s/s400/Intern+Day+photo+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494209630935438994" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">(Mary H. using our powerful Prox card)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">(click on the pictures for a larger view)</span></span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">9:00 AM:</span> Our day begins in the Student Programs and Docent Room in the basement of the Modern Wing - we lovingly refer to our windowless domain as "the dungeon"</span> - </span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >though it's quite nice and comfy inside. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span> <span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Our 'Prox' cards are the magic keys to the Staff Only doors</span>. </span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Forgetting your Prox card makes for a miserably tedious day of inaccessibility... I learned this the hard way.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9advurmGI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/xqKAzftlhbE/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9advurmGI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/xqKAzftlhbE/s400/Intern+Day+photo+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494209537490262114" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">9 - 10:15 am:</span> Here in the Docent Room we conduct a lot of SERIOUS RESEARCH to come up with great tour ideas such as: Storytelling in Art, Travel and Transformation, Technology and Innovation, Movement and Music, Ritual and Celebration and of course, my tour partner Mary and I's favorite, EXTRAORDINARY TRANSPORTATION</span><span style="font-size:100%;">!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">(NOTE the breakfast muffins in the foreground - early on we realized that something about this job made us hungry as soon as we stepped in the door regardless of how large our breakfast was - thus, we instated a breakfast schedule.)</span></span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >At <span style="font-weight: bold;">10:00am</span> we also have a morning meeting so we know where everyone's tour is going - though even with this kind of preparation we still find ourselves in traffic jams every now and then. </span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9aZwvkjnI/AAAAAAAAAEI/-XKqoWs5Sgg/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9aZwvkjnI/AAAAAAAAAEI/-XKqoWs5Sgg/s400/Intern+Day+photo+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494209469042953842" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">10:15 - 10:30 am:</span> We meet our little tour participants (who are not always as little as seen here - the group here is Pre-K and ADORABLE!) in the orange floored Ryan Education Center just off the Modern Wing Entrance.<br /><br />Here we introduce ourselves and introduce them to the museum rules. The question, "Does anyone know some rules we have here in the museum?" has produced a wide range of odd and adorable answers such as:</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >"No hurting" or "No choking" or "No stealing" </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9aUk_hJDI/AAAAAAAAAEA/FuB-alfRV3s/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 174px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9aUk_hJDI/AAAAAAAAAEA/FuB-alfRV3s/s400/Intern+Day+photo+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494209379989267506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">(left to right: Jen leading the little ones through Griffin Court, Maya and Natalie going into the closed Modern Wing galleries in the morning)</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >10:30: </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Annnnd...we're off! At 10:30 we can officially let our groups into the museum. A guard tails each group so that we can bring them into the galleries that are closed due to the rotating closures.</span><br /></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9aPV1ESDI/AAAAAAAAAD4/MVM3_eQH_q0/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 409px; height: 106px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9aPV1ESDI/AAAAAAAAAD4/MVM3_eQH_q0/s400/Intern+Day+photo+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494209290019555378" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;" >(left to right: Mary D. and I (Adrienne) going to the Alsdorf Galleries; David and Sandy in the Rice Wing; Mary H. and Jen</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;" > in the Alsdorf Galleries)</span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />10:30 - 11:30: </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Chaos in the museum! Ok, not really - but for an hour there are multiple student tour groups weaving in, out and around galleries.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9ZwafWjgI/AAAAAAAAADw/OdkgcGvBC_0/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 105px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9ZwafWjgI/AAAAAAAAADw/OdkgcGvBC_0/s400/Intern+Day+photo+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494208758694710786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">(left to right: Me (Adrienne) have an impromptu story time, Mary D. in front of the Seurat, Jen using her teacher tricks in the Chinese galleries)</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >We try to see 6 works on an Art From Many Places tour (meant for student groups above 1st grade) and 4 works of art for the ABC's Tours (meant for the little ones with a shorter attention span) - but sometimes you have to improvise.<br /><br />Pre-K kids are adorable, but if they aren't paying attention to the artwork as much as you'd like, sitting them down for a story might help corral them in. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9ZbUA6PTI/AAAAAAAAADo/nNcG5ivGxmo/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 135px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9ZbUA6PTI/AAAAAAAAADo/nNcG5ivGxmo/s400/Intern+Day+photo+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494208396179160370" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;" >(left to right: Mary D. using the key to get back into the Modern Wing, Mary D. and I about to take kinds into the Sagmiester, Natalie leaving the modern galleries)</span><br /></div><br /></div><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Mary and I took the Pre-K tour to "<span class="italic">Being Not Truthful Always Works Against Me</span>" by Stefan Sagmeister - this is an interactive piece which kids LOVE. