Fine Arts Career Services

This marks my last week formally working on the translation of the Avraham Goldberg set of prints. I have been translating the introductory text of the prints from Hebrew to English. Monday, I consulted my father on the unclear parts and filled in the phrases that were still a bit confusing. By mid-week I was confident about the finished product, and I was ready to show my supervisor the finished work. He said I did a great job, which validated all the work I had done. He also gave me some great suggestions. The problem with translating (since I am not a professional) is that literal translations of the text might not make sense in English, in the case of colloquial or old-fashioned expressions. Therefore, I have to change the wording in some sections in order for the correct meaning to get across. My supervisor suggested that I change the wording in the body of the text, and then set a footnote on the bottom of the page listing the literal translation and the reason for the change. These changes that I added made the English text flow much smoother. I also added some footnotes describing some Jewish concepts that would otherwise be unclear. Hopefully, any one that looks at the work I have done will fully understand the meaning of the text with the supporting footnotes and modifications.

The next step, which we might have to put off for awhile, is to figure out the provenance of the prints. We need to find out from which collection the prints came and who donated them. This might be tricky because names that are translated from one language to another are often spelled differently in English by different people. So in this case, the artist’s first name transliterated from Hebrew can be spelled Abraham, Avram, or Avraham (and this name is the easiest of the group to transliterate!) This makes research a bit more difficult, but I am hoping that this all comes together!

Next week, I will be returning to the database/loan project that I worked on about a month ago. I think that should take me to the end of the semester, with whatever other small projects arise along the way.

In the month of November the East Austin Studio Tour delegates much of our time and energy. DiverseArts is hosting Kenny Dorham’s Artist Market and two solo exhibitions of fine art at New East Arts Gallery. E.A.S.T. will begin on November, Saturday 14^th and will run through Sunday 22^nd.

In preparation for our upcoming shows I generated three fliers in the past week to be used as posters and in media release. In order to make the management of images and files easier I have set up an account with an online database called Dropbox. This has made telecommunications more proficient and more readily accessible. Due to inconsistencies in software I have found that acute awareness to file types and compatibility is crucial to facilitate hassle-free file sharing.

The first exhibition to launch the start of E.A.S.T. will feature the paintings of Amy Poynt. A collection of her recent paintings will be hung this Friday, which will probably be an all night affair. It takes a lot of attention to detail and purposeful thought to properly hang an exhibition of art. Communications with the artist about their recent work and personal history inform the context of the show. Before beginning to curate media and press must be generated. A few days before the opening all the works are brought into the gallery and moved around the space like pieces to a life-size jigsaw puzzle. An inventory is conducted of all artworks noting their titles, dimensions and price. Last but not least the paintings are nestled into their appropriate positions on the wall and  anticipation settles into the gallery.

As the first Friday of November approaches, we are preparing for The Blanton’s monthly Art Party “B scene”. B scene is a unique event at The Blanton. First of all, it takes place every month, so it is never far from our minds. It also spans the specific departments in the museum, so that almost every department– especially Education, Public Relations, Development, Volunteer and Visitor Services and Special Events– has to work together to make B scene a success. The community also gets involved through the huge numbers that attend and our large corps of volunteers who dedicate their time to helping us monitor the galleries and greet guests. B scene is also unique for its ever-changing program. Each month the party has a different theme with entertainment and activities to match, which can also attract different crowds. For example, the September B scene features Slam Poetry and different activities associated with poetry and art. Slam Poetry has a dedicated following and is an art form in itself, so we loved hosting all of the poets and their fans! Come to B scene this Friday at The Blanton from 6-10:30!!

Check out The Blanton’s website for more information on this month’s B scene! http://blantonmuseum.org/experience_the_blanton/b_scene/index.cfm

S asked me to design her website better at the beginning of my internship.  I have never studied about websites, so I hesitated a little.  However, I told myself that I should take this opportunity to learn how to design a website instead of saying her that I cannot do it.  I think I have used enough hours of my time on internet to be able to tell which website is well designed and which one is not.  I told S that I need to research of architects and engineers’ websites to learn how to design a professional engineer’s website.  S taught me some good websites of certain architects and engineers, so I had a lot of fun doing a research about them.  Most of their websites were simple and not flashy like a fashion designer’s website.  After doing a research for some hours, I came up with some ideas, such as size of the logo, color and size of font and place of links to jump to other pages.  I sketched images of my ideas on papers to show her my ideas.

