A library seems like such a mundane thing. It’s a place where books are kept and people go to study. It’s probably a simple thing that no one thinks about when choosing a college. However, until you get to college, you don’t realize just how much time you will actually spend in the library. It becomes such an important aspect of your college experience, that I would argue a visit to the library is a must on a college tour. Libraries give you a vibe for the school, and since every library is different (including all of ours on campus), you can get a feel for what works best for you.

Princeton currently has 10 libraries. Some, such as Firestone, Lewis or Marquand library, are more frequently visited than others, but each has its own flair. I find that when students are picking their library of choice, it depends a lot upon their mood and what they wish to get out of their study experience. My first year I studied in Firestone, our central library, because I liked the individual desks and the fact that it was closest to my dorm. However, towards the end of the year, I shied away from Firestone because it became too dark for my liking, and I had unhappy memories of studying for a difficult exam there. I tried out Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology once, but I didn’t like the giant windows because people walking by always distracted me. I also tried the Fine annex, home to the math department, but for some reason, it just didn’t feel right to me. Then I visited Lewis Science Library, which is now my current choice. This building, built by acclaimed architect Frank Gehry in 2008, is so interesting architecturally both inside and outside. There are super comfortable chairs inside; there is a "tree house," an elevated study space in which you can only trees; there is good lighting; and it is very close to my current dorm and favorite dining hall.

Some of my friends really enjoy the East Asian Library, located in Frist Campus Center, because it is conveniently located two stories above Frist’s café, which means when late meal rolls around, they can run downstairs to get some snacks and then get back to studying. Others have found the Architecture Library nice and quiet. Mudd Manuscript Library contains all of the pas senior theses and has really rare and exciting documents. There’s even a Mendel Music Library for those who like to study in the music building.

Essentially, there are so many types of libraries on campus, that you can find one that will best suit your needs. And what I have often found is that a library will work for one class, but when I’m studying for another, I need a location change. That’s why it’s nice to have the variation on campus.  

So I encourage all of you that when you’re on your college tour at Princeton, take a moment to peak into a library. I know that on our Orange Key tours, we make a point of emphasizing Firestone (the 2ndlargest open stack library, by the way!), but definitely check out some of the others when you come to visit.

Feel free to write if you have any questions about our libraries. In the mean time, I’ll be typing away in my favorite chair in Lewis, second floor right outside the tree house.

Without a doubt, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It involves pumpkins, autumn weather, crunchy leaves and time with family. However, I love it because it is the very best time to give thanks for all of the wonderful things in life. This year, our blogging team wanted to share what we are most thankful for this fall. Here are our responses to a very Thanksgiving-themed question: As a Princeton student, what are you most thankful for this year?

I'll begin by saying that this year, I am most thankful for the supportive community that I have found here at Princeton. I will be traveling home for Thanksgiving for the first time while at Princeton, but I am so grateful that I truly feel that Princeton is my second home. As a senior, there has been a lot to juggle between my classes, thesis and other important life decisions. I am most thankful for my friends and community here who support and encourage me. It makes me incredibly grateful to realize that, over my four years here, I have become close with so many professors, community members and mentors who have advised and encouraged me. And I have many dear friends who will continue to make me smile and be there for me—all well beyond graduation. On another note, I am thankful to live on Princeton's gorgeous campus, especially given how beautiful it has been this fall with the changing leaves and wonderful weather!

Avaneesh Narla '17: "I am most thankful for my senior thesis adviser, Ned Wingreen, professor of molecular biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, with whom I also wrote my junior paper and conducted summer research. I have really been enjoying my senior thesis, and I have been learning a lot about how to do investigations in science and ask questions in general. Ned has been extremely supportive and gives me continuous feedback, and I don't know how smooth the process would be if it were not for him!"

