Birthdays, Internships, and a Much Needed Break...

Unfortunately, I'm a little behind on my blogging, but now that Spring Break is almost over (back to class on Tuesday!) I'm going to try and bring my blog up to speed! So here we go...

I turned 23 last week.

I have an internship.

I am on Spring Break right now. Thank goodness.

There you have it! Consider yourself updated! Ok, ok, maybe I should elaborate a bit...

My birthday was March 11th and I am now 23 years old. Wow, how did that happen? I did a little searching online and discovered that, as of my birthday, I had lived for 8401 days. Interesting, right? It sounds so strange to measure a lifetime by an uncommon standard of measure--but it did prompt to view each day from a new perspective....to value each day as significant and worth enjoying to its fullest. The day before my birthday was the 23rd birthday of my good friend Peter who is currently serving with Lutheran Young Adults in Global Mission in Cuernavaca, Mexico. We were thrilled to be able to talk on the phone to wish each other a happy birthday after not having spoken for months. Here's a wonderful picture of us as babies along with our friend Siri who was born a few weeks later. Peter will probably kill me for posting these:

Mom and I are on right, Peter and his dad are on the left, and Siri and her dad are in the center. Such cute Scandinavian Lutheran babies (as if our names didn't give that away already!) And here we are, years later, in 2005:


In other news:

In February I began interning at the Rubin Museum of Art in the programming department! It's very part-time right now--only 8-15 hours a week--but I have decided to stay there this summer to complete my required for-credit internship. The RMA is a museum of Himalayan art (a subject I know little about) that is located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. It is a young institution founded just over 5 years ago by a pair of NY art collectors (Don & Shelley Rubin) who wanted to share their collection with the public and give it a permanent home in the city. Here's a wonderful video clip about the long process of founding the RMA:



So far I am really enjoying my time there. The RMA has a wonderful programming department with many great events happening every week--they focus on adult education type of events like lectures, discussions, lunch talks, concerts, and film screenings. I'm finding that museum programming, adult education, and event planning are all areas I am interested in pursuing so I feel very fortunate to be interning at such an innovative institution. I will write more about my RMA experience later when I have more to report...

Finally, here's a recent picture of Oscar and Dorian enjoying a brotherly nap together:
Happy Spring everyone!


(Please forgive all the ramblings and typos...it's still spring break!)

International Women's Day 2010: Go see "Half the Sky LIVE" on March 4th!

My Dear Family & Friends,

In January I wrote about some of the books I read over the holiday break which included "Half the Sky" by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. It is now a New York Times bestseller and is in its 19th printing. I hope some of you have read it! Well, this blog post returns to the subject of women's rights and looks forward to International Women's Day in March.

First let me start at the beginning... Last year I ran across an advertisement for an International Women's Day event featuring a nationwide screening of the documentary film entitled "A Powerful Noise." The screening was sponsored by the human rights organization CARE International and featured not only the film screening but also a live panel discussion with humanitarian experts (Nicholas Kristof, president of CARE Dr. Helene Gayle, Madeline Albright, etc.) who discussed the importance of global women's rights and the significant role that women play in fighting poverty. I went to this event in the Twin Cities with my good friend, Anna. The whole experience was so powerful and inspiring that it is hard to put into words.

Then imagine my shock and delight when I discover that the taping of this year's International Women's Day film and panel will take place at NYU and will feature the book "Half the Sky" and its authors! So on the evening of Thursday, February 11th I headed down to the Skirball Auditorium at NYU to be in the audience for the taping of this amazing event!

The whole evening was a kind of surreal experience that is hard to describe. The event featured beautiful musical performances by India.Arie, Angelique Kidjo, and Diane Birch; the premier of a film directed by Marisa Tomei entitled "Woinoshet;" and a panel including Kristof, WuDunn, Helene Gayle, Sarah the Duchess of York (who was amazing!), and Rachel Mayanja, the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women. They addressed three issues from the book including sex trafficking, maternal mortality, and violence against women. Their overarching message is that empowering women is the key to making positive and lasting changes in struggling communities in developing countries. It was an amazing evening that brought most of the audience to tears but left us feeling hopeful and inspired to be a voice for women's rights.

Anyway, here's the most exciting part: YOU can go see "Half the Sky LIVE" in your local theaters on March 4th at 7:30 pm and see exactly what I saw in person! This will be a one night event going on across all of the United States and Canada (even the Sioux Falls Century 14 Theater!) I guarantee that it will be a wonderful and inspirational event--even if you don't know a lot about women's issues or human rights, I would encourage each and every one of you to attend. I plan on going even though I was there for the taping! Here's the link for details about the event: http://www.ncm.com/Fathom/OriginalPrograms/event/Half_The_Sky.aspx

So please invite your family, friends, and colleagues and go!

