the land of Opportunity...

it is Halloween, and I survived another month.

as I mentioned before in another post, there is a conflation between the expected, obligatory, and optional elements that can be the first stumbling building block in the NMH experience. (with that being said.... should I mention that I am still very excited about my job.)
However, while reveling in my nascent knowledge of the particulars, I have to remind myself that the there is a balance in the process.

Here's some highlights since my last post.

1. Triumph Show.
2 weeks ago (in mid October) was my first trip back to New Jersey since moving out here in August.
For those that may or may not know, I have a solo exhibition opening up this week on Tuesday, at Triumph Brewery in downtown Princeton. Much of the culmination of my existence was to make sure I had enough paintings to fill the space. I was balancing and racing to get things done, essentially, though by the time I was to hang the show, I was rather efficient (with help from Sam, Alex and Pam). I think it looks good, actually. I'm proud of myself I was able to get that accomplished - also, I'm in a faculty group exhibition coming up here at NMH for the month of December. (...more on that later! but great inspiration to get some work done.)

2. Midterms.
this happened not too long ago, but I felt like it needed to be brought up because it was basically crazy. In the culture of an NMH Faculty, midterm week = progress reports, which are these paragraphs that get sent home to parents regarding their child in your class. Even if one doesn't have a midterm in the class, they still get one. on the upside for me, I teach a class that 99% of kids enjoy, (with the exception of 1 or 2.) the downside for me is that I have about 48 students, which is insane when you think about all the reports that goes with it. Midterm week ended with parent/teacher conferences, and I just remember sitting there in my classroom having parents float in and out in 10 minute intervals, sort of like speed dating. Interesting experience.

3. NMH Dance Off
There are intramurals every Friday here, and usually teams are sorted by dorm. This week's was a Dance-Off. Between having dorm duty the night before and helping the boys choreograph, to finally seeing them win. this video and picture really says it all. enjoy!

4. Becoming a Legal Mass-hole. 
I took the plunge and got license plates here during the fall break, which had actually been less painful than I thought it would be. sure, it took tons of paperwork. but take a look at the before/after! I have received some questions on whether or not the license plates had any reasoning behind them. okay. Yes, I picked the fish and wildlife charity. It was better than supporting the Patriots. Massachusetts has lame plates. I think that's all that really needs to be said on the matter.

Before.

After.

Though, I do have one thing to say... no matter where you are, there is certainly an element of 'protocol' and red tape one must deal with the ensure all the details are considered. I personally think Massachusetts takes it a little far. Getting my license should have been not a huge deal - the state confiscates the old state license... and then instead of a NEW license (which you receive in the mail in about a week's time), you get a piece of paper that has all your information on it that reads "not used for identification." Okay. so I'm not buying beer for a week. fine. but then you're expected to get your car inspected within 7 days. I am sorry. I don't even have the time to consider getting it inspected, much less doing it. Then after 14 days I finally pull into a station (I'm driving illegally at this point having gone over the 7 day grace period.) and fail because of my headlight (idiot deer I hit about a year ago cracked my headlight). no extension. So you basically don't even get rewarded or recognized that you at least TRIED to get it inspected. bullshit. What the state is trying to say that you pull away to either go to a garage/body shop or back home and either way it is illegal for you to be on the road. what the hell kind of sense does that even make?
Ok. so 4 days later, I finally get my life together and get my headlight repaired. and I'll just rant about this because I can. Dodge makes their cars in the most ass-backwards way, where the mechanic basically has to take off the bumper and wheel in order to replace the light. labor costs through the roof. shoot me. and then they inspect it. oh, Ms. Scott? Yeah you're failing because your steering has a bit of a vibration in it. We will have to replace the whole system, which will take about 4 hours and $500 later. (aka: no other state in the nation gives a flying shit about a situation like this, but you happen to be in one that has nothing else going on so we'll just mention this so you have more to deal with.) OH and you're still going to drive home illegally, so don't get pulled over.
ugggghhhh.

