toujours...

...to a new blog, that is.  i've been there for awhile now.  vox is too limited as far as creative control.  this is my new home:  www.elleadore.wordpress.com.   i've already copied and pasted some old posts onto the new place.  at first i thought i was going to transfer everything over and then close this down but now i'm losing patience.  i think i'll leave this up.

i'm still thinking about the christie's education program.  now i'm not so sure.  yes, it will teach me hands-on experience working with art--maybe in a museum setting, auction house, private organization but is that what i want.  i know it also teaches you to write about art but i don't see myself writing about art as a career.  then i found an article from the new york times (i think).  it was about the program.  it confirmed what i knew:  that the master's program is competitive.  there are art history students from yale, brown, and other ivy league schools applying.  i still wonder if this is the path for me even if i enroll for another program before applying for the masters.  is this really what i want to do?  work in the commercial art world.  sort of.  sigh.

amidst my quarter-life crisis, i did come across a lovely band, great lake swimmers.  they are canadian and i came across them while browsing another site, la vie photography.  you can listen to samples of their music on their website.  my two favorite songs are pulling on a line and moving pictures silent film.

what i know for sure:

- i want to go back to france (to study french);

- i love art.

...not sure about:

- work.  i wouldn't mind working in, around, with modern and contemp art.  in a large museum. 

- the masters program i'm currently looking at.  i'm really interested in the program but i need more information.  what careers will open up if i go this path.  what am i interested in doing?  am i qualified for this program?  how much knowledge of art is enough?

either way, i know this:  whether or not i apply for the masters program, i should study french.  i want to do it anyway and if i do apply and get into the program, i'll need it for this program--french is a major part of the international art world.

yesterday or the day before, i continued my research into art conservation programs.  this time i looked under "modern and contemporary art" and "art conservation".  one of the results brought me to a program at christie's, the auction house.  at two of their locations, new york and london, they offer undergraduate and graduate programs in art.  the school is called christie's education. the one in london particularly caught my attention.  there is a graduate program in modern and contemporary art.  the london school is also connected to the university of glasgow which means any student at christie's would automatically be enrolled at the university and they would graduate with their counterparts at the university in the commencement ceremonies.  

it is unlike a museum studies course although i can't quite explain the difference.  i think with a regular museum studies course you are studying something specific.  this program is about modern and contemporary art which makes it broader than a specific field.  from the course description it sounds like after graduation one would be presented with more opportunities.  it is a one year program and tuition is $28000.  seeing how the program at nyu is almost impossible for me to even apply because of my weakness in the sciences, this is a pretty good alternative.  the program has rolling admissions but it starts in september.  if i do this, i will probably apply for next year.  i will need two letters of recommendation, statement of intent, undergraduate transcripts, and if i get that far, there will be an interview.  at the interview, i will need to talk about art, my interests and goals, and there might be a writing sample involved. i would find out if i'm accepted or not in two weeks.  incredible.  unlike applying to school here where you would here back in five months.  the good thing is that there is no application fee and no entrance exams.

looking at other graduate programs in studio art, the more i realize how much i'm drawn to this program at christie's.  sadly, the more i realize that the studio art road for me has come to an end.  i still love making things.  the act of painting and drawing.  to make something from nothing.  all of that has come to an end.  i have no ideas or projects left.  i do know that i still love art and going to museums.  i feel that the art museum is where i should be which is why this program is almost perfect.

you would think this decision is so obvious.  i can either work toward my dream of making my way back to france or do the easy thing and stay where i am right now.  i've been on this path for almost 3.5 years now working in retail.  no, i'm not happy although i do love my co-workers.  this would be a drastic change which would require lots of thinking before i would make my decision.  if i don't come across something else, i hope i make the right decision.

oh, one more thing. i would still want to study french in france.  i just don't know if i should do it before or after the christie's program (if i do it).  if i do the program, french would come in handy and is maybe even necessary in the art world...

it's real.  we do have one although it's not as extensive right now.  its also pretty young (about 20 years old).  it serves the urban centre although there are a few lines that stretch out to the suburbs.  it being a limited system right now many people including myself have not taken it yet because it's still too far.  it needs to extend and expand itself to suburbs in every direction like the paris metro.  unfortunately, the county's grand size (4061 sq. mi) is probably why the system seems small right now even though it stretches from north to south of the county line (the city itself is 498.3 sq mi).  paris however is very small compared to l.a. (41 sq.mi.) which is to their advantage.  sigh...

i will take it one day.  i'm actually planning a trip right now.  it's a shame only a small population of los angeles use it.  with limited funding, it may take 20 more years to see my vision come true. 

this is the system map.

here are some pictures from flickr (taken by:  1. mattchenot, and 2. jemore17):

Subway

Subway2

two days ago on facebook i found out that my best friend from elementary school has started her own jewelry design business.  it's small right now but i do like her designs.  i love her website, too.  it's very pretty.  her company is called social grace designs.  she's had this passion for awhile now and decided to just do it.  i wish i could do the same.

so what are the three categories?  well, grace is just another person i know who is making and selling jewelry.  my cousin and sister also do that on the side but they haven't made a career out of it like my friend has.  that's one category.  the other one is teaching.  one cousin's wife is a teacher, another cousin (mentioned earlier) will be a teacher one day--she already has a degree and is just waiting for the economy to pick, and then one of my best friends from high school is also a teacher.  then there was me.  i applied for the teaching job in france but did not get it.