Who doesn't like Scandinavian food?

Laura with her delicious cornish hen and me with my amazing chocolate mouse dessert with hazelnuts!

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to have my dear St. Olaf friend, Laura, come for a visit! She is now living in Boston working for the Boston Symphony Orchestra (amazing, right?) and so she took the bus into NYC Friday evening and went back on Monday afternoon (President's Day.) Anyway, we had a great time watching the Olympics and catching up but one of the highlights of her visit was a lunch at the Scandinavian restaurant Aquavit for NY Restaurant Week! It is one of my all time favorite restaurants so I was thrilled that Laura wanted to go with me (she's a devoted foodie!) Anyway, if any of you ever visit I will probably want to take you to Aquavit. I guarantee it will not disappoint!

Winter comes East...finally

View out my window Wednesday, Feb. 10th!

New York isn't used to so much snow all at once but I loved it!

There were lots of children out with their parents building snowmen and snow forts. I was especially impressed by the perfect "snow wall" created just outside my front door by a man and his two children.

Last week we had a "snow day" on February 10th in NYC. Being from the midwest, however, this was really quite funny for me since they were forecasting nothing like the winter weather we experienced over Christmas or anything like what Washington D.C. was getting at the same time.

Anyway, the day before the public schools announced they were going to be closed because it "might" snow a lot. In total I think we got around 8-10 inches and while it was messy wet snow, it wasn't that bad. You should have heard how all the New Yorkers were panicking--they just aren't used to winter weather I guess! Public radio did a report that afternoon about how New Yorkers were "surviving the blizzard" by interviewing women at shoe stores who were buying boots (many for the first time!!) because they wore high heels and were unable to walk on the slippery wet sidewalks by lunchtime. Oh my goodness--I laughed so hard!

On a positive note, the NY parks service provided sleds and hot chocolate to children at some of the city's parks! Isn't that sweet? Overall it was a fun day because my class was canceled and it was just so beautiful to finally see the city covered in a thick layer of pristine white snow. It made me feel nostalgic for home in SD & MN!

Oscar the Model

Oscar loves posing for Alex.

Big yawn!

Ready to pounce...

Lazy cat.

These are a few of my favorite things!

I love the movie "The Sound of Music" but what I enjoy even more is being reminded of the simple joys in life that come from my favorite things. This may seem a little silly to some of you, but one of my most recent favorite things is my new flannel bedding! My aunt Liz, a quilter and sewer and all around creative genius, gave me these great red sheets for Christmas. What makes them special is that she appliqued a the beautiful flower pattern on the edges of the pillow cases and on the top of the flat sheet. They also match perfectly with my newest quilt I made this summer with my cousin Alison (ok, I'll admit that I still have to hand-stitch the binding on, but hey, I'm close and it still keeps me warm!) Anyway, thanks Liz for such a lovely and thoughtful gift! It is truly one of my favorite things!

We must be related...

I seem to have quite a few "like mother like daughter" moments and an equal share of "I am my father's daughter" moments. My dad and my Mom's family are especially good at making me aware of these moments (who is always the last one eating at the table? It used to be my mom and now it's me). Anyway, these shared family traits are not limited to my immediate family.

My cousin Alison has always been a kind of "big sister" role model for me and this last year has prompted me to reflect on her influence on me. A few similarities come to mind right away--she went to Luther, I went to St. Olaf; she was singer, so am I; she moved to NY to go to grad. school after college, I'm doing the same thing now. So call me a copycat! When I was little, whatever Alison did, I wanted to do (I've never told her this, but I'm sure it won't come as a huge surprise to her or the rest of the family). Here's a great picture of us (and her brother Mike) with the farm cats in Grandma Kelly's barn. Aren't we cute?



So, my most recent "Alison" moment occurred a few weeks ago when I started reorganizing the contents of my bookcase. Instead of organizing my books alphabetically or by subject, I decided to take a queue from Alison and arrange them according to the color of their spine. I'm an aesthete I suppose...most museum people are though. Note that Oscar has recently discovered how to jump on top of the bookcase.



Isn't it pretty? While it isn't the most practical thing I could have done, I like it anyway! We'll just have to see how easy it is to find things as the semester moves forward.