5. Running.
Maybe out of boredom. Maybe in my last ditch attempt to fit into my old jeans. Or because of the annual Pie Race* that NMH hosts in November. I somehow, somewhere took up running. I started to not only enjoy it but actually am pretty good at it. And today, of all days, on Halloween I enrolled myself and wifey, Teryl, to run a 5k. in a costume. I literally didn't have something until about 10 minutes before we left, but I decided on Rosie the Riveter, and Teryl went as "Zoro's Girlfriend".

We made friends with a guy who dressed like a Hooter's girl.

My goal is to do more races. By the way, the Pie Race is about a 4 mile stretch around the school where if you clock a certain time (averaging about a 10 minute mile) you get a pie. Not sure what kind of pie. but does it matter? It's a freakin pie! That's reason enough. and even if I don't win a pie this year, I can at least try to race without walking and say to my inner fat kid "HEY IDIOT. look what I just did." and then maybe I'll write a letter to Ms. Totten (creepy gym teacher) who probably thought I was an epic fail at gym and say, yeah take a bite out of this. Obviously, I've just never done this before. in my 26 years of existence, I have always been that lazy kid who hates competition, who was forced to do PE, and never thought I'd actually try to do anything in that realm. part of me still hates all those fast idiots that lapped people at the 5k today. Look dude, don't show off. Embrace that there's a fat kid who has never done this before. and you're passing them. like the old days. I wonder no matter how much you're advised to not compare people, if you still do that naturally, as human nature. either way. I'm a fat kid who runs now.

6. Going Abroad.
the idea of this is pending. but the topic itself causes me so much excitement I wanted to at least mention it. NMH has a bunch of abroad programs that run for 2 weeks during our allocated spring break time. There are 8 different trips going this year, (I can't remember them all, but I know S. Korea, Argentina, Australia, Kazakhstan, Italy, British Isles, India...) and my roommate, Rosey and I have basically tried to get as involved in making sure we could be considered as faculty chaperones on any of these trips. We should know by Christmas. We actually made a promotional video where we advertised ourselves in different parts of the world so the committee could see how 'natural' it is. Not sure how awesome they found it, but I'll guess we'll find out.

this is us in Argentina.

7. Classes.
Classes are great. still going strong. Not much to report on that front, really, but this is for serious why I work here. This is the core of why I love my job. (though the cafeteria workers all dressing like bloody corpses on Halloween is a close 2nd.) Swimming will start soon - 2 weeks roughly - and I will be the JV coach. Maybe that will be fun, though in all reality, I haven't even really wrapped my head around that yet. I think of the time I was on swim team in high school and Coach Hand was like the beacon of authority. yeaaaah. if only I could aspire to be like that. I'd be the coach that is totally cool with people coming late. Oh, it's fine, Sally, remember next time! I need to train more on how to be a hard-ass. 



So. with that being said. I'll have to be updating sooner or later, since my opening at Triumph is this week. I am actually having the department chair babysit my classes this Wednesday! after class Tuesday, I will be driving back to New Jersey, and staying until Wednesday about lunch time. If you're around and still reading at this point, let's hope we are connecting then.

this is what my morning commute looks like.

slowly becoming a Mass-hole.

I fear I have been off the map more than normal. There's always an element of sitting under the radar for me, given I guess my personality, but having moved a few hours away and also having a job where I literally am 'on' for hours and hours (almost 60+ hour weeks) a day is well. time consuming to say the least?
So if you're reading this and you still want to be my friend, then I am pleased about that. I really feel like I've struggled trying to make people happy here and leave kind of my NJ/Baltimore friends on the backburner a bit. I love you guys. if that means anything.
My week has been crazy here - from classes to dorm duty, where should I begin. well dorm duty isn't anything special really - I just am required to be present once a week in my respective dorm (Thursday) for 7-11pm and routinely check in. Usually I bake brownies or whatever and then hand them out to the kids as a semi-excuse to come into their room and see what they're working on. Once a term, the dorm faculty have to cover a weekend, and since I have Thursdays anyway, I was on T-Sat. so. I was doing that. and although nothing exciting happened, it was still insanely draining. no wonder it only happens once a term.