Jordan Brown '19: "I'm most thankful for the sheer amount of opportunities Princeton offers, especially in terms of opportunities abroad. Princeton fully funded both my Spanish class I took in Toledo, Spain, as well as my internship in Abomey-Calavi in Benin, West Africa. It's great to be able to try so many of the events, classes and internships available to us as students." 

Briana Pagano '18: "I’m thankful for Princeton’s ever-changing sky: for cotton candy clouds, sunset silhouettes and for the Gothic spires that guide my gaze toward midnight’s maps of constellations. I’m thankful that, even as a junior, I still can't help but look up and get lost." 

Kevin McElwee '17: "I'm thankful for all the travel that I've done with the Glee Club, and the friends I've made because of it! Because of the generosity of alumni, we've been able to sing beautiful music all around the world."

Peyton Lawrenz '19: "Although I won't be able to travel home for Thanksgiving (there are no direct flights to New Mexico!), I reflect on missing such a valuable holiday with my family, I am overwhelmed by the incredible sense of "home" that I have found here at Princeton. Having received several offers from friends to spend Thanksgiving with their respective families, in this season of gratitude, I am reminded how much I value the kindness and generosity of the communities that I have found at Princeton."

Serena Zheng '17: "This year, I'm most thankful for my friends! After almost nine months away from campus (between studying abroad and the summer), above all else, I was so, so happy to see my friends. Before we graduate and disperse into in the real world, I'm excited to spend one more year with them, laughing, crying, learning and adventuring with the people who have made Princeton my home."

Michelle Greenfield '18: "I am most thankful for the Center for Jewish Life (CJL) community that I've been part of for the past three years. Anytime I walk into the building, I am instantly greeted by many familiar faces, and I always know that if I'm looking for a friend or need help on homework, someone will be there for me. The CJL has provided me with leadership opportunities, learning experiences, genuine conversation and most importantly, lifelong friendships that I cherish each and every day."

Kevin Wong '17: "As a senior, I'm particularly thankful this year for all the ways Princeton has changed me. Four years here has made my thinking sharper, my world wider and my life richer. I'm grateful for the extraordinary experiences Princeton has afforded me as a writer, a budding academic and an aspiring policymaker. The University's generosity with both its financial and human resources is like nowhere else in the world, and I'll sorely miss this place once I leave!"

A few weeks ago, my Asian-American history course (AMS 370) took us on a field trip to New York City to spend the afternoon in Chinatown. One great thing about Princeton's location is our proximity to New York City and Philadelphia for class trips, and I got to benefit from one of these fully funded opportunities this weekend!

Our class met at 1 p.m. to first take a walking tour of Chinatown. It was my first time to Chinatown, and I really enjoyed seeing Columbus Park and the Tombs, as well as learning about Chinatown's historical ties with Little Italy.

We had time to explore the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). The museum is really modern and was showing a neat exposition on Chinese food and identity in America!

Of course, both the exhibit and the day made us crave some Chinese food. To end the afternoon, our professor took us all to the Oriental Garden, a Cantonese restaurant that has been highly ranked by both Michelin and Zagat restaurant review guides.

Overall, Asian-American history has been one of my favorite classes this semester, and this field trip was a really great opportunity to spend more time with my class and to learn more about the Asian-American experience in New York City!

My parents have two favorite texts that I have sent them during my time at Princeton. Coincidentally, I sent them on the same day. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was a cold Sunday in November. I was walking to the dining hall by my room for breakfast, and I was quite hungry. I tried to open the door, but alas, it was locked. I couldn’t figure out why it would be locked since it was 10 a.m., and that’s when the dining hall opened. Then, I remembered, daylight saving time. The clocks had changed that morning, and what was formerly 10 a.m. now was 9 a.m., which meant that I had to wait an entire hour before I could eat breakfast. I couldn’t believe it.

See, I’m from Arizona, and Arizona is the one state that doesn’t have daylight saving time. That’s right, we never change our clocks. While we oscillate from Mountain Standard Time to Pacific Standard Time, that’s really only important when it comes to what time a television program will be airing. Otherwise, I go on with my life as if nothing changed, because it didn’t. That was, until I got to Princeton. I knew the clocks changed, but I didn’t really understand when they did. (Apparently, they change at 2 a.m. Who knew?)

