Handmade!

Remember went I went to Twin Rocker and made paper with Arts Council? Well, we received our paper in the mail, and it's beautiful! Yara held a couple of book-making workshops so we could make books using our handmade paper. 

Since I won't be returning to Collins next year, I attended my last ever Arts Council meeting last Sunday. I will definitely miss it!

Warming Up for Little 5

I'm kind of ashamed to say that, even though I'm a junior, I've never been to the Little 5 races! The time is upon us again, though, and I am ready to go to the track this weekend. In fact, last weekend I got to go there to see one of the pre-Little 500 races: team pursuit. In this race, you race just with your team, and try to get the best time riding with a group. I was amazed to see how fast they could go! I am crossing my fingers for good weather and no bike crashes this weekend. 

Spring Is Here!

It is down to the last few weeks of school, and Spring is officially here! No more 30 degree weather, let's hope. People in Indiana really appreciate warm weather because of our harsh winters; even when it is barely 60 degrees, everyone comes outside in their shorts. 

Warm weather means using the IU's beautiful outdoor spaces. Some of the best outdoor communal spaces to sit, study, and soak up the sun are the Showalter Fountain, the Arboretum and Dunn Meadow. The Showalter Fountain sits in the middle of the Fine Arts Square and features a sculpture of Venus, designed by Robert Laurent, a former IU faculty member. The Arboretum is a peaceful place, at the site of the old stadium and Little 500 track, full of various types of trees, which are beautiful and provide lovely shade. Dunn Meadow is a huge stretch of land just outside of the IMU that is often the place for concerts, fundraisers, and sporting activities. 

Bikes, Buses, and Automobiles

Living on campus can be really nice; it means you don't have to walk far to get where you need to go. Plus, it means you are leaving less of a carbon "footprint" when you are living here, which the environment really appreciates. Sometimes, though, students want to get off campus, or just get around a lot faster than walking.

Some students who live on campus have cars, so leaving campus is easy. There are many parking lots and parking spaces near the residence halls, but you have to have a special parking pass to use them. This is a pass that you have to pay for, and sometimes you don't always get a spot in the parking lots on campus. That's why many people still like to walk to classes if they can.
Having a bike is a really good way to compensate for a car, and great exercise. Only the toughest will ride their bikes during the cold winter; though--I usually leave mine at home for the winter. Another option is riding the bus; there are Bloomington transit buses that can take you all around town, and there are also IU campus buses that can take you to class. All you need to ride is your student ID card, and a little bit of patience.

Recently, IU has started an agreement with the Smart Car company. Smart Cars are popular in big cities where most people do not drive; you can just rent one of their cars for a short amount of time to get from place to place, and just drop it off at a Smart Car location when you are done. The Smart Car location on campus is in the motorcycle parking lot across from the journalism building. Even though I travel by foot most of the time, I have found that there is almost always a way to get from point A to point B.

Spring Cleaning

My sister is coming to visit me this weekend, which means there is cleaning to be done around my apartment, including the bathroom. Last year, she visited me in the dorms, so I think she will appreciate the private bathroom aspect of my apartment this year! Each Hillcrest apartment is equipped with a moderately sized bathroom including all the necessities--toilet, tub, and shower. 

The apartments are not equipped, however, with their own laundry machines; for laundry we share two community laundry rooms. Each has two washers and two dryers. It does require you to do a little bit of a trek with your clothes, but it is manageable. You can use a Campus Access card for these machines, too, which is very handy. 

Hillcrest Decorating Tips

When you live in an apartment, there is a lot more wall space to decorate than in a dorm room. You sometimes have to get a little creative to keep those walls from being bear. Here are a few suggestions on how to get the job done.

1. Maps: These are a great way to to cover large amounts of wall space. They are also really handy during discussions about geography. This map belonged to my parents.

2. Montages: Another way to fill a big wall is by creating a sort of montage with smaller pictures. It is also a good way to preserve memories. My roommate and I bought two of these prints together when we were in Chicago last summer, and we bought two other ones from The Collaboration Room here in Bloomington.

3. Hanging: I have to credit my roommate for this, but we have a fun hanging decoration that adds a lot of character to our apartment. It is made up of lots of colorful paper circles, and hangs above our living room. It's one of the first things people notice when they walk into the room.

Getting Hands-on with Handmade Paper

Arts Council is a group involved in the funding and scheduling of all kinds of art-related events around Collins. One such event was a trip to Twinrocker Handmade Paper in Brookston, Indiana. Before the business was established in 1971, no one was making handmade paper in the U.S.; it was all factory-produced. Now, Twinrocker is one of the most popular places to find handmade paper in the country.
During the workshop we were given a tour and demonstrations on how to form sheets of paper. Then we got to be hands-on--and very messy--while making our own sheets of paper, using different paper fibers and colors. There are very specific steps to the process that take quite a while to be mastered, kind of like the steps of a dance.

An Enchanting Performance

This evening I got to see an enchanting performance of the musical Beauty and the Beast at the auditorium. The visuals were incredible; at one point during the song "Be Our Guest," confetti was shot into the crowd. Very exciting. The play followed the Disney movie very closely, but with a few changes like new songs. In following the plot and hearing the old songs, it was really fun to be reminded of the movie I watched as a kid. I really want to watch the movie again, now!

Fun in the Dark!

You may or may not know that Collins has some amazing arts facilities for its residents, including a ceramics studio, and music and film recording studios, a photography darkroom, and quite a bit more. Another thing you may not know is that it is my job to coordinate the activities that go on in the darkroom, and luckily I can give you a little behind-the-scenes look!