My classes are doing really well. I may have mentioned that I teach a freshmen foundations class, and that makes me nervous most days. I think it's because the very first week of school many of them didn't talk, and the ones that DID talk didn't feel like listening. I am pleased to say they are coming around. We did have a great end to the week, this project I gave them was an adaptation of Ukiyo-e's Great Wave blockprint.

' 

I printed out a copy, made a grid, and each student got a little 1"x1.5" block that they had to transfer by charcoal onto a bigger piece of paper. They didn't consult each other while doing this, so the first time they were able to put it together was when all the pieces were done. Here's the final piece (now hanging in the hallway of the RAC.)

These students made me proud this week.

in other news. We had an NMH annual event this week, "Mountain Day", where essentially each class hikes a mountain during what would otherwise be considered a school day. My role as a faculty was to sit at a check in point and make sure the kids didn't die. I know. I'm so ridiculously important. so then there is a 'sweep' person who collects everyone after the last kid comes through and we head up the hill ourselves to get a lunch.

Meg, Teryl, Julia and Martha (and I) taking a break before heading up the mountain.

my roommate, Teryl, and good friend Sarah.

The kids liked it because there was essentially no classes that day, and the weather was absolutely stunning. The seniors were able to hike Mt. Monadnock, which is a pretty rigorous climb - a lot of scaling the mountain and vertical rocks. The top is high enough that you could see Boston.

still wanted to give a shout-out to my girl Pam who made it out here and visited a few weeks back. we also made pizza fondue. (my life is jburg.) Thinking of everyone down in the garden state - esPECially on Thursdays during Jersey Shore. the people on that show are absolutely ridiculous, and the boys in my dorm absolutely worship them. well just the situation. they are all about the GTL. maybe next time I post I'll have some lines.

so. new england in the autumn. definitely more pictures to come. and to be insanely into the harvest season (yay for pumpkin and my girlfriend Colleen.) our NMH farm has started to sell pumpkins. and the leaves are turning (though it's still 90 degrees some days.) more to come on the turn of the season. I'll be back in NJ to celebrate the matrimony of Cheryl and Gurzo the weekend of the 8th, and then the following week.

If you still love me, at this point, let's make plans.

Massachusetts Bound. part 2.