This week, the HRC staff saw the start of a much awaited event: The Big Move. My department has been planning this move for months now. Previous interns have worked on this before me, and I am, along with other interns, are continuing the effort to coordinate this move. With all the hype that preceded it, I was expecting utter confusion and mayhem. But it has been a surprisingly smooth and stress-free process (at least for me). I know that this is due to the careful planning that my supervisor and other have put into this project.

Monday, my supervisor and I oversaw the movers, and then we moved some art ourselves. I reshelved some things and found places for “homeless” works of art. I was on my feet the whole time, something I really enjoy as a nice change from all the sitting I do in class. Wednesday was a bit more relaxed, as I prepared labels for the artwork in one particular room. The labels act as an example of how well the HRC staff is handling this move. Everything is color coded and marked to show where the artwork came from and where it is going. Every detail has been considered. I am very impressed!

On Friday, I went with my supervisor to the FAC to help with the moving process again. We were going through a box of unidentified objects. I was curious and opened up one of the small cases, and I found a mezuza in it. A mezuza is a Jewish object meant to be placed on the door that also holds a scroll of holy texts. Finding it was completely unexpected as we were in a room filled with cowboy and horse motif inspired objects! I was able to identify the name and purpose of the object for the staff.

After a weekend of heavy studying and writing, Monday came as a relief. This week I was jumping between different tasks at my internship, a nice reprieve from last week’s constant work on the database.  At my internship on Monday, I completed the mindless task of creating labels! After working hard on the database the week before, it was almost fun to just sit back and make labels. But this only lasted an hour until we went over to the FAC to tag items before the Big Move starts next week. This upcoming week, materials from the FAC are moving to the HRC. And to get ready for this, we had to tag every item so that during this hectic move, we will be able to keep track of every piece. I am really impressed with how my supervisor and his co-workers are handling this move! This is a project that is so stressful, and they are handling it with such composure. Their organizational skills, I’m sure, are the key to this whole process. I am very excited for next week when this whole thing will be set into motion.

Wednesday’s work was very much like last week’s, as I was working on the database again.

Friday, I helped Mr. M. set up for a private tour. So we pulled items in the Prints and Drawings Room. We pulled mostly portraits: Frida Kahlo, E.E. Cummings, Anne Sexton, Diego Rivera, and others. And then I went on a mini-field trip around the building to different floors, in order to keep track of paintings and sculptures that these departments have from the Art Collection. I always find it exciting to stretch my legs, get up from the desk, and get to walk around! Working on the computer has its merits, but I like to get my hands dirty, so to speak.

There was some more added spice to this week. On Wednesday, Mr. M. sent me an email that a bat was found roaming around the HRC! But not only was it just in the building, but it was on the 7th floor, where I work! I was a bit apprehensive about bats flying in and out of the HRC, but I soon forgot about it once I started working.

Recognition of your accomplishments by peers and friends is occasion to celebrate. This past Thursday, October 15^th 2009, Mr. H. McMillan, received the Bridging Divides Award from the University of Texas Project on Conflict Resolution. This places him in the company of Mr. Willy Nelson, for whom the award was founded in 2007, the late Clifford Antone, Cyril Neville and others. This award highlight individuals in the community who have bridged divides between groups and cultures. The organization champions his work as a founder of the Austin Blues Family Tree Project in which he has preserved the stories of dozens of African American musicians. Singing his praise they celebrate the ways in which, “His work allows modern ears to hear first-person accounts of how the blues, and the heyday of Black East Austin’s entertainment district, contribute to modern experience.” I was in attendance on that night to support Mr. McMillan’s efforts over the years. He truly is a “tireless artist,” having devoted his life to the pursuit of knowledge and the preservation and promotion of the culture of art and music. He is a shinning example that persistence and hard work is its own reward.

We are looking to the future, reenergized by appreciation. As the only intern currently acting on behalf on DiverseArts Culture Works I recognize the great need to recruit new faces and talents. Plans are made to participate in three consecutive internship and career fairs at University of Texas and St. Edwards. I plan to accompany Mr. McMillan as my schedule allows broadening our reach at these events. The past two months have taught me the importance of time management, self-expression, organization, setting healthy boundaries and dexterity.