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9ZM_ZteDI/AAAAAAAAADg/B4MqA63PcdM/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 325px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9ZM_ZteDI/AAAAAAAAADg/B4MqA63PcdM/s400/Intern+Day+photo+8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494208150127867954" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >They jumped, they played, they ran, they yelled - they pretty much broke every rule we introduced to them that morning and they loved every second of it. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9Y-vNdSgI/AAAAAAAAADY/VmrgBzOTmcw/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 110px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9Y-vNdSgI/AAAAAAAAADY/VmrgBzOTmcw/s400/Intern+Day+photo+9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494207905263340034" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;" >(left to right: Maya and Picasso, Natalie with Shiva, Natalie and Mary H. talking to groups in the same room, Mary H. at Doris Lee's "Thanksgiving")</span><br /></div><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >One problem we occasionally encounter is the tour traffic jam - however a skilled docent can maneuver through this problem with ease like Natalie and Mary H. did today. By crouching down with their groups and keeping their voices low they masterfully engaged two young groups in an American art gallery. </span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9Y-vNdSgI/AAAAAAAAADY/VmrgBzOTmcw/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+9.jpg"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9YzrqkQgI/AAAAAAAAADI/ppul0ul5efw/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 148px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9YzrqkQgI/AAAAAAAAADI/ppul0ul5efw/s400/Intern+Day+photo+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494207715333128706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">(left to right: Sandy and David leading their group down the Grand Staircase at the end of the tour)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" >"Oh my god, there are so many stairs! I'm going to be so tired! (after 3 stairs) I'm already SO tired" - 7 year old boy</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> - Quotes like these and many others on our intern Twitter: </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.twitter.com/overheardaic">Overheard at AIC</a></span><br /></div></div><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9YuZwjg5I/AAAAAAAAADA/3MgZ2wa5GiE/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 155px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9YuZwjg5I/AAAAAAAAADA/3MgZ2wa5GiE/s400/Intern+Day+photo+11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494207624627061650" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">12:00 pm:</span> We like to attend the noon-time gallery walks led by other experienced docents in the museum. We went to a Highlights tour to get ideas for future tours. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9Ypa3bG3I/AAAAAAAAAC4/MIMnRAUgT4I/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 186px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9Ypa3bG3I/AAAAAAAAAC4/MIMnRAUgT4I/s400/Intern+Day+photo+12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494207539024960370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >She was great! What I learned: Doing extensive research really helps to keep people engaged on a tour. The public (and we interns) LOVED the little anecdotes found in original letters and other obscure research material that the docent shared with us. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9Yk0jlTyI/AAAAAAAAACw/tQio42Y9mZQ/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 193px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9Yk0jlTyI/AAAAAAAAACw/tQio42Y9mZQ/s400/Intern+Day+photo+13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494207460021718818" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Some of the regular docents have been doing this for as long as 30 years! So, needless to say, we have a lot to learn from them.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9YTXaPuSI/AAAAAAAAACY/ltFxvyOCOLk/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+16.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 152px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9YTXaPuSI/AAAAAAAAACY/ltFxvyOCOLk/s400/Intern+Day+photo+16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494207160140151074" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">LUNCH (1:15 pm): </span>We tend to rotate our lunch locations depending on the weather - which in Chicago can change dramatically in seconds. On nice days we like to sit outside at the museum cafe, sometimes we dip our feet in the river at the Lurie Gardens and on miserably humid days we admire the view from inside one of the studios in the Ryan Education Center.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2:15 - 5:00 pm:</span> (Imagine more research and tour planning here - it pretty much looks the same as the morning except we may be spread amongst The Education Resource Center, Ryerson Library or walking around the museum)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9YcS75PJI/AAAAAAAAACo/ZcQmVKFlLx8/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 192px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9YcS75PJI/AAAAAAAAACo/ZcQmVKFlLx8/s400/Intern+Day+photo+14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494207313557929106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >5:00 pm:</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> On our way to have happy hour drinks with some other Museum Education staff. One of the best parts of this job is liking the people we work with. </span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9YX3BDz5I/AAAAAAAAACg/5WeSdOHEHXE/s1600/Intern+Day+photo+15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 145px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TD9YX3BDz5I/AAAAAAAAACg/5WeSdOHEHXE/s400/Intern+Day+photo+15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494207237343924114" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">5:30 - whenever:</span> Drinks at Midtown Bar.<br /><br />The day is DONE...well not really...most of us are doing multiple things this summer - whether it's another job, school, one of the many Chicago summer festivals or just making sure we see our non-museum friends - we all keep pretty busy.