Hey again,    So. it’s going to be my one month anniversary of living in Massachusetts, happening this Saturday. And as cliché as it sounds, I can’t believe it really – because part of me has felt at home here from the first week. So. I guess it feels longer than a month. I’ve made some pretty incredible friends on the faculty and am still meeting people daily. My academic life takes place in this beautiful new arts building they call the RAC(K). (An acronym for Rhodes Arts Center.) Kind of amusing, because it is well. A nice rack.      I am one of 3 people in the visual arts department – the other two faculty members with me are two old men, one of which has been teaching here for 30+ years, and the other for 10. I mean, I am not only completely new, but I am about 20+ years their junior as well as the only woman in the visual arts. Our department meetings are completely random – both are ridiculously crotchety. Maybe I’m getting on a tangent here. Either way. It’s kind of an interesting dynamic. So I teach about 5 classes total, and we have block scheduling so I have about a 2 hour duration with each of them over the course of the week. These classes are essentially Drawing 1, Digital Photography (probably my all time favorite class), Freshman Foundations (they are small and ridiculous), Landscape Drawing, and Design Theory. The classes here are pretty small – I think my smallest being Landscape drawing with 8 kids, and the biggest is Freshman Foundations with 15 (though it feels like 85.) When I’m not teaching, I am currently the JV coach for the Outdoor Team here. This is basically a PE class for the kids who want to do awesome stuff outside, like rock climb, mountain bike, canoe and sail. (and I don’t pretend that I know how to do all of them – I primarily do the canoe and biking portion of it and let other people run the rest.) I think what I really like about this job is that it is extremely similar to Johnsonburg. One of which being the SNAG events they have here for the students that live on site (primarily the international ones.) they have activities that range from Bingo, to blood drives, to Habitat trips, to bus rides to Boston,  I mean it’s really an endless array of options. We also sing after every school meeting. And they’re usually hymns and the kids kind of pile in a chapel (not much different than the new chapel) and sort of sing their part in the community. In other news, I am still going strong with my vegetarianism (and for those of you that didn’t know I became a veggie, I did this past May as a sort of recognition of a bunch of things. Ask me if you want.) – and not unlike camp, the vegetarian food is freaking amazing. We are currently underway with international week so each dish is being ‘sponsored’ by a different country. Despite this, no matter what day, it’s actually really hard to turn the food down… So, I can ramble on and one about all of this stuff I’m doing, but overall you should know the following. I am extremely happy here. I love every minute of my job. And I am extremely thankful for Johnsonburg these days, as this whole camping lifestyle has made my transition into rural America extremely painless. (I’m teaching my dorm how to make s’mores on a George Forman grill this Friday, in fact, which has been a Lakeside tradition.) I do try and make it out of the NMH bubble once in awhile, and hit up some of the neighboring towns. I made a Flickr account which has been allowing me to show students our residence life shots (I can’t friend them on Facebook), and you can find the link here: My Flickr page. I sort of organized it in a way I hope you can follow – and I’ll warn you that I’m not in any of these photos really (because I’m behind the camera.) but it will give you an insight to what our campus life is about. Hog Olympics is a sub-category. So to explain a bit. The NMH mascot is a ‘hog’. And the school has this annual event where students are represented on teams as the dorm and partakes in certain events, like slowest bike race and water carrying. We also made a flag that represented us, as seen in a bunch of different pictures. Whatever these pictures mean to you, I hope you enjoy.  Now I should be getting back to New Jersey for a few weekends in October. It will be nice to be temporarily back in the mid Atlantic. And as always, visitors HERE are always welcome... already had some camp representation stop in for a brief visit and check out my 'Hogwarts-esque' lifestyle. YAY PAM! That may be it for now. Thinking of you all fondly and loving the various updates I've been getting. Thanks again for being wonderful additions to my outside life, and totally thankful I can share these experiences with you.

Massachusetts Bound.

Hey there everyone,
So just like the beginning of every big move, the insanity sort of comes 2nd nature which has been... well... overwhelming... exciting... and a lot of craziness. just to name a few. I mean, where to begin really.
So I know a few of you knew that I left Johnsonburg up until basically last minute, on a Friday August 13, post dinner, and moved out here on that Saturday. (which wasn't a genius move but whatever.)

to give you the low-down, I work at a coed boarding school called Northfield Mount Hermon School out in Northfield, MA. which is basically the last town in Massachusetts before hitting the VT and New Hampshire border (depending on what side of the connecticut river you go on). The school is about 664 (accurate count for the 2010-11 school year) students, about 100 of them are day students and the rest reside here until the end of the school year.

so. I guess I could go on a bunch of tangents. I moved into a ranch house on campus, basically right next to the Headmaster's house with 2 other girls also newly hired - I included them in one of the pictures enclosed. One is Teryl Scott who teaches French (we share a last name. and because the houses normally go to families, people have asked us if we are partners.) and the other is Rosey, who is in mathematics. and my cats. we're a pretty awesome little family. :) So getting back to it - we moved in (see pictures of the place enclosed) and new faculty orientation started not long after - which resulted in extremely long days and nights.
so the upside being that generally, everyone really gets along well and its starting to feel like an amazing community. the downside is that I barely had any free time last week. so. still learning the balance that a bit.

the start of this new week has been amazing. Overall, although I don't live in a dorm, my responsibilities include still being on dorm duty - my particular one is an all boys upper class dorm of about 47. I share this dorm with 3 other staff members and a few Student Leaders, who are essentially seniors who have been hired to be so. They basically do all the menial tasks each night, check in after curfew, room checks, similar to an RA except without the punishing authorities. aside from that, I have about 7 students from this dorm who are my personal advisees, and act like a 'mom' to, check in with, am essentially the go-to person when they skip class, etc. and a liaison between the school and their parents. my group this year (I will meet them on Thursday) are all 11th grade boys, one's a day student and one's an international from Asia (not sure exactly where yet). rest are all from america. in various corners.