The second part of this story comes from a note I mentioned at the beginning; it was really cold that morning. I had to put on a heavy coat and a scarf. This was a new phenomenon for me. Before this fateful morning, it had been fall break, and I was away with a class traveling in a much warmer place. But when I came back, it was so cold that I knew it was time for my first real winter. I had never really worn gloves and scarves for warmth, so this was definitely a new life experience for me. 

Therefore, the text I sent my parents that day was as follows: “I’ve learned two important lessons in college so far. The first, daylight saving time is real. And second, scarves are not just a fashion accessory.”

So for all of you west-coast students, have no fear. Moving to the east coast is a change, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. Invest in a warm coat, and buy some warmer scarves (rather than the cute flimsy ones I’m sure you all have), and you’ll be good to go. And for my Arizona brethren, have someone sit you down and explain daylight saving time to you so that you can take advantage of the extra hour of sleep and not be turned away from the dining hall—like me.

To honor the Office of Sustainability’s 10th birthday this month, I thought I’d talk a little about sustainability at Princeton …

First, rewind to three years ago: When I was a pre-frosh visiting campus during Princeton Preview, one of the major things that struck me about campus–aside from the beautiful buildings, abundance of the color orange, and free food everywhere–was Princeton’s conscious effort to be “green.” And I wasn’t the only one to notice! Last year, a fellow student told me that she decided to go to Princeton in part because of how environmentally-friendly the campus seemed.

After coming to Princeton, I got involved in sustainability efforts as an Eco-Rep, whose mission is to promote sustainability in the residential community, and I was pleasantly surprised at how receptive and supportive the group was. With the relatively small campus, Princeton’s Campus Dining and Building Services are quite receptive to student input, and the Office of Sustainability is always willing to support students promoting sustainability.

Aside from student efforts, though, a huge collaboration between faculty, staff, and administration resulted in Princeton's official Sustainability Plan, which includes goals for reducing the University's greenhouse gas emissions, conserving resources, and engaging the University through research and education.

On the academic side, the University offers many courses every semester for students interested in learning about energy and the environment in a variety of disciplines–civil and environmental engineering, economics, geosciences, history, and even my home department, computer science! Last semester, I was enrolled in a seminar called “Apps for the Environment,” in which we developed our own Android applications that could help out the environment. Pretty neat, huh?

In more exciting news, though, the brand new Andlinger Center for Energy + The Environment opened earlier this year as a space for teaching and research. They’re doing all kinds of cool things relating to sustainable energy, but personally, I’m just excited to explore this beautiful space during the scavenger hunt for the Office of Sustainability’s birthday celebration in a few weeks!

To learn more about sustainability and related research at Princeton, visit the Office of Sustainability and Andlinger Center's websites.

Happy Birthday, Office of Sustainability, and Happy (belated) inauguration, Andlinger Center :)

Before starting classes at Princeton, all freshmen participate in an orientation program. There are currently three programs that Princeton offers: Outdoor Action (OA), Community Action (CA), and Fall Athlete Program. All three are wonderful and give students an opportunity to learn about the ins and outs of Princeton from upperclassmen, get acquainted with the school, and most importantly, make friends as soon as you get to campus. Here are some thoughts from three members of the Class of 2020 who recently participated in these orientation programs.