i was just doing research on france and i came across a study abroad scholarship website.  i clicked on france to see all that was offered (and of course, just about all scholarships are for students) but then i came across one program, the french-american foundation.  browsing their website, i came across an article about how france is going to overhaul their higher education system and that they are looking at the united states' higher education system as a model.  the process has already started this past january.  with the french-american foundation, france is having a symposium of key government figures in the education department and other french figures who have worked inside a major american university either as professor, researcher, or administrator to pick out the good from the bad, the fact from the fiction to possibly use in reforming their own system.  the things that are being examined include human resources, fundraising, and leadership.  they are also taking into account the students' perspective.  this is very interesting.

now if america could do the same.  one example, the metro rail in los angeles.  when they designed it, what were they thinking when they decided it would go as slow as it does?  why didn't they design it to go as fast as the metro in paris?  if you are going to implement something like mass transit, why not go all the way with all that's good in other cities' or other countries' models?

so it doesn't look like grad school is in the picture anymore.  my mind has gone back to "maybe france".  i've been thinking (actually, i'm always thinking) that i am almost 30.  i don't know what is in store for me five years from now or even next year.  the opportunities that i thought i could find are not there.  opportunities are just hard to come by.  right now i am working in retail.  if i don't go or do something, i will probably still be there.  if i leave and come back i figure if i really need a job, i could always go back.  i'm not sure how much longer i will have to wait before i have enough money or more money.  things could change and i might not have time to take off from my life again.  going back to france could be it for me.  it's probably something i have to do on my own terms.

so how did i get back to this point...for some reason i was just looking at doing one semester at a language school.  i was going to add a few months to the end of my calculations but didn't.  in one semester (4 months), the tuition isn't too bad and its still a decent amount of time to spend abroad.  i remember last month i was thinking of staying for 6 months, in the least, but this compromise works out pretty well.  my french will improve and i will come home with some money left over--even if i don't get a job as a locale recrute.  only possible downside is that i don't think i will have enough money to travel.  oh dear...

p.s.  i just checked expedia for rt airfare and there's a few flights for $735(!) on british airways.  oh. my. goodness.  i feel a sudden urge to just buy it right now.

los angeles. outside temp: 90+ F

i just had to record the temperature.  we are only one month into spring and it feels like summer.  people are hanging out on the beach and the sun is scorching hot.  it is supposed to cool down in the next few days.
+ + +
every time i think i may have a clue what my future holds, i hit a road block or the road just ends.  that seems to be happening with my investigation into art conservation.  the admission pre-requisites alone could only be completed by someone who is still working on their bachelor's degree:  there are requirements in science, art history and foreign languages (one school).  most of these classes are upper division so they are only offered at four year universities.  i have a studio art degree which would help in this profession immensely but i can't even apply to any of these schools because there is no way i can complete the pre-requisites before admission.  it is an unfair situation which i'm sure no one was aware of when they designed these programs.  sigh...i guess i'm not meant to take this path.

another path just presented itself to me a few days ago:  that of pursuing a career in the conservation and restoration of contemporary art.  i came across this idea after i requested information on museum studies from a university.  i have no serious intentions of going to that school or going into museum studies when i requested the information.  i was just exploring it as an option.  later that night i did more thinking as i was unable to fall asleep in my cold room.  i knew i did not want to become a curator or administrator.  it was then that i thought of conservation and restoration of contemporary art.  i knew i wanted to work in an art/creative environment.  i knew i was above average in creative problem-solving.  this path was perfect.

the next day i looked into the different programs that were available worldwide -- turns out there are very few schools that offer this program.  after a few more days of research, i found that there is only one school that offers an area of study specifically for modern and contemporary art and that school is the art institute at nyu.  the degree conferred is actually a masters in art history and certificate in conservation!  there is one other school that offers such a degree.  all other schools offer a program where you have to pick one area of specialty:  paintings, drawings, sculpture, textiles, cultural heritage artifacts, etc.  i really would not know which i would prefer without trying them all.

nyu's program is probably the most well-thought of curriculum i came across, also. it is a four year program with the fourth year entirely dedicated to an internship.  the program consists of classes in hands on training, and seminars on the topic.  on top of that but not part of the curriculum, students are required to have reading knowledge of french and german.  interestingly enough, i had already considered going abroad to study french for a year before applying to any school.  i knew that french is important in this field as it is in the rest of the art world. and the other admission pre-requisites are four classes in art history beyond the introductory level and four courses in lab science (where inorganic chemistry has to be one of them).  the science requirements alone would deter me from going any further.  students need to earn a B or better in science -- back in high school i remember having a hard time in chemistry.  i passed with a C. 

well, this can be done but i would have to stop working because i could only do one thing well, especially if one of the two is school.  school is always my priority.  imagine going back to school for only art history and lab science.  since i took one non-intro art history class back at uci: medieval architecture (or romanesque archictecture) and i'm not sure if that if that one counts.  i would only need 3 more then.  in lab science, i only took one in college:  bio. i'm hoping i passed that with a B.  here, i would have 3 classes left.  if i decided to do this, it would take me 3 semesters since most science classes have to be taken in order.  3 semesters of two classes each.  great.  of course this means i won't be able to go to france to study french.  rats.  oh and the other thing, taking the pre-reqs for admission does not guarantee admission.  if i don't get in, i am stuck. 

so was this idea just a ghost or is it supposed to put me on a new path?  whatever it is it has made things more difficult for me.  i'm more lost now than before this idea came to me.  maybe i should just stay on my old path...