Alison also encouraged me to post a picture of it on my blog so here it is! My favorite response so far is my aunt Nancy exclaiming "Oh, dear God!" Thanks, Nancy--glad to have your support... :)

Oscar & Dorian are growing up...

Christmas in New York

It was hard to get into the holiday spirit this year while I was still in New York. Final papers and projects took precedent, but I did enjoy the lights and huge Christmas tree in my neighborhood.

What if you could hold Barnes & Noble in your hand and carry it with you everywhere you go?

I would say, "No, thank you. I'll keep my paperbacks."

The title of this blog entry comes from a leaflet advertising Barnes & Noble's new eReader technology that I received yesterday when I purchased a new book. (Will I have time to read this book anytime soon? Probably not, but books are my weakness and the art/art history section at the B&N in my neighborhood is unlike any other I've ever seen.)

I don't want a Kindle or a Nook, or any other type of technology that replaces the physical objects that are books. While I know the many people find ebooks an outstanding revolution in reading, I am not going to be an enthusiastic convert as long as paperbacks are still being printed and bookstores are still open for browsing. There is something unique and wonderful about holding a book in your hands and turning each page. It is a tangible sensory experience that, for me, is deeply connected with the experience of reading. I love feeling the cracked spines of my favorite and most read books from St. Olaf. I remember the smooth, glossy covers of my childhood Nancy Drew books....I could go on and on, but you get the idea.


That being said, here's a list of what I read over Christmas break:

1.) "Sargent's Daughters: A Biography of a Painting" by Erica E. Hirshler.

Hirshler is a curator of American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and in this text she explores one of the most well-known works in the MFA's collection, John Singer Sargent's "The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit."



This was a great read. Hirshler's book expertly marries the best of art historical scholarship and vocabulary with a very readable "novel-like" writing style that brings Sargent and the Boit girls to life by giving them historical and personal context. I've not seen the painting in person yet, but I'm hoping to visit Boston sometime soon and after reading this book I will make a special trip to the MFA to see it!

2.) "Old Masters, New World: America's Raid on Europe's Great Pictures" by Cynthia Saltzman.



Another great read--though a little more dense than "Sargent's Daughters." This book also reads like a novel at times, but is also packed with a detailed history of the Gilded Age in the United States. "Old Masters, New World" was especially interesting to me because it deals with the subject (art collecting) and time period (late 19th early 20th c.) that I studied for my senior research paper about Bertha Honoré Palmer of Chicago. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Palmer was not mentioned by Saltzman. Palmer is often overlooked because of her location in Chicago (in other worlds, NOT a member of the East Coast elite found in NY and Boston), and because she focused her collecting on contemporary painters--specifically the Barbizon and Impressionist artists of France. Anyway, I digress. The point is, I wish I had known about Saltzman's book when I was working on my Palmer paper--it would have been SO helpful. Oh well. It was still a great book that I would recommend.

3.) Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicolas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn



Right now I am in the midst of reading "Half the Sky" by Kristof (a New York Times columnist and his wife, Sheryl Wudunn, who is also in journalism) and am really enjoying it. As the subtitle explains, this book focuses on the human rights of women around the globe. To the Westerner, the human right's struggles of such women are shocking to the point of being unbelievable. Realizing this, Kristof and WuDunn write with this audience in mind--always explaining the cultural and political contexts that allow such inhuman experiences to occur. Subjects covered include prostitution & human trafficking, rape & "honor" killings, and maternal mortality & disability. So far it's getting me thinking more and more about how Western cultures can have a positive influence on women in third world without imposing Western values and cultural standards. It also directly addresses what happens when theory meets practice. It's a challenging and interesting read that I would highly recommend it to anyone concerned with human rights, women, global health, social justice, education, etc. (in other words, I think everyone should read it).

Happy reading.

Back on the Blogging Bandwagon (I hope)

I've just returned to New York after a long holiday vacation and I think it is appropriate to also return to my poor neglected blog at the same time. As many of you have noticed, I've been conspicuously absent from web for the last few months.

So here it goes...(in bulleted outline form because, as many of you know, I'm a little obsessed with organization and lists)

Brief summary of the last two and a half months:

1.) I love grad school. I finished my first semester with 2 big papers and a large project/presentation. They all went well and I'm very proud of the noticeable progress I've made in the last 6 months.