Mashad Arora on Outdoor Action

For my orientation trip, I did an Outdoor Action (OA) backpacking trip through Harriman State Park in New York. Our group consisted of nine interesting and fun incoming freshmen and three truly awesome leaders. During the five days we spent hiking through the park, we bonded over amazing vistas, embarrassing group games, deep conversations, random photoshoots and multiple wrong turns. Without technology or ten thousand events to attend, we played late-night games of mafia, sang spontaneously while staring up at the stars, and ate s’mores around a campfire while listening to each other’s life stories. We went from being a hodgepodge of people from all over the world with different interests to being a tight-knit and warm family that loudly sang our favorite songs during the bus ride back to campus. Today, as I walk to class, it’s great to run into others from the group, as we share a special connection. Even though many of us have different interests and different paths, we all share this as our first experience at Princeton, and it’ll always be special to cherish the friendships that formed during OA.

Leora Eisenberg on Community Action

I had the opportunity to participate in Community Action (CA) Interfaith, in which we spent five days in Greater New Jersey -- primarily New Brunswick and Princeton -- visiting the holy sites of different religious traditions, such as Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity. While our community service was not as "direct" as that of other groups (i.e. we weren't building houses or mentoring at-risk youth) as other CA groups were, it was just as valid and important. My CA group was privileged to build bridges between communities, which many of us wouldn't normally frequent.

In the evenings, we would do group activities that were focused on our fears about beginning college and our trepidations about life in general. Most of the group really opened up--and it was heartening to see what we had in common, as well as what made us different.

All in all, CA was a fabulous experience. I would seriously recommend the program to anyone. (And if you're lucky, you'll go to a kosher Indian buffet on the last day, like we did.)

Susan Orth on Fall Athlete Orientation

Finding out in late August that all of the freshman got the incredible opportunity to go away on orientation trips, either on CA or OA, and that I was unable to go due to preseason training for Field Hockey, was devastating!  But…of course, Princeton never leaves anyone out. 

We, as freshman fall athletes, got the chance to interact with other fall athletes in a small group orientation group for a few hours over the span of three days.  We discussed our anxieties, things we were excited about for the upcoming year, and everything in between.  Surprise, surprise, many of the people in the room had similar things to say.  It was incredible to be able to be part of an orientation experience like this, while still being able to train for our upcoming seasons.  The pressures of being a Princeton student-athlete are not negligible, and it was so nice to share this time with so many others who experience those same, or very similar pressures.  Also, the leaders of these small groups shared their vast experiences, giving us advice for the year, and sharing some of the many resources that are not only open to us as student-athletes, but all students on-campus.

Not to mention, athlete orientation was fun!  We played fun games, took a trip to The Amazing Escape Room, an interactive, team-building reality game, and I made many friends (who now come to my games, and I to theirs.)

Overall, this experience was such a nice way to start the year … I felt as if I didn’t miss out on any of the great orientation trips that were offered!

One of the craziest and overwhelming experiences during your first few weeks at Princeton is the activity fair. You walk into Dillon gym and are instantly surrounded by hundreds of students asking you if you sing or dance and drawing you in toward their table. There are so many different types of songs playing and sporting equipment being thrown around that it is a bit intimidating. Yet, there is an incredible feeling of excitement in the air as every group is super friendly and wants to explain to you why they are deserving of your time.

As I walked around trying to avoid running into other students, I knew I wanted to continue many of the activities that I participated in high school, since they would bring a familiarity to a new college experience. Therefore, I found all of the tables that related to things I was used to. However, it didn’t take long to realize that Princeton had so many things to offer that I didn’t need to stay within my high-school shell. Consequently, I signed up for dozens of student groups that looked appealing, I had some interest in, or as was sometimes the case, the person cornered me and talked about their program for so long that I felt obligated to sign up for emails.

Because of the energy of the student leaders and their excitement about the new freshman, I found many groups I might not have participated in if I had just stayed with my high school activities. Now, this isn’t to say you have to completely switch your lifestyle once you get to college. I definitely didn’t do that. But what I did do was expand my beliefs and open my eyes to new opportunities.

