.9.11.

Well, friends.. it is now 11:26 PM on September 11th, 2010. 9 years ago something happened that will shake our history and our generation forever. September 11th, 2001 will be in my children's History textbooks and I will tell them about it... every year we will see footage of two American flights crashing into the Twin Towers in New York City. The day that shook America will be burned into my memory forever. I will remember walking into the my 8th grade History class and hearing students yelling in the hall that something bad was happening... and then going home to seeing those two planes crash into the towers over and over and over... I remember my History teacher telling us that we should not live in fear.. even though these acts were committed out of a dark anger and hate towards Americans, life would have to go on... we had to move forward. My teacher reminded us that heinous acts against our country have happened before and will continue to happen, but we still had to step out of our homes and continue living life... terrorists would want us to live in fear, but living in fear is not living at all. I know there is a lot of controversy swirling around that day of whether it could have been stopped or handled better, it still does not change the fact that it happened... it was significant and had purpose. So looking ahead to the years to come, we must always remember this part of our history, but try to gain something from it... maybe an appreciation for what we have, for the ones we love, for the freedom we love. I know for me, watching these documentaries today of everyday people... students from NYU watching the events occur... one minute those towers were there, one minute those people were breathing and the next, they were burned up in airplane fuel or crushed in debris.

Let's live as though tomorrow is not a promise and love as though our time is short. Don't wait to live out your dreams until it is too late... don't leave your loved ones with an unkind word.

.new adventures.

So, this has kind of become a forgotten blog for me. It actually started as a class project in college and after the class, I let it go... Well, not anymore! I am now currently in my last year of college and have decided this blog will be a great way to kind of work through my ideas and inspirations and especially challenges. I currently don't have a way to upload images easily, but once school starts I will have a better computer and will be regularly updating here with sketches and notes.

This summer I had the wonderful chance to go to New York for the first time and see the Museum of Modern Art, The Guggenheim, and I also visited the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. Of course, the New York museums were wonderful, and I must say too much to take in for just ONE DAY, however, the most remarkable "museum" that we had the chance to see was by far the Barnes Foundation. There is a lot of controversy flying around this landmark in Philadelphia, but I am so glad we had the chance to see it in its original state before it is moved into the city of Philadelphia. You can read more about the Barnes Foundation here. This entry would be too long if I explained all of the history behind this great place, but I will give a summary. All of the artwork in the building is arranged and best described as a "salon style". Paintings and drawings line the walls and the way up to the ceiling and are arranged around chairs, desks, and numerous other housewares. The founder, Albert C. Barnes established the Barnes Foundation to "promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts." We learned that both music and art classes were held in this building and the art the adorned the wall was organized to enhance these art classes. It was just a really cool experience!

Needless to say, I had a great summer and saw lots of great art! Tomorrow, the craziness of school begins once again! I am excited to be around my fellow classmates and artists once more as I begin my final two semesters. More to come!