Like last week, I spent most of my time working on the database this week. More specifically, I have been checking for discrepancies between our files and the database, and then noting problematic records on an excel spreadsheet. Basically, I am condensing all of this information into a readable document so that my supervisor will be able to go through this information quickly and advise me on how to fix it.

I completed the first draft of these “problematic records” on Monday. And so on Wednesday, I met with Mr. M. to try to find solutions to fixing these records. This project is like a big jigsaw puzzle. At first, it just looked like a bunch of scattered pieces, but now the pieces are slowly starting to connect and I am seeing how everything is beginning to come together. After our meeting on Wednesday, I started to revise information on the database and also create another document to further condense the information. This document will not only be useful for our department, but it will also help the Registrar to maintain her records as well.

In my industry paper I researched a broad challenge facing not only the museum sector, but all industries: keeping up with technological advances. This challenge seems to be a factor at the HRC. As I am working between electronic and paper records, I am seeing that electronic records are much more efficient. This is most likely something that the HRC is looking to change in the coming years.

This past summer the HRC switched to a fully electronic method for patrons to request materials. So if someone wants a certain book or material, he or she must go through online sources to request it. This is a new system for the HRC, and so far I have only heard great things about it. While this switch has been successful, I believe that the staff at the HRC will use it as a model for other electronic systems. Maybe in a few years paper files will be completely replaced by computer files! Transitions like this are occuring at the HRC, but only time will tell how far technology will be able to take us.

A new office and the sticker
My boss Stephanie got an office this week.  She was very excited to have an office because if you work from home, you will end up working all the time.  I believe that it is important to separate your work and home.  I have visited some famous artists’ old studios, such as Paul Cezanne and Isamu Noguchi.  Their studios taught me that artists should have a studio to work on their art just like other office job.

“Fumika, I would like you to come up with couple designs of stickers for our glass front door.”, Stephanie said this week.  She also said that the design must include the company’s logo, the name of the company, my boss’ name and her partner’s name; the color of the sticker will be white, and it will be displayed at the glass front door.  When she told me this, I still had not been to her new office yet, so I got little confused.  Then she took me to her office eventually to show me where the sticker will be displayed.  We talked about how the sticker should look like, then I came up with two designs.  Designing stickers were simple and I could finish them right away because there was not too much I could do to be creative with them.

The week is rolling by fast at DiverseArts as we prepare for the opening of Heart, Soul, and la Familia, an exhibition of new paintings by Caroline Martinez. This week I had the pleasure to visit the artist in her east Austin studio and help to curate the coming show, opening Saturday, October 10^th. Harold and myself have the difficult task of selecting 15 to 20 paintings from her recent work. On Wednesday I will photograph her images and arrange an online catalogue of the show. Last but not least, I will hang the collection on Friday and make accommodations for the opening the following day. I am very excited to have such responsibility in the production of this show and in making the acquaintance of such a unique and talented artist.

I wrote a press release this past week that is featured on our website and will be published in local media publications. I would like to include this in my posting to give some background as to why Caroline Martinez has been chosen for DiverseArts’ latest show at New East Arts Gallery.

“Martinez, a self-taught painter and illustrator, was first moved to paint after her eldest daughter was diagnosed with cancer in 2000. Instructed by faith and inner vision Caroline possesses a profound calling, free of the formalities of professional training. Caroline acknowledges that faith and her daughter’s miraculous recovery gave rise to her own creation as an artist. She paints from her “ heart, eyes and her feeling of struggle” with a passion that culminates in vivid Barrio Mexican Religious Imagery. Evolving through strength of expression, these new visionary paintings are spiritually transcendent, exhibit Caroline’s progression and mastery of more adventurous techniques, and above all, show real artistic growth.

Bold and striking color combinations characterize her impassioned depictions of barrio characters deriving from Latin American religious iconography. She describes her work as “symbolic Mexican street art” and emphasizes the religious symbolism in her work.

We welcome you to participate in the opening of Heart, Soul, and la Familia: New Works by Caroline Martinez as DiverseArts continues to exalt the art of East Austin’s own, Caroline Martinez. The exhibit is on display from Saturday, October 10th to  November 15th.

DiverseArts invites the public to join us for an evening of art, culture and  conversation with the artist.  Caroline Martinez’s new visionary paintings are not to be missed. All works of art are available  for purchase through the  gallery.”

Please attend the opening if you are able to join us. We are planning on a wonderful night.