2.) I presented a paper at a museum studies symposium hosted by NYU. It was titled "Making Modern Art Narratives Accessible in the Museum: The Museum of Modern Art and the Tate Modern." The experience made me thankful for St. Olaf's required "Oral Communication" credit and for the experience of presenting my senior distinction paper last spring. In other words, St. Olaf prepared me for my future--what a success story! Here's a picture of one of MoMA's Monet "Waterlilies" that I used in my paper. Isn't it great (and huge?)



3.) Christmas was disrupted by a long and intense snowstorm. My family wasn't able to get together as we usually do--instead, Dad and I spent a few days inside eating, reading, and watching movies. It was also terribly cold but I was SO happy to see snow that I didn't mind. Here's a great picture of our garage on Christmas morning after the garage door accidentally stayed open all night because when we drove in the night before the drifted snow fell inside and blocked the door's sensor!



4.) Second semester starts on Tuesday and I can't wait. I'm taking 3 classes: Museum Management, Museums & Interactive Technologies, and Museums & Political Conflict.

5.) Oscar and Dorian have grown so much! My roommate, Alex, took care of them while I was gone for the holidays and I was so happy to return to them this week! They are still very active and Oscar is always loud and wild. He's adorable and very friendly with visitors, which is nice too. Both cats have recently found so odd places and positions to sleep. I was lucky enough to have my camera on hand to catch a few great napping moments:


I've never seen a cat sleep on his back before with his legs splayed out like this. Oscar is a funny little guy.


I don't know why the dishes drying rack is a comfortable place to nap, but Dorian seems to think it is.

Graduation/Going Away Party!

I'm a little behind in sharing these pictures from August. Marianne, thank you so much for taking this wonderful pictures. Thank you also to everyone who came! It was wonderful to celebrate with all of you!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

I have the movie "When Harry Met Sally" on my mind today (I hope you've all seen it--if not go rent it now!) Anyway, there's a scene that takes place in Central Park on a beautiful fall day when the leaves are golden and crisp.

Today is a day just like that.

The sun is shining with blue skies peaking out between the leaves that have just started to turn and drop to the ground. The temperature is mild--in the mid 50s so I'm bundled up in a thick warm sweater. Now all I need is a hot apple cider!

Homework calls....Happy Autumn!

Oscar is so Photogenic

Alex took another great picture of Oscar on top of the scratching post looking very alert.

Hiatus Ended....Fall in NYC

Hello dear family and friends!

Well, I'm back in the land of cyberspace now that midterms are over. It's been far too long since my last update and a lot has happened this fall that I should tell you about!

School
Classes at NYU are great so far but I can't believe that I'm half-way through my first semester already!! The time just flew by. Like I've mentioned before, I am taking 3 classes this semester which may not sound like much but since they are each worth 4 credits I am at a full load and very busy! The hardest and most time-consuming class I have is History and Theory of Museums with Professor Trask. Unlike some of my professors who are current or former museum professionals, Professor Trask is an intellectual and scholar through and through. He is very serious and demanding and frankly, rather intimidating. However, I appreciate his high expectations and demanding workload since I know I am becoming a better student and writer every week. At this point, I am very nervous though since I just turned in my first substantive midterm paper to him on Friday. I don't know if I've ever been so anxious when submitting an assignment. My other struggle with Professor Trask is that he gives almost NO positive feedback or encouragement--he just keeps pushing for "more analysis," "articulate and thoughtful participation," and "deeply critical reading." Two weeks ago he said at the end of class, "most of you are finally moving in the right direction with your analysis, but we have a long way to go." After that I didn't know whether I was more proud or petrified/intimidated--the rest of the class just sat there with wide eyes and sweaty palms. The good thing about his class is that I'm not shy about participating in class discussion and asking questions when I'm confused.

Ok, so enough about History and Theory. My other 2 classes? In sum--they're good but thankfully not as time-consuming or intense as Trask's class, but still very interesting.

Free Time
Living in NYC provides many opportunities for just about every person and every interest group. For me, this means that I've been able to see some wonderful concerts! Earlier this month I heard Haydn's "Creation" at Carnegie Hall and in September I went to the New York Philharmonic's opening season concert of Mahler's Symphony 3 at Avery Fisher Hall! For both concerts I was thrilled to be able to get student tickets for $15 each for great seats! I have tickets for quite a few other concerts throughout the year including concerts by MN Orch., Chicago Symphony Orch., Philadelphia Orch., and quite a few other New York Phil. concerts. I'm so excited about all of them and can't believe that I can get such cheap tickets! On Halloween I am going to hear Emanuel Ax play Beethoven with the New York Phil. and my seat is 4th row center!!