For instance, I applied to be a part of the Nassau Herald, Princeton’s yearbook, and joined club volleyball, both of which I was very involved with in high school. Yet, I also became an Outdoor Action (OA) leader, something (the hiking and camping element) I had no interest in until I went on OA as a first-year student. I also joined the Cheese and Bad Movie Club, Princeton’s Green Team, Koach, the Conservation Club, 3D printing, the Conservation Society in addition to a ton of other clubs that sounded interesting and fun.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that Princeton has so many clubs and activities that there is something for everyone. This website lists the current organized student clubs, and there are more being added every year. Whether it’s dancing, singing, student government, sustainability or whatever else interests you, Princeton has a club for it and a group of students who also share that passion with you. 

One of my favorite things to do on campus is to take pictures. It helps that I’m co-editor in chief of our school’s yearbook, "the Nassau Herald," and that I am always searching for fun and interesting photos to include in the book. But my passion for photography has stemmed from when I was little. Just ask my parents. There are hundreds of photos floating around my house and in every one, there is a giant smile plastered across my face, because I am terrified of being documented in the family albums with a frown or weird look.

Although there is something to just living in the moment, there is also something truly special about being able to look back at those special moments in your life that you always want to remember. I remember that day I got into Princeton, changing into the only orange shirt that I owned at that time (don’t worry I own tons more now), and eating the tiger cake that my family made for me to celebrate.

I remember coming to Princeton Preview and taking the obligatory photo on the steps of Nassau Hall in my brand new Princeton sweatshirt. I remember taking a photo on move in day with my mom before I headed off to Outdoor Action (OA), a pre-orientation program. I remember the first Lawnparties and dressing up in the preppiest outfit I had ever worn. I remember the first day it snowed (I’m from Arizona, snow is a big deal) and taking a picture to crystalize the moment in my mind. I could go on and on about all the amazing memories I have stored in my mind and depicted all over the walls in my room. But instead, frosh, to help you begin your own special photo collection I’ll give you the start of a very long list of photos you should take during this exciting time in your Princeton career.

1. A photo with your class banner
2. Nassau Hall steps – enough said (you’ll want this for the before and after thesis photo)  
3. Matching family photo on tiger steps (yes, you should all be in Princeton gear for this)
4. First day of school (your parents will want this one)
5. All Lawnparties
6. Outdoor Action /Community Action/Fall athlete program
7. One of your first sporting events
8. Any Broadway trips
9. Fall!! The trees here are beautiful. Take tons of pretty photos
10. Halloween (or Princetaween, as we call it here)
11. First snowfall (not optional for west coasters, negotiable for east coasters)
12. Orange and Black Ball
13. First Dean's Date, a pre-exam deadline for papers and projects
14. Any trips you go on through Princeton
15. Semi-formals and formals
16. Noteworthy visitors who come to campus

In this (almost) last blog, a recap on my last days at Princeton!

My last class until who-knows-when was ENG 358: Children's Literature, a course where we studied books like "Alice in Wonderland," "Where the Wild Things Are," and the Harry Potter series. It was a good way to go.  

But still, at the end of lecture, standing up with my friends from those wooden lecture-seats in McCosh 50, chatting as we zipped up our bags, knowing it was the last time I would do so as a Princeton student was pretty bittersweet. After all, this has been a place of incredible friendships and growth ... 

...and a place of compelling academic rigor. 

A place of incredible artistic opportunity, like illustrating a grizzled elephant for Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Muldoon's spoken word group, Rogue Oliphant...

...and a place with awesome platforms to share my experiences (like writing for a certain admission blog for three years, perhaps?).

This school has been a home like no other. But like most school experiences, it ends!

Oh, but how Princeton ends.

Reunions and Commencement

I wish I could describe how my last few days of Princeton were all weighed with a sense of gravitas, of perfect goodbyes, sweet and full realizations of what we were leaving behind.

But really, they were a whirlwind of orange: dancing, cheering and saying "goodbye" at Princeton Reunions, where thousands of Princeton alums from all years flock back to campus for a few days of reliving the glory years with renewed spirit.