<br /><br />After a long day, we go home, sleep and do it all over again tomorrow :)</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-13313237156989086462010-07-14T09:44:00.005-05:002010-08-18T18:29:42.176-05:00Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing #1111: A Metaphor For Interns in TrainingThough I will admit this post is long overdue, it's about time we noted that Sol LeWitt's installation ran perfectly parallel to our crash course in Museum Education.<br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Upon our arrival here at The Art Institute of Chicago, we were greeted by a fantastic work in progress: none other than one of the many carefully instructed Sol LeWitt's dotting the art world today, including <i>Wall Drawing #63</i> on display in Gallery 294. For those of you who aren't familiar with Sol LeWitt, a large body of his work consists of conceptual and minimalist pieces. <i>Wall Drawing #1111: A Circle With Broken Bands of Color</i> like much of his other work is strictly directed based upon drafted up plans and schematics as well as predetermined colors and materials. The idea is at the core of these works, and the plan and execution follows second - revealing an often times large scale, geometric, and minimal image in the wake of work and preparation.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Wall Drawing #1111</i> took about three weeks to complete. When we arrived at AIC for our first day of work, the layout and colors had been determined. Day by day, tape was added, then color, layer after layer in a hard to follow pattern.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TD3HrVi380I/AAAAAAAAAlA/R8F5k-wuGLA/s1600/LeWitt05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TD3HrVi380I/AAAAAAAAAlA/R8F5k-wuGLA/s400/LeWitt05.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One of the artists executing LeWitt's work</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Each day, more and more of the colors were painted in place filling in the grand scheme of the circle upon the wall. The wall drawing mirrored our own budding experiences here at AIC. We began the internship with an idea of what this opportunity was, what this institution was, but over the course of our training and the first we weeks of touring, the idea of this internship really came to life. With each color added to the wall drawing came one more day of experience, whether it was finding where the elevators are, mock touring, or learning everyone's names.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TD3Ixp0bBbI/AAAAAAAAAlE/qKgpso1Knxg/s1600/LeWitt14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TD3Ixp0bBbI/AAAAAAAAAlE/qKgpso1Knxg/s400/LeWitt14.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sections of color systematically added to the wall</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I like to think of the primary colors coming to represent the three facets of museum education that we are working for: Adult, Family, and Student Programs. Each one stands alone, yet together they function as a wonderful whole that works toward the unifying goal of bringing the museum and the art within to the diverse range of visitors. The secondary colors are what comes when you combine the primary colors - the result being the way in which the different departments work together training us on all facets of museum education and the inner-workings of this institution. With each day came more paint, and more information, as the circle began to fill in, we began to feel comfortable in our roles as museum educators. At the end of our final day of training the tape and paper was removed from the wall, revealing the finished product, a wall drawing for our intern class to call our own.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TD3LzgnYiDI/AAAAAAAAAlI/oY5Udluwx1o/s1600/internssol_effected.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/TD3LzgnYiDI/AAAAAAAAAlI/oY5Udluwx1o/s640/internssol_effected.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(interns left to right) Natalie, Mary D., David, Adrienne, Mary H., Maya, Jen, Sandy</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To read a full interview with one of executors of <i>Wall Drawing #1111</i> and to see more photographs of the installation, visit <a href="http://blog.artic.edu/blog/2010/06/22/installing-sol-lewitt/">the AIC blog</a>. The first two photographs were taken by Jason Stec. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Sandy Guttmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16016873618020649726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-9093160769067281942010-07-13T15:06:00.019-05:002010-07-15T16:25:54.607-05:00Exciting Experiences<meta equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <title></title> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 3.1 (Unix)"> <style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: </style>After two weeks of touring I still was a bit anxious about my first adult tour. Lucky for me the tour required two interns so I signed up with Sensational Sandy. We would be discussing Belgium Surrealism with David Stark; focusing on René Magritte and Paul Delvaux.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TDzKj6IsfNI/AAAAAAAAABQ/0mYUNjS2Tbc/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-07-13+at+3.19.53+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TDzKj6IsfNI/AAAAAAAAABQ/0mYUNjS2Tbc/s320/Screen+shot+2010-07-13+at+3.19.53+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493488363735121106" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TDzK-3wRIfI/AAAAAAAAABg/xqg9fWd5y8k/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-07-13+at+3.12.50+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TDzK-3wRIfI/AAAAAAAAABg/xqg9fWd5y8k/s320/Screen+shot+2010-07-13+at+3.12.50+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493488826952262130" border="0" /></a>In preparation for the tour Sandy and I went to the Ryerson Library and had the opportunity to access the stacks. That in it's self was a pretty awesome experience, as few privileged people are able to check out materials. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TDzMKfObKmI/AAAAAAAAAB4/Gba1waJiyGQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-07-13+at+3.26.01+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TDzMKfObKmI/AAAAAAAAAB4/Gba1waJiyGQ/s320/Screen+shot+2010-07-13+at+3.26.01+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493490126037920354" border="0" /></a> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The day of our tour I was a little nervous... and then a bit more when I saw all the people that began to gather around our starting point. Surprisingly I relaxed once we actually got started and had a really great time talking about one of my favorite artist, René Magritte. I think the crowed really enjoyed it as quite a few of the patrons stayed after to further discuss some of the artwork and also to let us know that they really enjoyed our presentations. