So.
It has, once again, been some time since my last post. That said, here is the ramble for today (or at least right now).
Funnily enough I had yet another discussion about 'what students should know and when should they know it' with the same classmate who motivated my last entry. He seems to believe that, by the time students reach college, they should already have a foundation of skills at hand and (seemingly) know exactly what their course is going to be (ie: they should know they want to be an art student and already know basic drawing, etc....). Of course, he's 40+ years old. And he (like me) has been 'out in the world'. And in part due to this he does not seem to see the reasoning behind such 'baseline classes' as 'Intro to...-insert area of discipline-'......
Yeah. It was definitely an interesting discussion. Since we seemed to disagree on virtually everything, from the value of going to different schools for undergrad versus graduate studies to exactly what the purpose of (at least the first semester or two) the college experience should be for. Not to mention our viewpoints on 'the purpose of art'/proper art versus improper art/art versus 'propaganda'.......
In other news:
I don't want to put any carts before any equines, but I had an interview Tuesday morning for a Summer gig in New Jersey. And I think it went well. It's a TD gig BUT there is the potential that, since one of the shows has yet to have a scenic designer assigned, that that opportunity might also be a part of the package....And, in proof that 'the world really is a small town' (at least in the arts) she (the woman who interviewed me) knows the executive director at the theatre I worked at last Summer. And she (the interviewer) has been involved with them in the past......Interesting.
I've also been dealing with some form of intestinal virus over the last fortnight or so. It comes on and then fades. I think I have gotten rid of it then wham! Sigh. Impacted my functionality a bit. And, as often happens during such things, I get worried about my reputation. Since, as I just mentioned, the world I work and live in is a smallish one. And reputations can be key. Yet even so I find myself feeling foolish (stupid even) for letting my self worth be dependent on others validation of me and/or my work.
Speaking of my work....I'll be having at least a piece (or three....maximum is three) in the upcoming Juried Art Show sponsored by the department. My Native Arts Studio teacher (mentor) is requiring that everyone enter at least one piece. And my 'Pixel Painting' (the class deals with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop) instructor was bandying about the idea of requiring a submission from that class too....IF the 'Pixel Painting' class does count for one, then I am down to only two slots. Since I have one piece (my 'Mother And Child Bentwood Box(es)' that is a definite entry I find myself debating which of my 'Raven Box' series I would want to enter. I'm pretty certain (70-80%) it would be 'Raven Box #2' but still......shrug. Funny to me to have this confusion and such, since my 'art' portfolio is really much smaller than my theatrical one. And, of course, the pieces need to have been made during the last academic year (Fall 2012-Spring 2013). Which cuts my items down a bit more. And yes, 'Cast No Shadow' (from my 3d Design class) might be an interesting piece to enter too but....
There are supposed to be cash awards of some sort for the show. And, that benefit aside, I admit to wanting some validation about the 'art side' of my life, as opposed to the 'theatre side'.....
Speaking of the theatre side: I'm working on my proposal for next Falls Winter Shorts. The limitations are that the script has to be 1) less than 60 minutes in length and 2) public domain/royalty free....So I came to decide on a translation of Antigone. I intend to direct and do the scenography. I have already arranged for an assistant designer and now the hunt continues for someone to at least tacitly commit to being my SM. Because, partly due to last years Shorts not having ANY SM's involved, to get approval directors will need to have an SM lined up when they submit their proposal package. The deadline for which is next Tuesday, April 23rd. The trick is that the SM criteria include either SM or ASM experience at UAF. which makes my pool of candidates really quite limited. So we shall see.....I admit, even though this script was not my initial choice (I wanted to do another Bradbury piece: Pillar Of Fire) I have become rather 'hungry' for this project.....Hopefully I won't be too hungry and scare any collaborators off.....If you are curious about my concept(s), drop me a comment and I'll post something about them in a later entry.
Otherwise, still attempting to work out my last few credits/last undergraduate semesters here at UAF. I've also been whitling down my grad school list and I think (as of this very moment) my top schools are as follows (disclaimer: this list may vary slightly as the semesters move ahead/I hear more from various schools/etc):
**University of Kansas - Lawrence
**University of Iowa
**University of IL: Urbana-Champaign
**Wayne State University / Hilberry Theatre Company
I've been attempting to keep my pool of potential schools down to five or under, in part due to the various costs (financial, mental, and emotional) of applying. And, in honesty, right now only two of these schools are absolute - University of Kansas, because it offers a Scenography MFA...and University of Iowa, because, as part of its mission statement, it places a strong emphasis on the development of 'new works'. And that sounds like an amazing opportunity. As always, I am open to suggestions and/or recruitment. And, depending on many various factors, I might end up at URTA's and be swept off my feet by a school I have yet to consider...or that I have considered but shifted down on my list. So those of you who know me and my work (and, given that you are reading this blog, that pretty much includes everyone) please feel free to suggest schools. Thanks.
I guess that is about all. The previously mentioned gastric issues are calling for my attention. Hopefully I've kept this blog free from too much 'emo-ism'. And all things being equal, I should soon be posting about 1) my proposal/etc for Antigone 2) my experiences with the first of two candidates being interviewed/considered for a position on the theatre department faculty here at UAF (the candidates are having two Fridays worth of 'meet and greets' starting tomorrow) and 3) prep for the upcoming Student Drama Association Monkey Ball (an annual party type event the SDA holds).
Thanks for reading. Till later.
PS. I may have already mentioned this...But I want to say thanks again to all who contributed (both online and offline) to help me get through a tough financial spot and get signed up for the UAF payment plan....I'm still dealing with financial issues but even so I am amazingly thankful for everyone's support and help. Again, thank you all so very much.
http://www.gofundme.com/1txdbo
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