NCECA 2015: Providence

My goals this year were a bit different. Meet new people, get connections, figure out if this postbacc thing is right for me. I got to talk to lots of different people, which was a bit nerve-wracking for me. But when in this situation it's best to remember that other people are probably just as nervous, and clay people are generally super friendly and open to conversation. Here are a few highlights from my trip!

My bed/room mate, Eli!

Bought myself an Ayumi Horie mug <3

Our view of the capital building from the hotel.

Julia Galloway being an awesome woman. Her talk was very inspiring; she switches up her work quite often. Best quote from her that day was, "Cups are very intimate objects. Nothing touches your lips as often as a cup, even if you're very passionate."

These two photos were taken at my soon to be school, UMass Dartmouth. It's about 20 minutes from Providence so they had an open house sorta thing. I don't know who made the sculpture but the paintings are by Katie Wild. I LOVE her work. It's life size and sometimes on plexiglass.

And for my newest artist inspo, here's Kyungmin Park. To see someone doing figurative sculpture seems to be oddly rare right now. Not only is it figurative but she incorporates bright colors and motifs. It's nice to meet someone you can relate your work to. she was giving a demo on fingers and tongues and other body parts for the AMACO/Brent booth. Eli and I watched and listened for about an hour.

So funfact: Providences' bars and clubs close hella early (like 1am?) but on the last night we found a drag show/lgbt club that was poppin. 

Next year NCECA will be in Kansas City, and I cannot wait. it's a refreshing experience every time and I'm so lucky to have a conference like this in my field. I think I accomplished all of my objectives for this years conference :D

So I already stink at this challenge...

But my summer was eaten by a multicolor bus. It was hectic working two jobs and trying to accomplish taking out locs and apartment hunting and moving, but at least the job is over and I have the week (pretty much) off! I will definitely catch up on the posts to have 31 by the end of August.

The kids were the best part about this experience. We had different arts and crafts activities for them every week in addition to sports and games. I went to a different park each day six days a week, so I got to see many different sides of New Haven. I started so many gimps that I've dubbed myself the Gimp Goddess of Elm City; I must have done at least 4 lessons a week on how to do something gimp related too. It was worth it to see their eyes light up once they finally got the hang of it.

Humble Beginnings

Today I participated in my second ever craft fair, and I really enjoyed it! Even though it was a church basement and I made a total of $10, I can definitely see me doing bigger and better events in the future. It sounds outrageous to sit for five and a half hours and only make a couple of bucks, but I'm really in it for the experience at this point (and I didn't have much to sell as it is). It's so much more gratifying to sell my work, things I've made, versus a retail hourly job *ho hum*

For this fair and the last one I did I had the support and company of some awesome ladies from the Student Arts League on campus. Our work combined made for an wicked cool display. I had my little corner of stuff in the basket and some hand building stuff, one friend brought her pottery, one friend had his ceramic planters, and one friend had beautiful watercolors scattered about. What's funny is that it's much easier to talk up my friend's work to customers than it is to talk about my own. We all feel this way so we're glad we're all there together to help each other out. Go team!

We plan on doing more and getting progressively better with each craft fair adventure. I already have a list of what can I do better? going on in my head. Baby steps, ya'll. I can't wait for the next one!

TTFN!
-Avé

A New Love

Last week I had the privilege of seeing Lady Gaga perform in Atlantic City....and again for her first performance ever in Madison Square Garden. I can honestly say everything I previously thought or felt about her has been amplified to an almost unhealthy extreme.

To put in perspective the situation I found myself in, let me explain how this all went down. Thursday night I got a text from a superfan reading something along the lines of "text me back ASAP." Of course I think the worse and assume someone just went though a horrific breakup or someone's aunt died--needless to say I was glad to know it was about tickets to see Gaga. Mind you prior to this, I wasn't a HUGE fan, but I loved all of her music and her insane style. After picking a day and freaking out about what to wear, before I knew it we were on a four hour drive to the Monster Ball.

You could tell we were nearing closer to the venue by the outfits of all the little monsters. We did turn some heads, me with my red lace crown and him with his badass gagafied leather vest. We even got a few pictures out of the whole ordeal. The vibe surrounding the place was just incredible.

The opening act was Semi-Precious Weapons. Semi. Precious. Weapons. Let me tell you, no man can work a smokey eye and leggings like Justin Tranter. AND HIS BOOTS. Gorgeous. Check it. Their performance was explosive, addictive, and probably one of the best opening acts I'm glad I didn't miss.

On to Lady. Fucking. GA GA.

Her performance was absolutely flawless. Even the breaks for stage and outfit changes were entertaining. I (along with many others, I'm sure) felt them necessary to take a moment to geek out about what just happened. She has a way of luring you into a world of freedom. She "locks the freaks outside" so you can be whoever (or whatever, in Posh's case) you want to be. It may sound fake, it may be scripted, but I loved every moment of it and I'd be lying if I said I truly didn't believe her. For two hours you get to let go of any inhibitions or insecurities and fall in love with Gaga.

In case some of you haven't caught it, the whole concert was simulating the Wizard of Oz; instead of seeing Oz, She was off to the Monster Ball. Some of the obvious references were her outfits for the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Lion. The scripts to further convey this idea were incredibly cheesy, but completely necessary to absorb you into the whole experience, so I didn't mind. I just hope everyone else realized that's not how she really talks.

My favorite outfit by far was the "Living Dress" that she wore when she sang "So Happy I Could Die" I would describe it as a futuristic fairy princess dress, between the white sparkly ruffles and the fact that it moves. It effing MOVES. I'm already sketching a design for a dress similar to it for the next Monster Ball I attend.

Everyone has asked me what my favorite part was and it's still too hard to choose (cliche I know). But one of the most cherished moments was hearing her perform "You and I" live; particularly the time she performed it in Madison Square Garden. My friend and I were ecstatic to hear her announce that it will be on the next album!

I previously mentioned how the concert in Atlantic City was a last minute decision. It was clearly the best way to spend the 4th of July at such a short notice. However, late Tuesday morning I was still deep in post-concert depression. The same superfan IMs me to inform me that night would be her first performance ever in Madison Square Garden. I almost declined.

Almost.

This seemed like the best and only way to cure post-concert depression. Had I opted out, it would probably have been the worst mistake of the year. I bought tickets hours before the show, and we ended up in the last section on the highest row-almost behind the stage-but it was beyond incredible. In fact, it was pretty special to see what goes on behind the curtain and to see her first before she goes out to center stage. Besides, we already knew what was going to happen.

1st Performance at Madsion Square Garden > 4th of July in Atlantic City. A jillion times over.

The difference between the two concerts could not be recognized by normal people. Every song, dance, and costume were the same. The only way I could describe it is the energy was just SO much more intense. I was in such disbelief that I couldn't even stand for Semi-Precious Weapons. I just wanted Gaga.

After witnessing two mind-blowing performances, I have fallen completely in love with Lady Gaga. She has such a pure, genuine love for her little monsters; it's easy to see why she's the most "liked" person on facebook. There's no way I can explain with words what these two experiences have done to me. All I can say is go to a Monster Ball and maybe you'd understand.