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TDzN-JwfybI/AAAAAAAAACA/Tb7jc7N4oXE/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-07-13+at+3.08.49+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TDzN-JwfybI/AAAAAAAAACA/Tb7jc7N4oXE/s320/Screen+shot+2010-07-13+at+3.08.49+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493492113140074930" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">An epic moment was when a patron pulled out a wooden pipe and ask Sandy to take her picture with the famous painting <i>The Tune and Also the Words.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Then she asked if she could take a picture of Sandy and I. Too bad we didn't get her informa</span><span style="font-style: normal;">tion as it would be nice to have those pics.</span>
<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Now that I know what to expect, I can't wait to give another adult tour!</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TDzdBsO-y5I/AAAAAAAAACI/Hie3uQpvKcA/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-07-13+at+4.39.49+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TDzdBsO-y5I/AAAAAAAAACI/Hie3uQpvKcA/s320/Screen+shot+2010-07-13+at+4.39.49+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493508666608765842" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The following Monday seemed to be a very busy morning however there was nothing really new going on. My partner Maya and I were tasked to set up the studio prior to our tour which turned out to be a bit more stressful then originally thought. We had to connect a laptop to a projector in one of the new studio classrooms in the Ryan Education Center. There was a bit of confusion as to how it is all connected and more importantly how to get it to work. So FYI to next year interns, make sure you go over how everything is set up etc. at least a day or two before your studio class.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Once we got everything organized our students arrived. They were a very lively bunch ranging from ages 9-13 yrs old. Maya and I planned a music and dance tour which turned out to be a big hit for the older children. We related music and dance to what our students are listening to today. I think when you can explain artwork in a way that relates to a younger viewer as to what they are currently experiencing in everyday life they appreciate it more, and are over all more interested.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TDzdy0pbfkI/AAAAAAAAACQ/KHh2OuObTfY/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-07-13+at+4.43.20+PM.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6c2nNRe1zqM/TDzdy0pbfkI/AAAAAAAAACQ/KHh2OuObTfY/s320/Screen+shot+2010-07-13+at+4.43.20+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493509510680772162" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The rest of the day we spent researching for our future tours and also tweeted about the funny things we heard in the museum. The twitter account that Sandy created on June 30<sup>th</sup> is getting larger and larger every time we look at it. It's pretty exciting... actually so far this whole experience has been pretty exciting; it's gonna be a really sad day when it's all over. </p> Nataliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03009291873480036924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-85400699466621818942010-07-13T15:01:00.021-05:002010-08-05T13:36:52.390-05:00Major (Okay, Minor) FailAfter three false starts, Mary H. and I (Jen) still have not completed our Art from Many Places: Ritual and Celebration tour as initially intended! The game plan for this tour has been to start at the Mummy Case; then on to the Persephone Plate, which is officially - and creatively - titled <span style="font-style: italic;">Knob Handled Dish</span> (one of our personal favorite titles, by the way - right up there with Millet’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Peasants Bringing Home a Calf Born in the Fields</span>. Really, Millet? <span style="font-style: italic;">Really?!</span>).<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BUug0v9FBeI/TDzJE-4JWsI/AAAAAAAAABE/JfE_k1n681s/s1600/Mummy.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 230px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BUug0v9FBeI/TDzJE-4JWsI/AAAAAAAAABE/JfE_k1n681s/s400/Mummy.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493486732920314562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;" class="italic">Coffin and Mummy of Paankhenamun</span>, c. 945–715 B.C.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BUug0v9FBeI/TDzebb4kBZI/AAAAAAAAABc/UoEXFkH3gf0/s1600/Knob+Handled+Dish.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BUug0v9FBeI/TDzebb4kBZI/AAAAAAAAABc/UoEXFkH3gf0/s320/Knob+Handled+Dish.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493510208407995794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Knob Handled Dish</span>, 1864<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BUug0v9FBeI/TDzdKkg1pGI/AAAAAAAAABM/h03ys6VSri8/s1600/Millet+Calf.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 187px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BUug0v9FBeI/TDzdKkg1pGI/AAAAAAAAABM/h03ys6VSri8/s400/Millet+Calf.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493508819155002466" border="0" /></a><span class="italic">Jean-Francois Millet, <span style="font-style: italic;">Peasants Bringing Home a Calf Born in the Fields</span></span>, 1864<br /><br /><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;">American Gothic</span> comes next, followed by the lovely dancing <span style="font-style: italic;">Shiva</span>. We then fast-forward a few (thousand) years to Robert Watts’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Auto Series</span> from 1971 - 3, ending at On Kawara’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Oct. 31, 1978.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BUug0v9FBeI/TDzf68CX5CI/AAAAAAAAABk/am7c67RR3Ss/s1600/American+Gothic.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 229px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BUug0v9FBeI/TDzf68CX5CI/AAAAAAAAABk/am7c67RR3Ss/s400/American+Gothic.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493511849126650914" border="0" /></a>Grant Wood, <span style="font-style: italic;">American Gothic</span>, 1930<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BUug0v9FBeI/TD0JM1ImBFI/AAAAAAAAAB0/D8raS9-zZ-Y/s1600/Shiva.