Our darkroom is fully equipped with all the necessary chemicals for developing films and papers, with three enlargers--machines for making photographic prints--and various drying apparatuses. Any resident can use the darkroom, they just have to go through a little bit of training with me first. Then, I add their name to a "keylist" that is kept at the front desk of Collins. Anytime they want to use the darkroom they can go there to check out a key. I always hold a few workshops each semester to show people how to process film and prints as well as some alternative types of photography like pinhole cameras or lomography.

The darkroom is a nice way for students to learn and practice a new hobby, and it has also proven very useful and convenient for photography students who would prefer not to trek to Fine Arts in the snow.

Discovering the Artist's Book

My favorite class so far this semester is a Collins course called Discovering the Artist's Book, taught by Yara Cluver, the Associate Director of Collins. We learn how to craft and conceptualize our own books, and we also look at examples of books others have made.

As we are learning in the class, it is hard to say what defines an artist's book. For instance, a book we have seen is a snow globe with small pieces of material inside of it designated as the pages. Though they can take on many different physical shapes and forms, we have learned that form should support content, and choices about how a book is crafted should be intentional.


Recently in one of our classes we took a trip to the Fine Arts Library to look at some examples of artist's books in its collection. We were asked to handle each book as an original piece of art work, which indeed they each were. We saw traditional codex-style books, tunnel books, and everything in between. These photographs do not do justice to the experience of viewing these books; go to the Fine Arts Library and take a look for yourself! While you're at it, head on over to the Lilly Library and see what rare and amazing artist's books are in that collection as well.

Fun With Ferns

Every Valentine's Day Weekend, a formal dance is organized for Collins residents to come dress to the nines. Each year there is also a theme for the dance, and this year's theme is the 1940's, minus the war and depression. During this week there have been several events based around that theme, so I decided to check out an informational talk on 1940's Victory Gardens. People began to plant Victory Gardens during the war to supplement the national food supply. Linnea Good, from Linnea's Greenhouse in Unionville, Indiana gave us information about how to care for houseplants, and about how to plant seeds and re-pot plants. The best part was that we got to take home our own ferns!

Former Students Left a Mark

One of the many things that sets Collins apart from other dorms is its aesthetic. I'm not just referring to its collegiate gothic architecture; I'm referring to what can be found on the inside. A while back, before my time at IU, Collins students were given permission to pain murals on the walls of stairwells and hallways. I saw them nearly every day as a freshman and sophomore in my dorm building, and eventually grew to take them for granted. But, to my knowledge, no other dorms have this cool feature, a place where former students have left their mark for us.
For some reason, the painting of student murals was not allowed the past two years. A resident has recently proposed, however, a refurbishing, and maybe even re-doing, of the current murals. I really hope Collins decides to re-open that forum for student expression before I leave here; I would love to be part of a new mark left behind for future students.

Welcome to the "Real World"

The Career Development Center is a really handy service that IU provides students; it's designed to help them start their search for careers and internships in arts and science fields. They've lately put on a couple of very helpful, and really well-attended, programs. Just this week there was an advertising, design, and public relations networking night, as well as an internship fair. I decided to check out the internship fair, held in Alumni Hall in the IMU, to see what some of the businesses were.



The first thing I noticed was that most students were dressed a little more formally than usual, and some were even wearing suits. There were several booths set up around the room with company representatives standing at each, and students would ask representatives about their companies and about what internship opportunities they were offering. Many of them had resumes on hand to give to the representatives they spoke to. The employers seemed really eager to draw students closer to their booths and fill them in on what their companies were all about. Among them were The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, J.C. Penny, Old National Bank, Wonderlab, The American Red Cross, and so many more.
I've been browsing the Career Development Center's website and almost can't believe how many more events they have planned for this semester. I had no idea!

Check it out: http://www.indiana.edu/~career/

Taking a World Tour

The streets of Bloomington are full of mouth-watering fragrances; if you have ever been to fourth street, you know what I'm talking about. For those who have not been, it is Bloomington's ethnic food conglomerate. Cuisine choices range from Italian to Turkish; it's like a world tour for your taste buds!


I recently paid a first-time visit to a place called Taste of India, a restaurant that was brand new beginning last semester. The food--naan bread and lentil pancakes--was very satisfying. My friend and I were not the only ones enjoying a meal there; the tables were full with families and students. Visiting fourth street might become a habit; the two of us have resolved to try a new ethnic food every week.

Home Sweet Hillcrest

Starting a new semester means more than just getting used to new classes; it also means readjusting to being back to Bloomington and, for me, being back in my Hillcrest apartment. I've really missed it! Whenever someone asks me how I like living in an apartment now instead of a dorm room, I always tell them that I love having a kitchen, and the ability to cook for myself.




















Left: Madeline and her new gifts, Right: My friend Julie, dancing and singing to Vampire Weekend.

My roommate Madeline and I both received cooking-related gifts over the break that we're really excited to use. Madeline got an adorable new egg whisk and mouse-shaped cheese grater. My textiles-savvy mom made me an apron, and I also got some materials for making bread. On any given weeknight you might find us taking a study break to cook or make tea. If there happens to be a little dancing too, so be it!

Knitting in a Winter Wonderland

I am not an expert knitter, but it has become a tradition on holiday breaks for my mom and me to knit together. Being a beginner, I need to have my mom there to help and, since a snow storm kept us stuck in the house for a while, it ended up being a pretty nice way to pass time.

This break, we have both had a project to work on; my mom has been making a scarf made of knitted flowers and I’ve been working on a sweater-vest. The sweater vest requires you to knit three pieces: the back, right front flap, and left front flap. I have knitted until my fingers ached and, so far, I have the back and front pieces almost complete. I can’t wait to see how my vest looks when it all comes together!