Friday, October 25, 2013

Life After Graduate School

Life after graduate school...

I am way overdue on my blogging! So much has been going on since I graduated! For one, Jorge was finally able to move here over the summer, and we are getting married in a few months! :) I couldn't be happier. It's been great having him around all the time, especially after 3 years of us driving back and forth between Tucson, Sierra Vista and Mesa.

Over the summer I was hired as a Faculty Associate to teach a 3D Design class at ASU. I was thankful to have another opportunity to teach 3D Design to make the changes I had wanted to make since the first time I had taught the class. Teaching is a constant learning process, which is one of the things that I love about it.

Now I am teaching in two schools, which has been a dream come true.




I am an Artist in Residence at Mesa Arts Center, one of the most amazing and well equipped metals studios I've seen, and feel incredibly lucky to be there! I am also an instructor there, and have been LOVING it! The other instructors who teach there and the students and everyone else I've met have been great, and I am having so much fun.



The only thing that has surprised me about life after graduate school, is that I am even busier now than I was then! Not that I'm complaining. As Artist in Residence, I have my own work space, which has been so incredibly amazing, especially since I don't have enough space at home for a proper studio until we can move into a larger place. 

Also, Mesa Arts Center just purchased these beautiful brand new enameling kilns, large enough to enamel large vessels! They are great for the enameling class I'm teaching, as well as for working on my own work.



I am also an adjunct instructor at Central Arizona College in Collidge, AZ. I'm also loving it there! I teach 3 classes there one day a week, and my students are so hard working. 


Here are some images of the CAC Metals Studio:





And some images of the campus:







We just had an opening reception for the student exhibition that my classes participated in, and I am so proud of the work they did! It's a little challenging to squeeze everything into 3 short hours a week, but they were up to the task! I was really impressed with the turnout for the opening yesterday as well. CAC does an excellent job of making sure that students in the fine arts get involved. There are 3 student shows each semester, with one large juried show at the end of the year. 

This particular show had work by students from Jewelry, 3D Design, Photography, Ceramics, and Illustrator. The CAC Jazz Choir sang, and a band called "Smoke in Your Eye" played, and then there was some improv going on. The culinary students provided the refreshments, which was amazing. I've never seen a school opening quite like it, where so many different areas within the arts pulled together to make it a truly wonderful show. Unfortunately my phone died so I wasn't able to take photos with the huge crowd of people there, but maybe next time. The exhibition will be up in the Student Gallery until November 27.