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 187px; height: 222px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BUug0v9FBeI/TD0JM1ImBFI/AAAAAAAAAB0/D8raS9-zZ-Y/s400/Shiva.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493557236488078418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;" class="italic">Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja)</span>, Chola period, c. 10th/11th century<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />*imagine Robert Watts's <span style="font-style: italic;">Auto Series</span> here*<br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BUug0v9FBeI/TDzGpGia7OI/AAAAAAAAAA8/uXm3a6ql48Y/s1600/On+Kawara.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BUug0v9FBeI/TDzGpGia7OI/AAAAAAAAAA8/uXm3a6ql48Y/s320/On+Kawara.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493484054917082338" border="0" /></a>On Kawara,<span style="font-style: italic;"> Oct. 31, 1978</span>, 1978<br /></div><br /><br />Last week was our first attempt at this tour, and it began without a hitch. Soon, however, we began to notice a trend: dragons. The kids were wanting dragons. A lot. They had been studying Asian art, and dragons in particular, and had been hoping to see one or two on their trip to the Art Institute. Well, far be it from us to stand in their way. Luckily, I had an ancient Chinese dragon plate lesson handy from our Animals in Art tours, so we quickly revised our plan. But as a result, both of our contemporary pieces - <span style="font-style: italic;">Auto Series</span> and the On Kawara date piece - got the shaft.<br /><br /><br />Later that week, we eagerly awaited the arrival of our Ritual and Celebration tour-goers... We waited... and waited... Unfortunately for all of us, the group didn’t show up until 11:30! The time that the tour is supposed to end! Well, they were forced to tour themselves around the museum (sorry, guys!) and we were forced to wait another week to give our much-anticipated R&C tour.<br /><br />Today we got our third (and probably final!) chance to give our elusive tour. Everything was going great until we marched up the American wing stairs to find Terrah - AIC's Kress Fellow - surrounded by an eager group of her own at<span style="font-style: italic;"> American Gothic</span>. It was ours no longer! Major fail!<br /><br />The good news is that we finally made it to both of our contemporary pieces. We started with the Watts <span style="font-style: italic;">Auto Series</span> photographs, which were initially met with some sideways glances. As the kids began to talk about what they saw, however, it was clear that they could grasp the ritual content of the piece. The celebratory aspect, however, was a bit trickier.<br /><br />Heading up to the On Kawara date painting, I was pretty worried that we would have a rebellion on our hands. And not to disappoint, the first question I got was, “<span style="font-style: italic;">How is this art?</span>” Good question, kid. Let’s talk about that... We discussed the artist’s process of daily creation, and the group, again, was able to see the ritual aspect rather quickly. More than with the Watt’s piece, I wanted to impress upon them the celebratory aspect of this work, so I pushed a bit harder with my questions. All of a sudden, their faces lit up with recognition and they seemed to see it: the work is a celebration of living, of the simple act of being alive one more day.<br /><br />Well, with a success like that, I think we can both live with a little bit of tour-giving failure. I, for one, would take that compromise any day!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160750019522043741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-12803507229772976612010-07-12T16:00:00.009-05:002010-07-15T16:20:42.850-05:00Huzzah! Extraordinary Transportation!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TDuESswIhpI/AAAAAAAADzI/d0Lokj1gHWQ/s1600/161002_1220548.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TDuESswIhpI/AAAAAAAADzI/d0Lokj1gHWQ/s320/161002_1220548.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493129627294008978" /></a><br /> Alexander Calder, <span style="font-style:italic;">Streetcar</span><br /><br />This morning, at 10:30 AM, the curse was broken. Adrienne and I finally gave a student tour after three no-show groups! And it was a success! The group was pretty rambunctious, but they really got into all the artworks we were exploring. We started out with Calder’s Streetcar. This was a great piece to begin with because it engaged the students so quickly! It was hanging from the ceiling, so Adrienne had the students walk around in a circle. Because they were generating an air current, the mobile started to move! I’ve noticed that by getting the students up and moving with the artwork, students feel more involved and are more willing to answer questions. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TDuEkypE6AI/AAAAAAAADzQ/4hI53Gic4rg/s1600/225_1214368.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 252px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pFbXDlDBwWM/TDuEkypE6AI/AAAAAAAADzQ/4hI53Gic4rg/s320/225_1214368.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493129938112669698" /></a><br /> <span style="font-style:italic;">Egyptian Model Boat</span><br /><br />Next we moved to the Egyptian model boat and mummy case. I swear, anytime you involve dead bodies or gruesome pictures, 5th grade boys perk right up. After explaining the Egyptian afterlife to the group, one boy raised his hand and said, “I don’t mean to sound offensive, but that just sounds silly.” It was one of those questions I was dreading answering, but I think I handled it well. I knew at one point during this internship someone would ask “Why is this piece considered art?”or “why would someone believe that?”, and I’ll admit that I was not looking forward to answering them. But once I explained that different cultures view the world differently, the boy seemed to nod and accept my answer. Phew. Later on during the studio portion of the tour, that boy told the whole group that the Egyptian pieces were his favorite! Success. <br /><br /><br /><br />The other pieces Adrienne and I used were the Kumara riding on a peacock sculpture, a Venice painting by Marieschi, a hippogriff sculpture (eliciting plenty of Harry Potter comments), and Monet’s London Train Series. Overall the tour went very well! The students seemed to enjoy it and Adrienne and I didn’t make any catastrophic mistakes. <br /><br />Tomorrow is our first ABCs tour and I’m really excited!! We’ll be discussing animals in all different types of art. Hopefully it’s just as EXTRAORDINARY as today’s tour!Mary D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07564591682934939112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-15547765186073917682010-07-09T14:02:00.004-05:002010-07-19T14:48:23.960-05:00Family Gallery Walks, Open Questions, and the Magic of Name Tags<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">On Sunday I was able to give my first Family Programs Gallery Walk and despite it not being what I expected, I would consider it a learning experience if not a success. