1st week Grad school DONE & Going to NYC!

Well, I've completed my first week of grad school, and am sufficiently over-whelmed. I have a "Contemporary Thought" class that requires 1 full day per week just for reading the articles required for class (the professor suggests using Saturdays). I have a "Graduate Seminar" class that surprised us with a required trip to NYC in October (I'll get to that in just a moment). Then, there's the "Intermediate Drawing" class in which I am assisting a professor and a "Directed Study" course, so we'll see what fun surprises I'll be challenged with in my studio time. It's been overwhelming, but good - I came to grad school to be challenged, and they are definitely holding up their end of the bargain!
Tampa is a very hot and humid place right now (we're in our hurricane season), but I'm told time and again that the weather will improve soon. Other notable Florida items: there are little lizards everywhere, people are generally shocked and do not believe me when I say I don't have a car, and voter registration ends Oct 6th here! (I didn't realize how spoiled I was in MN where you can register the day of the vote)
Finally, as I mentioned before, I am going to be taking an unexpected trip to NYC October 9-12, 2008. If anyone is currently in NYC or knows someone there with a spare couch or floor space, please let me know... I am small, polite, and unobtrusive. I'm hoping to cut costs by finding some way to crash for free, or at a steep discount - any thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

Made it to Florida!

I made it to Florida in one piece, and have started to settle in a bit. There's still boxes all over the place, but things are starting to get sorted out.
Here are some photos from the road trip down. Fun public art at Millennium Park in Chicago:





Additionally, I took some photos of my new studio space at USF:


Outside the studio building


A view of my studio space....

and again....

and again!
It's pretty empty looking right now, but I plan to get in there very soon to start plugging away.

Traveling show down in Florida

Three of my pieces from the Their Turn Series have been selected for the fall traveling FloCAS exhibition (Florida Consortium of Art Schools), juried by North Miami Museum of Contemporary Art Director Bonnie Clearwater. I'm super excited because the show will travel to Tallahassee in August, Gainsville in September, and Tampa in October. Three cities all in one sweep as I start things down at grad school!

The 3 pieces going in the show are entitled: "January 8", "April 30", and "March 19" (pictured here). "March 19" (pictured here).

I'm going to Grad School in Florida!

I have some very exciting news: I have been accepted into the MFA program in studio art at the University of South Florida starting this fall, and will be moving down to Tampa in mid-July! The program has a very strong emphasis on interdisciplinary studies, so I will be able to pursue performance and installation work while taking classes in both the art and theater departments.
This process of applying to, and picking a grad school has been very challenging and exciting... In the end, USF was able to offer the best package, and seems to have a program that best fits my individual goals as an artist, so off I go! I'm looking forward to a few years spent with the sun and beaches of Tampa (hooray for the Gulf of Mexico!).

In other news:
- About a week ago, attended a 6-day Movement and Light Workshop led by Dana Reitz/Jennifer Tipton in Duluth, where I met a fantastic group of artists. It was a great learning experience and creative indulgence - I could talk all day - email me if you'd like to hear more...
- Just this past weekend, I completed my 200 hour RYT yoga certification! I'm very excited (I've been working towards this certification for 3 years)!

So, keep me posted on how you're doing, and be sure to let me in on any Florida knowledge you might have!