For me, Reunions were a crazy few days of running into people who, for the past year, had seemed to disappear from their usual haunts around campus. But then here they were again, sitting around you in the Quad Library, loudly complaining about finance or messing with the suit of armor, just as if no time had passed!

Reunions was dancing under the tents. And late into the night, it was jumping on a half-deflated bounce castle with a group of friends and losing each other, laughing, in the enveloping red folds. 

It was walking behind people with a secret happiness, admiring the the Class Jacket you designed for 2016.

It's was the sweaty craziness of P-Rade, when all the alums from class years parade down Elm Drive, which ends with the members of the Great Class of 2016 running onto Poe field. 

Then there is Baccalaureate and Class Day, where you listen to speakers extol the excitement of graduation. It's also where you play games with your friends. For example, whoever complains about the hot temperature in the Chapel first gets to be lovingly and viciously pinched by the others.

There also was getting proposed to by your best friend and the guy you love most in the world. (That gets its own section in a follow-up blog post!)

You attend award ceremonies and receptions with brownies and strawberries, and before you know it...

...you and your friends are passing around bobby pins, trying to pin these fancy hats to your hair.

Finally, you are lining up with the other fancy hats, bobbing in a sea of people who you know are your classmates, but who also just make you realize how in four years, you only scratched the surface of meeting fellow 2016-ers.

You're sitting under the little shade of a tree (lucky you!), enjoying the speeches of your classmates and faculty, getting pinched or pinching your friends occasionally, craning your head to see if you can spot your loved ones on the sidelines, and then realizing you sat on the wrong side of the lawn. (But don't worry! You'll see them soon enough.)

Your mind is on the tall black gate just behind you--the FitzRandolph Gate. You walked in through the main gates as a freshman, wide-eyed, a little skinny and awkward, but ready for what Princeton held for you. And in the years since, you've bought into the legend that if you pass through the center gate before you graduate, your chances of actually graduating are doomed.

So for four years, you've used the side gates with seeming nonchalance, but really with steeled determination.

And then your University president says a closing phrase in Latin and a flock hats go up in the air. People are standing. The music is triumphant You and your friends are laughing as you are pushed in the waves that bring you closer and closer to the Gate.

You share a last few moments on the Princeton side, shouting happy, silly things at your friend, who is recording and narrating the moment you pass right under those gates.

​

I guess you've graduated!   

You loop back into campus, hug your family, pick up your diploma and eat some food.

You say goodbye to those friends you love so well, at least the ones you can find before they leave. You ask your mom to take pictures of you with them, and find later she's taken pictures of your last hugs as well. 

Your room is packed in boxes, your car is heaving away from Princeton with the weight of your things and memories. 

And when you wake up the next morning in a house instead of a dorm room, you remember your friends are scattering to the winds already. And there's a strange feeling in your chest. I went to Princeton. It's past tense now, like a dream past!

But what a good dream it was. 

Part 2 of senior year blog catch-up: the VIS (visual arts) thesis show! 

You might remember from a past blog, my senior independent work did not end with an English thesis. Two weeks after I submitted "In a Style Entirely New," I dove into the work needed to finish my VIS show that was scheduled to be up two weeks later.  

And what was the show, exactly? A story, made by placing sequential paintings around the gallery.

I've been forever interested in exploring childhood, time, memory and what it means for my own life to be part of a larger narrative created by an artist. These themes (hopefully!) played out in the story of two people entering a subway. The daughter is separated from her mother, ages through the journey...

...really, the best way I can explain the art and storyline is to show it to you. I've dedicated a page on my portfolio site to a digital version of the show, so feel free to check it out! The online version is not the same experience as seeing it in person, but I hope you still enjoy. 

A quick rundown of how the actual show went down:

Planning and thumbnails

I knew pretty early on in the year the gist of the story I wanted to tell. Some of the earliest steps included sketching the panels of the story on paper, then cutting and pinning them onto foam core.