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">The theme I chose, Families in Art, was comprised of the set of John Singleton Copley portraits, Doris Lee’s Thanksgiving, and Hockney’s American Collectors. I spent days prepping for it, learning each of the artist bios, each of the pieces respective histories, and generally preparing for the unexpected from what I hoped would be inquisitive kids. </span><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TESp1pgqx3I/AAAAAAAAAAc/_vtXg-AYUeU/s1600/dan+hubbard.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 254px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TESp1pgqx3I/AAAAAAAAAAc/_vtXg-AYUeU/s320/dan+hubbard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495704184439883634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">John Singleton Copley, Daniel Hubbard 1764</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TESp1RH7lvI/AAAAAAAAAAU/-DEUtLhAmo0/s1600/emily+greene.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TESp1RH7lvI/AAAAAAAAAAU/-DEUtLhAmo0/s320/emily+greene.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495704177893676786" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">John Singleton Copley, Mrs. Daniel Hubbard (Mary Greene) 1764<br /><br /><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center; font-family: lucida grande;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TESp2ZC8-zI/AAAAAAAAAAs/mWbg_IEi6o8/s1600/1959_1170073.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TESp2ZC8-zI/AAAAAAAAAAs/mWbg_IEi6o8/s320/1959_1170073.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495704197200149298" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Doris Lee, Thanksgiving 1935</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TESp2IKZlDI/AAAAAAAAAAk/QfWGS8l4EBg/s1600/american+collectors.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gnNESXbcYt0/TESp2IKZlDI/AAAAAAAAAAk/QfWGS8l4EBg/s320/american+collectors.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495704192667980850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">David Hockney, American Collectors 1968</span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I quickly learned however that the families on my tour were accustomed to taking part in tours where they were they would simply listen and not be bombarded with questions. As a result the first few minutes were what I feared: dead silence as adults and children simply looked at me expecting me to answer my own questions. </span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Alas, I remembered an important tool I had at my disposal: the almighty nametag. Referring to someone by their name helps foster a sense of intimacy in which people are less likely to be afraid to participate. </span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I started off by calling on the parents, who were more than willing to participate. Once the children saw their adult actively engaging with both the art and myself they slowly began participating as well. As the tour progressed they quickly gained a level of comfort with answering questions after learning that there were no wrong answers. </span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">By the time it was over I was actually sad that it had only been half an hour as the families were more than willing to continue looking at art. The majority of the children had never been in the Modern Wing and were excited to go off and explore on their own. The moral of the story: make use of the nametags!!! </span>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05036952237395421146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-85001896260815216372010-07-09T11:47:00.003-05:002010-07-11T07:57:21.384-05:00I broke the Jinx!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TDi1B5vIQJI/AAAAAAAAABY/MYfDvggaQWw/s1600/36929_1229554536426_1155960034_31024531_4514359_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 121px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TDi1B5vIQJI/AAAAAAAAABY/MYfDvggaQWw/s200/36929_1229554536426_1155960034_31024531_4514359_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492338789861310610" border="0" /></a><meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>509</o:Words> <o:characters>2905</o:Characters> <o:lines>24</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>5</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>3567</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1282</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:1553612082; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-1165213918 326253278 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-text:"%1\)"; mso-level-tab-stop:.75in; mso-level-number-position:left; margin-left:.75in; text-indent:-.25in;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} --> </style><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I successfully gave my first Adult Tour this Thursday!</span>
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<br />Though, I <i>am </i></span><span style="font-style: normal;font-size:100%;" >excited that I managed to engage and educate a group of adult museum goers - a feat that seems particularly more nerve-racking than entertaining school groups and summer camps - I am most excited that I may not be the bad luck charm responsible for repulsing our would-be tour participants of the Art Institute.
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<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">(The jury is still out on Mary's bad luck and whether she is the cause of our misfortunes this week - Sorry Mary.)</span>
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<br />FYI: In case you have not read my last blog post "The Case of the Jinxed Intern Pair," Mary and I endured the frustration and humiliation of three no-show tour groups throughout the week. Nobody likes being stood up. Our emotional wounds are still healing.
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<br />I am happy to report though, that I have broken the jinx.