I teach about 5 classes, which meet twice a week based on block scheduling (so for 2 hours each interval), which include the subjects: drawing I, design theory, digital photography and the new 9th grade visual arts foundation class (one of the other guys Craig in my orientation class is doing the performing arts section of this). and then a co-curricular (takes the place of when fall sports have practice) of Landscape drawing (this class is pretty sweet. and should I mention completely goes against Johnsonburg's supervision rules. I can take all these kids in my car and drive anywhere. I can take them to my house. I can be in their bedrooms for whatever reason. just saying. its kind of feeling wrong.) I am also going to be the JV Head coach for swimming this winter, and my wife... er.... roommate Teryl is my assistant coach. which makes me laugh because the last time I was even remotely swimming a real stroke was when I was in high school, though I also know that I am the most qualified out of everyone here. kind of sad, really.

so after a bunch of dorm staff meetings and whatever else, I am feeling. oriented. and my student leaders are great. the kids themselves move in later this week and we, as a school faculty, take them hiking up Mt. Monadnock for the day. and we have HogOlympics that evening - sort of rotating around community and allowing kids to get familiar with the school. (oh yeah, our school mascot is a pig.)

and I am still learning things - found myself out in Keene, NH to check out the closest Target, but mostly relying on the favorite grocery chain Price Chopper. and Market Basket. really great little places to eat in interesting, artsy hippie towns like Northampton, MA and Brattleboro, VT. I am really loving small town New England. I can see myself making a home here. it's really beyond exciting.

thanks again for the ongoing support and love from you all - I promise to keep the updates coming and the lines of communication open. and with that being said, you are absolutely always welcome to visit if you're around or want to flee your side of the country a bit.

New Website!

Hey all,
Just wanted to let everyone know that I launched my new website at www.laurenRscott.com. That is the new location for my artwork, news, and portfolio... I will still be using this blog site, but more for personal musings and art ideas.

check it out!

