Student Independent Exhaustion 66

Here I am, 5am, at the library, not sleeping, making art with Debbie. I feel as though I haven't really rested in weeks, and that's pretty accurate. January had me in a frenzy, rotoscoping until my hands were swollen. And so far February has consisted of further preparation to show the rotoscope in the planetarium, and helping with SIE, CIA's Student Independent Exhibition. Debbie happens to be one of the chairs, so I've been filling in wherever she needs the extra help. There's a lot to be done, but I'm so glad to be involved.

A bit about SIE... The exhibition is completely student run. This year, the two chairs are Debbie Christensen and Ryan Camp, both seniors in Communication Design. They organize meetings and direct a committee to see to it that everything gets done. At the meetings, students suggest artists they would like to jury the show. We then write to our top three choices and hope that they can find the time to visit Cleveland. Last Monday and Tuesday, students dropped off their submissions, and on Thursday, our three jurors arrived. Stephanie Craig (who makes some of my favorite ceramic pieces and who is also super funny), Ben Grasso (who tries his hardest to refrain from constant pep talks and reading Wikipedia), and Brent Green (my favorite animator who tells the greatest stories and also loves Bob Dylan's Christmas album) spent an afternoon with students in studio visits, followed by dinner with the exhibition committee. On Friday, the jurors spent 12 hours deciding which work to include in the show. They couldn't stress how hard the process was. And when they took a break for lunch, we had a panel discussion for students (and the public) to hear their responses to questions like "What's the weirdest art supply you've ever bought?" and "How do you know when a piece is done?" and "Do you believe in ghosts?" (Debbie & I hosted the discussion and came up with the brilliant questions. Haha) After the jurying, we had a potluck extravaganza, and then they were free to go.

But let me just say, I couldn't imagine a better group of jurors. In all honesty. Not only do they all make amazing work, but they are all super fun to hang out with, they all got along, and they were all hilarious! Escorting to studio visits and leading the discussion I think gave me insight I wouldn't otherwise have gained. Did I mention it was super fun? And holy cow, I  have so many ideas now. Sometimes it's nice to hear pep talks. And it's nice to get feedback from people you respect so much.

At 6:30am (see--why bother sleeping?), Debbie & I will head over to the Gund, which they will be opening early, and meet a few students and a news crew. We're going to be featured on Kickin it with Kenny! Which I'm not too familiar with, but I heard he's a swell guy. Haha. So if you're in Cleveland and want a sneak peek at the exhibition which Debbie & Ryan curated so brilliantly, and which Stephanie, Ben, and Brent juried so thoughtfully, then you should turn on Channel 8 sometime before most people are awake (they'll be airing different segments every hour). And come to the opening on Friday! Y'all can see my rotoscope :)