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<br />After anxiously waiting in Griffin Court (with the much appreciated presence of a few other interns) a group of about 10-15 talkative museum patrons showed up for the Highlights of the Modern Wing tour I was giving with Senior Lecturer, Margaret Farr.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately the lines to get into the museum during our Thursday night free hours are so long that I know at least one friend could not even get into the museum in time to participate in my tour. *Note for future Tour-goers – Come early for the 5:30 free hours tours*</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TDiyoIm0hsI/AAAAAAAAABA/maJFGsqw7Ak/s1600/richter"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TDiyoIm0hsI/AAAAAAAAABA/maJFGsqw7Ak/s320/richter" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492336148153140930" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Margaret started our “Contemporary Storytelling” themed tour with Gerhard Richter’s, “Woman Descending a Staircase.” This piece is one of my personal favorites.<span style=""> </span>The audience was very engaged and Margaret perfectly segued into my next two pieces by introducing ideas of layered understanding and closer investigation.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TDiy-X8fSAI/AAAAAAAAABI/YKa-_8jfiK0/s1600/hinoki"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TDiy-X8fSAI/AAAAAAAAABI/YKa-_8jfiK0/s320/hinoki" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492336530227677186" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Next I took the group to Charles Ray’s, “Hinoki” asking them to give me their first impressions from further back and inviting them to take a closer look to see what it might reveal.<span style=""> </span>I’ve found that this piece is rewarding to talk about. Everyone seems to be intrigued by it and they always want to know more.<span style=""> </span>You can’t lose with a piece that takes a lot of technical skill (even if not by the artist, himself) and has a lot of good anecdotes to accompany it.
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<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TDizM-7GtxI/AAAAAAAAABQ/9CmHkkdHFvI/s1600/armoire"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TDizM-7GtxI/AAAAAAAAABQ/9CmHkkdHFvI/s320/armoire" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492336781209024274" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The third and final piece (the 5:30 tours are only 30 minutes) was Doris Salcedo’s, “Untitled (Armoire).”<span style=""> </span>I was a little bit worried about people connecting to this piece and I did have one man express his frustration, but I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction and interest from the rest of the crowd.
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This tour was really fun and it is up there with Family Tours as my favorite kind of tour to give.<span style=""> </span>People pose interesting questions, make insightful points and usually manage to get you to look at the piece in a new light. ...wait, isn’t that my job?
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now, a few words of advice to future interns about the kind of …well, ‘characters’ you may get on a tour:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->1)<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span><!--[endif]-->Always acknowledge someone’s comment, question or concern…even if they ask/state the same thing repeatedly. You will hear yourself say<span style=""> </span>“Yeah, sure, maybe, that could be” more than you would like to know, but it will get worse if you chose to ignore them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]-->2)<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span><!--[endif]-->Other tour participants may not appreciate the incessant questioning or commenting of another tour participant – Don’t be afraid to ask, “Does anyone<i> else</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> have a question or comment?” while looking through/past/around said tour participant.
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<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">You’ll have your crazy, angry, frustrated, bored and know-it-all tour participants, but the large majority are nice, encouraging and engaged.<span style=""> </span>They chose to be there, we want to talk to them and that’s what makes it fun.
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-88595438008127932412010-07-08T15:17:00.010-05:002010-07-15T16:19:03.732-05:00Rising to the ChallengeYesterday, Jen and I (Mary H.) gave a very different (but very fulfilling) kind of tour. We worked with a group of college-aged kids with special needs, who functioned at a 6th-8th grade level. When we heard about our audience for this tour, we also heard that they had been studying a bit of Art History, and that they wanted "an industrial and contemporary" tour...what this means exactly, we still aren't completely sure. We used these guidelines to the best of our abilities and created a "Technology & Innovation" tour, which included 16th century Milanese armor, Monet's <span style="font-style: italic;">Arrival of Normandy Train--Gare Saint-Lazare</span>, Caillebotte's <span style="font-style: italic;">Paris Street; Rainy Day</span>, Seurat's <span style="font-style: italic;">Sunday on La Grande Jatte</span>, Bonticou's <span style="font-style: italic;">Untitled</span> wall relief, and Richter's <span style="font-style: italic;">Woman Descending the Staircase.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TDYzgaw_NtI/AAAAAAAAAPI/Nf-NvK2Uhi8/s1600/4935_937294.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TDYzgaw_NtI/AAAAAAAAAPI/Nf-NvK2Uhi8/s320/4935_937294.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491633427658520274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TDYzoE2_SbI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/CHn0e_nS3II/s1600/157901_1136763.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TDYzoE2_SbI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/CHn0e_nS3II/s320/157901_1136763.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491633559217064370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TDYztcCeXkI/AAAAAAAAAPY/tPe99ChrxW8/s1600/10158_591362.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 244px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TDYztcCeXkI/AAAAAAAAAPY/tPe99ChrxW8/s320/10158_591362.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491633651338600002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TDYz2za97eI/AAAAAAAAAPg/SxnVGDoonL0/s1600/8227_591535.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TDYz2za97eI/AAAAAAAAAPg/SxnVGDoonL0/s320/8227_591535.