In the Flesh II - Target Gallery, Alexandria, VA - July 22-August 30, 2009

Northern Virginia Art Beat

By Kevin Mellema

Thursday, 30 July 2009 13:48

Corporeal Art In The Flesh II, at Target Gallery (in the Torpedo Factory), 105 N. Union St., Alexandria. The event runs through August 30. The gallery is open Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., with extended evening hours on Thursdays until 9 p.m. For more details, call 703-838-456, ext. 4, or see www.torpedofactory.org/galleries/target.htm. Alison Oaks’ “Bruise and Bra.” (Photo: Courtesy Target Gallery) Note: Reception with juror's talk will be held Thursday, Aug. 13, from 5 – 6 p.m. This being the second figure show at Target Gallery in as many years, we can only hope it's become an annual show in their rotation. While there have been a string of figure shows around town of late, the one at the Phillips Collection is the best show about the act of painting. While the Target Gallery show isn't as well executed as all those canvases by the likes of de Kooning, Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon (not much is), the Target Gallery show hits harder on a purely psychological level. They're both great shows to catch. The Phillips show will teach you how to paint, and the Target show will teach you how to think. They work well together. The Phillips show you absolutely have to see in person because it's largely about the physicality of the paint itself, which doesn't come across well in photos of the work. While figure shows may emphasize the nude human form, in this case it simply means people are the subject matter. There is nudity here, but not much. More importantly, it's what they're doing, and how they're doing it that makes this show sing. Where the Phillips show is largely about the act of painting, the Target Gallery show is mostly about the psychological states of the subjects. "Censored" by Ann Piper (of Pennsylvania) depicts a nude female torso holding up a chain of black paper cut-out dolls in front of her. The row of identical dolls forms a sort of screen which blocks our view, and seems to block her thinking. Yet another perfectly normal and healthy looking woman tortures herself for not fitting the cookie-cutter ideal, because the cookie-cutter ideal isn't normal. Lauren Scott (of New Jersey) has an oil painting of two adolescent girls looking towards the viewer, and off the picture field, as if some parental/authority figure has suddenly walked in on them in the midst of teenage goofiness. Seated side by side, one comically appears to have a tea kettle strapped to the top of her head as if it were a crown, a helmet, or who knows what. Which is no doubt what the viewer is trying to scope out. The teens have no intention of answering any questions on their own without prodding. Their first response is likely to be "What?... nothing... we were just sitting here...." The Charcoal drawing titled "Mike's Dilemma," by Georgia's Jeff Markowsky, depicts a world-weary middle-aged man resting against a wall covered with childhood drawings - namely a jet, dragon, mouse, and a little boy that may in fact be his younger fantasy-prone, playful self. Resting against the wall with a long-handled sledge hammer across his knee, he's likely here to knock down the wall both literally and figuratively behind him. The little boy on the wall comes to life and reaches out to unplug the power chord plugged into the wall. It's a playful mischievous act of self preservation. To destroy the wall is to destroy a bit of himself, and at the moment he doesn't seem to have the heart to do it. He may ultimately rise and destroy the childhood aspects that the adult working world asks him to, but at the moment he's not ready. From the looks of him, right about now he needs that childhood playfulness more than ever. A graphite drawing by Missouri's J. Brett Grill titled "Palsy" is a delicate portrait. Resting, or sleeping with mouth agape and relaxed, we instantly recognize the severe overbite, and receding lower jaw of the severely handicapped. It's a quiet reverential picture that pays homage to one who deals with daily challenges and struggles that most of us accomplish without even thinking about it. (The delicacy of the drawing starkly contrasting with the brutality of their lot in life.) Susan Kaprov of New York shows her digital pigment print with colored pencil work, titled "Larger Than Life #3" the color portrait of a screaming baby. The image immediately recalls the work of Los Angeles photographer Jill Greenberg, and her "End Time" photo series of screaming and bawling kids (http://kopeikingallery.com/exhibitions/view/end-times). Children have a purity of emotion that can at times be quite funny in its extreme. A small bump can have them wailing as if they'd lost a limb. Greenberg gave kids lollipops and then snatched them away, let the kids rip, shot them at full song and then gave the candy back to them. A brief injustice, but hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Be that as it may, Greenberg found herself in the midst of a PR whirlwind over the whole thing. Some going so far as to accuse her of child abuse. Mind you, kids are capable of screaming like this just because they're tired. It's the purity of emotion that gives the work its power, and for some its revulsion. The same goes for Kaprov's portrait of a screaming baby, the mouth a seemingly anatomically impossible hole in the middle of its face. Devoting every fiber of its being to the task of making noise by screaming at the top of its lungs. One of the most straightforward and psychologically interesting images is by Tennessee painter Alison Oaks. An oil on porcelain piece titled "Bruise and Bra" shows nothing but a bit of bra strap, a bit of arm and a couple of underarm skin folds. Anatomically speaking, it's a bit of nothing in particular, yet tells an entire story, or just shy thereof. The red bra and Freudian vulva reference in underarm folds speak directly to some sort of sexual activity. The bruise on her arm is easy to take as abuse, as we've been so programmed over recent years. But is it? It isn't fresh. It almost seems bite-like in nature. And she's still wearing the red bra. Oaks has masterfully doled out just enough information to get you half way there, and leaves you hanging in limbo with more questions than answers running through your head. Best I can sort it out, it's about the nature of pleasure and pain, and how the two are often intertwined, even occupying the same space at the same time. True of most of life, just physically obvious here.

Piece Making, 2008
46"x48", oil on canvas

The Burden, 2007
12"x13", oil on canvas


Open Circus, 2007
36"x36", oil on canvas