From Philly to D.C. - Summer Vacations

This summer certainly has been a whirlwind for me. I've had the opportunity to go to both Philadelphia and Washington D.C. After these two trips back to back I certainly feel more patriotic. Philly was Zack and I's vacation to celebrate his first teaching job. DC sort of happened coincidentally because my mom had a conference for her job conveniently close to Washington :3

So how was Philadelphia?

It was jam packed with awesome adventures. We purchased a CityPASS and utilized everything but the aquarium ticket. Definitely a money saver. We also went to a the art museums and enjoyed some amazing food, which I'll be saving for a separate post. Onward with the photos!

Our first stop was the Liberty Bell. Definitely put us in the right mindset to appreciate some history.

This was taken outside of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Obviously Rocky is everywhere. T'was only fitting to pose in front of his statue.

One of my favorite pieces inside the museum was this Caulder mobile.

This is the Eastern State Penitentiary. It was beautiful and creepy all at the same time. There was a guided audio tour that really jolted the imagination, placing you right in the times when it was in operation. It was a new model for prisons at the time it was created. They revamped some rooms to display what it was like at certain time periods while others were left others untouched. 

The medical wing.

Al Capone's cell.

I didn't get too many good pictures at the zoo, but I definitely wanted to mention the gorillas and orangutans as well as the monkey tunnel system they have. The gorillas and orangutans have this special indoor/outdoor living space and were the most enjoyable animals to visit. All throughout the zoo they have tunnels in which they open up to different monkeys at different times. These tunnels are right above zoo pathways! 

Of course, how can I talk about Philly without talking about Ben Franklin? The man is EVERYWHERE. This is him at the Franklin Institute, which is not just for kids (ok well maybe it is but still, SCIENCE!) 

My favorite exhibit was this huge human heart. You get to crawl inside and follow the path that your little blood cells follow with every beat. How cool is that?

Found the Robert Indiana Love sculpture in the aptly named, Love Park.

This is where all of the gents who made our nation met up. The chair up front is George Washington's original chair :O)

The African American Museum in Philadelphia had this amazing and informative display that highlighted important moments and people in Black history through stories. I wish I could explain it better. They also had an exhibit showcasing the Supremes involvement in history as well as their outfits through the times.

And how was D.C.?

It was great! The trip actually started in Annapolis, MD since that's where my mom's conference was. I think my favorite Part about it was the Starbucks we stumbled upon. It was in the basement of a historic building and featured this tunnel here!

Easily my favorite Starbucks location. 

Amorphophallus titanum, one week after it bloomed. This flower is HUGE.

Behing the capitol!

Although the Wasthington Monument is under construction, it is still beautiful. It's visible from practically every angle in Washington D.C.

My favorite monument in the park was the Lincoln Memorial. This is where Martin Luther King Jr. stood for his speech.

The night before we visited, Lincoln was vandalized. They we quick to remove it though!

Little known fact about this post office: you can go up to the top of the bell tower and see all of DC for free! there's also an awesome food court in the basement.

The Lincoln memorial was awe-inspiring at night. By the time we came back all of the green paint was removed. I would highly suggest visiting memorial park at night. There's much less strollers and screaming children, allowing you to really enjoy the monuments.

This was at a gift shop in the train station. Perfect ending to our trip! There is so much to do in D.C. and the best part is it's all free.We squeezed as much as we could in the three days we were there but there was no way that we could go to every museum or site. I will definitely be back soon to experience more of Washington D.C.!

NCECA Ramblings

NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) was everything I could have dreamed of and then some. I wasn't sure what I would get out of it from the get go, but I knew it could only benefit me. It took (very little) convincing from my peers/friends, but I'm incredibly glad they talked me into it.

As I mentioned in my last post, this trip is in a way "solidifying" my commitment to ceramics. Basically I've been so fickle with my major ever since I've started college. I knew I wanted to do art but had little formal experience with all the mediums. This seriously used to freak me out. When I found out I prefer three dimensional art wayyy more than 2D, I started to gain a little confidence. I realized that I REALLY love clay after my sculpture II class at my community college. This was my second class ever dealing with clay and the community college didn't have a kiln, so we casted and bondo-ed the final piece. (little story: my high school was fortunate enough to have the kiln explode my first semester there, closing school for 3 days. Thus, only 2D work was henceforth allowed) Now that I've moved on to a university with a kiln and chose ceramics (eventually) as my concentration, I feel like such a noob since there's so much to learn about clay and firing. NCECA was the crash course I desperately needed.

It opened my eyes to so many possibilities and venues to take my career and my work. It made me feel confident and apprehensive all at the same time. If anything I know what to tell my mom now every time she asks, "so what are you doing after you graduate?" I learned so much about tools, techniques, and the going-ons of the art world; which is still a bit foggy to me but I'll get it eventually. The crew that I went with were the best and made my trip that much more fun. On top of just being awesome, they answered all of my basic noobie questions like champs and just made me more excited about ceramics.

ANYWHOOZIES on to some pictures of work I drooled over!

This was the first piece I was immediately attracted to. Anastasie by Lisa Clague

Gleaming Antlers Once by Tomoko Nakazato. My first time chatting (sort of) all artsy type with an artist. My friend grabbed her attention and did most of the talking but still!

Ignited States of America by John Runnels. Made entirely of cigarette butts donated by his smoker friends. I got to meet him too; his studio is pretty awesome.

Some cups from the cup sale NCECA holds every conference. There was no name on the black and white cup but I wish there was 'cause I loved it.

The cup I donated to the cup sale. I didn't have too many great options to glaze but I was advised to enter anything just to get my name out there. Unfortunately I didn't get to attend the sale when things were available for purchase, but I hope it sold!

I got the chance to watch a pro, Gerit Grimm, work while talking about her career.

Then there was this guy at the Brent booth in the resource hall like what the hell.

Derailing a bit here but this was on the side of a building near the Mexican/Japanese fusion hotdog truck. It may not be a real Banksy but it was still exciting to see. Also Mexican + Japanese + hotdog = the most confused yet amazing thing I ever ate.

I order the Geisha.

 Not sure of the name for this piece but it was by Valerie Zimany. I stared at her work quite a bit and found my self visiting it over and over again.

My favorite set at La Masa. I just love the colors and the shape and the fact that theres a spoon.


So NCECA was awesome and I'm currently convinced that I should try and attend every conference from now on--at least until I'm a bit established. It'll be a fantastic way to see different parts of the country since it moves every year. Next one's in Milwaukee, see you there?