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491633812234169826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TDYz6Pb30oI/AAAAAAAAAPo/lHETd0TWsus/s1600/9490_496425.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 254px; height: 256px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TDYz6Pb30oI/AAAAAAAAAPo/lHETd0TWsus/s320/9490_496425.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491633871293764226" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TDYz9LGuT-I/AAAAAAAAAPw/MUAsOb-e_8s/s1600/descending.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vJWULxfgKOo/TDYz9LGuT-I/AAAAAAAAAPw/MUAsOb-e_8s/s320/descending.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491633921670926306" border="0" /></a><br />While Jen has a background in special education, she has only worked with younger students, and was fairly nervous about working with this population. I had never worked with special needs students before, so needless to say, it was an adventure for us both.<br /><br />We had initially planned a "brilliant" activity that involved splitting the students into two groups, and having each group present one painting to the rest of their classmates. Upon explaining this activity to one of the group's chaperones, our idea was quickly and politely rejected. The chaperone thought it would be best to stick with a more linear tour, and to cater to the short attention span of the group.<br /><br />Our flexibility and improv skills proved invaluable during this tour. After a slightly-too-long discussion of the armor, we adjusted our timing and realized that the most important thing was picking up the pace and keeping the students engaged. We were pleasantly surprised by the group's insightful comments about the Caillebotte and Seurat pieces. One woman raised her hand and said, "Look at the people...they're walking together, but no one is talking to each other." I saw Jen's face light up, knowing full well that the woman's comment was the <span style="font-style: italic;">perfect</span> segue to Jen's discussion of Caillebotte's lonely Parisian boulevard.<br /><br />The tour ended with a lively discussion of the group's favorite celebrities in front of Richter's painting, which ranged from Faith Hill and Jennifer Lopez to Miley Cyrus. I must admit that when I asked for words that they associate with Jennifer Lopez, I was silently praying that the word "booty" did not come up. Luckily for us, the group found JLo's singing voice much more memorable than her derriere.<br /><br />Overall, we found this tour to be a great success and a fantastic learning opportunity. Essentially, "We are rockstars." -Jen<br /><br />(Written by Mary H. & Jen)Mary H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14849829533787307174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014789569785032501.post-90818068341058937062010-07-08T11:15:00.005-05:002010-07-11T07:59:08.064-05:00The Case of the Jinxed Intern Pair<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TDYe8xjGAsI/AAAAAAAAAAM/Pe0WBLBNNP4/s1600/DSCN1084.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TDYe8xjGAsI/AAAAAAAAAAM/Pe0WBLBNNP4/s320/DSCN1084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491610825066414786" border="0" /></a><br />Sad interns - Mary D. and Adrienne (me)<br /></div><br /><br />This week was<span style="font-style: italic;"> supposed </span>to be our second week of touring real student groups after our intense and nerve racking mock-tour presentations. Most of the interns were able to try out a new tour theme, introduce different works to eager young eyes and most importantly, get the experience under their belts that would prepare them for giving solo tours. <span style="font-style: italic;">Most</span> interns have had this luxury. Unfortunately, Mary and I have not.<br /><br />For the third time this week, our tour was canceled.<br /><br />We spent last week and the weekend preparing our new, exciting tour themed: "EXTRAORDINARY TRANSPORTATION!"(to be said in a British accent). We were anxious to try it out and talk about new pieces but the week had other plans in store for us:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tuesday</span> - The scheduled school group tried to call during the 4th of July holiday weekend - needless to say we didn't get the message until Tuesday morning. 'That's fine,' we thought, 'We'll just have more time to make this tour even more EXTRAORDINARY.'<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wednesday</span> - After waiting in the studio for 20 minutes, the school group called Gianna to let her know they would not be able to make it. Gianna, Mary and I were not happy. Mary and I began to take it personal and ideas of capes, puffs of smoke and British accents started to trickle into our tour plans - 'They'll be sorry for missing THIS tour!'<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Thursday</span> - All of the interns were stood up as we waited on a group of 80 students who did not show up until 11:30. The tours are supposed to end at 11:30. Our bad luck jinxed the entire group - my sincere apologies to everyone else. Our EXTRAORDINARY tour has still not embarked on it's maiden voyage - fears that it may be too <span style="font-style: italic;">ordinary</span> have started to creep in.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TDYgWXKUEGI/AAAAAAAAAAU/wFzkWiOrjE8/s1600/hippogriff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 299px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R2NOLPu8Dec/TDYgWXKUEGI/AAAAAAAAAAU/wFzkWiOrjE8/s320/hippogriff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491612364171382882" border="0" /></a><br />Barye "Roger and Angelica Mounted on a Hippogriff"<br />Part of the EXTRAORDINARY TRANSPORTATION Tour<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Things learned: </span><br />1) Don't disrespect the interns/docents by not showing up for a tour - or you'll have Gianna to deal with. Gianna is awesome and will give a stern talking to/reprimand/not reschedule a group that does not show up without advance notice.<br /><br />2) Summer groups are unpredictable - the number, age and presence of students could change at any time. Roll with it - the best part of touring is the unpredictability.<br /><br />3) No group, means more tour prep time - this could be a good thing...or it could drive you crazy.<br /><br />Now on our third day of unexpected free time - Mary and I are left to do even <span style="font-style: italic;">more</span> research on the tour that never was and I will prepare for my adult tour tonight at 5:30 - assuming that my bad luck has not reached the adult audiences of the Art Institute. If so, I may be giving a private Highlights of the Modern Wing tour to a few lucky interns who don't mind staying a little after work.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0