I had roughly drawn the architecture of the room on the boards, so I could move pieces and plan how the story would unfold. My ideas developed through sketching and revising, plus conversations with amazing faculty, including my primary adviser Eve Ascheim, and my secondary advisers Joe Scanlan and Kurt Kauper! 

Drawing

Most of the process boiled down to hours and hours of drawing during the year. Well, especially in the last few weeks before the show, but also during the year.

I used Photoshop to draw on my personal computer, but I also worked in Princeton's New Media Center, which has giant gorgeous monitors and super fast computers. Once I knew what I wanted to draw, it was a matter of blocking out the sketch then going back and refining:  

This went down for 90+ panels.

Printing, printing, printing

Major shout-out to Rick and Steve for their help and patience in ordering paper and suppling ink! 

I used the 24" printer all the way on the top floor of the art building, and the 44" printer down in its dark bowels. Quality takes time, which means these quality printers are kind of slow! I spent some long nights drawing in the pockets of time between printings: jumping between the two printers and setting off jobs, correcting measurements I had messed up, trimming edges, and hoping that a printer wouldn't die on me in these precious days before set-up.

This is definitely a stage I'm happy is over, but there was also a lot of joy in seeing the work come out so beautifully!

Setting up

Have I mentioned that I have amazing, amazing people in my life? As in, the kind of people who smilingly give their time and energy to help you, asking for nothing back? ​The kind of people who climb up and down scaffolds (sometimes in ways of some questionable safety) to make sure your art--even the art placed inconveniently high--looks good?

Who peel back countless little command strip papers and place them adhesive on your prints? And who take breaks only to work on their junior paper?

Who you ask to paint the wall black, and who then proceed to carefully dab the corners with small brushes to make sure the job is beautiful? 

Who will stay with you in that gallery for multiple days even when their own final presentations are due, who brings you tasty food snacks, who suggests where to place the work, who laughs and sings musicals along with you until the job is done?

The kind of people who spend hours with you, constructing a frame out of foam core, sweeping up the little white slips of paper that cover the floor like freshly fallen snow, measuring panels perfectly, dancing to the music we put on in the background, trying to make the sketchy ventilation room and spray-on adhesive work, holding up pieces of art to a wall and adjusting till they are straight, who buy lunch for the gang and laughingly wave off your thanks? Who make what should have been a very stressful set-up weekend some of the most joyful days you had at Princeton?

I know those kind of friends! 

  And I know I can't thank them enough for the blessing that was their time and encouragement. They are the only reason the show exists!

Then the gallery opened

On April 21, 2016 the show opened in the Lucas Gallery! 

I shared the gallery floor space with the super cool Amalya Megerman (whose poster for "Megerman Beach" is on the left).

This concept and show had been in my head for so long, so it was amazing to see it physically in a space. I took a very informal video walk-through, if you want more of a sense of the space. 

​​​

The VIS program also sets you up with a show reception, buying delicious food spreads for you to offer your friends and admirers that come to look at the art that evening. So fancy! 

​

I loved talking with people about how they followed the story, answer their questions about the blue swirl, or ask them what they saw in it. There were people that came up to me with real tears running down their face, and I had a friend who came to me with three different ways to read the story, including an interpretation that had you walk backwards! 

Do you know how crazy it is that just for being in the VIS program, you get incredible artists to advise you, a generous stipend for supplies, a studio space to call your own, access to amazing technical resources and staff, a gallery space for whatever type of show you want to put up, a communications office who creates posters, postcards, and promotes your work around the community, and a whole host of faculty who just want you to make the best show possible? I think about it and realize, "Whoa! That is not real life!

" 

But it is something amazing, and something I am so grateful to have taken part in. 

How to say goodbye

After the week was over, it was time for the show to come down and make way for the next week's student!

Before: 

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After (almost done): 

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In some ways, it was painful to take down the show: after all, the panels represented many, many hours of work and so much joy in the installation and reception. 

And yet, sometimes it is good to let the time pass as it does. 

And then move forward!