Um Ya Ya!!
So I knew there were other Oles living in NY but I had no idea how many! Two weeks ago I attended my first St. Olaf Alumni event at an art gallery owned by a 1992 graduate. I expected that Ben Baker (a fellow 2009 Ole also at NYU) would be the only person I knew and that everyone else would be older alums but boy was I wrong! Not only did I see people I knew (or recognized) but there were over a dozen recent alums and in total there were over 100 people there! We had an amazing time and now I have made friends with a groups of Ole who all graduated between 2006 and 2008 who are all living, working and going to school in NYC. What a find! I couldn't believe my luck!

So just when I thought things couldn't get any better, I was invited to a fall pumpkin carving party hosted by 2 young Oles, Kelly & Sean, last weekend! It was great! Ben and I met down by Union Square, bought 2 pumpkins, and then road in the subway lugging them with us! We got a few curious looks, but mostly people didn't seem to think it was out of the ordinary especially since people carry far stranger things on the trains! Anyway, we had a wonderful time eating fall foods, drinking apple cider and reminiscing about fall on the hill in Northfield. After eating, Kelly, our brilliant hostess, had us push all the furniture to the sides of the room and spread 2 huge disposable plastic tarps on the floor, making the perfect place for messy pumpkin carving. Here's a picture of my happy jack-o-lantern in my kitchen:

Fall in NYC
What kind of South Dakotan, or Midwesterner for that matter, would I be if I didn't tell you about the weather?! Interestingly enough, NY weather is strange and equally as noteworthy as the reports I've heard from some of you in MN & SD about early frosts, October snow showers, and weeks of cloudy days. Here's what I've learned about NY weather so far:

1. Weather here is schizophrenic and completely unreliable. For example, today is an absolutely perfect fall day with sunny skies, a high of 60 and a low of 44. Yesterday, on the other hand, was cold and rainy ALL day long with a high of 50, though it felt colder because of the rain. Thursday was the oddest day of all because it was sunny with a high of 73!!

2. New Yorkers don't know how to dress for the weather. Though they do know to carry their unbrellas with then everywhere, just in case, they seem a little misguided in the area of cold weather attire. In late September when it the temperature dropped into the low 60s from the hot humid days I've written about before, New Yorkers immediately got out their furry Ugg boots, wool coats, and knit hats. I, on the other hand, put on a sweatshirt or sweater and was fine. I was still wearing sandals and was getting looks. I couldn't believe it!!! How could they need so many layers when it's only 59 and partly cloudy?!?! What in the world are they going to wear when it actually gets cold--say, anywhere below 40??

3. Conclusion: Perhaps New Yorkers were not raised, as I was, by avid followers of The Weather Channel and weather.com. Maybe they just wake up in the morning and put on whatever strikes their fancy. I have no idea. I've stopped trying to understand.

Kittens
Oscar and Dorian are cuter than cute and I absolutely love having them around. They are now around four and a half months old and at least twice the size of when we got them in late August. I haven't written a detailed account of the chaos surrounding their health, but I will summarize by saying that they both had upper respiratory infections, ear infections, eye infections, and possibly worms when we got them. How terrible!!! I was so angry with the cat ladies we got them from who gave us so much trouble but promised that the kittens were healthy and had been to the vet. So now, hundreds of dollars and many ear drops, eye drops, and oral meds. later, Oscar and Dorian are healthy. One of Dorian's ears still needs special cleanings and drops on a regular basis, but other than that, they are growing and healthy. Here are a few pictures of them from the last week (note how much they both like sleeping on or under my quilts!):



If you're still reading this, thanks for hanging in there with me for a rather long update. I'm going to take a few pictures this afternoon of the fall colors around my neighborhood so I'll upload those soon! I hope you're all having a lovely fall. I miss you all a great deal. You're welcome to visit anytime!

Much Love,
~Maren

This is where I live....

The management company who owns Peter Cooper Village & Stuy Town, my apartment development, is in major financial trouble and is expected to default on HUGE loans in the next few months. Yippy. We don't know exactly how that will effect us, but here is that latest news plaguing my management company, Tishman Speyer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/nyregion/23stuytown.html

MIDTERMS

I'm dreadfully behind on this blog. Last week I had two midterm projects/papers due. This week I have my last midterm paper due. It's the scary, super-hard History & Theory class that I will write about more after turning in the paper.

Look for an update this weekend after I recover from midterms.

Alex took this great picture of Oscar.