A Big, Smiling, Crying Thank-You!

Dear colleagues,

It's been such a pleasure to work with each and every one of you over the past seven-plus months. You have all been consistently kind, welcoming, encouraging, and instructive throughout my time with the Museum. I've learned all about the good, bad, and ugly of the museum/nonprofit/public-private partnership world, and am far more strongly equipped for the future because of it.

At the beginning of the summer, I had a choice between two arts-related internships. Needless to say, I am absolutely positive that I chose the correct one. All of the museum staff has been responsive to my needs, and persistent in pushing my growth in the organization. My time has left me with a thorough introduction to all that museum work entails--from first ideas and research to an exhibition's opening day.

My direct supervisor, Dana, has consistently asked me about the good and bad of my work, and has provided me with an extensive variety of tasks to illustrate all parts of the work in curation. She has always been extremely kind and has, if nothing else, taught me the importance of systems and organization in establishing an efficient means of putting together a show. Above her, Emily and Claire have been excellent creative voices for the museum and for my ears, always welcoming me in every way possible, and exposing me to a vast array of art in all media, ensuring I stay engaged with the work I was performing. Tania, above all, has been a light in the office. While I didn't perform many tasks for her (much of her work is off-site), it was always a pleasure walking in in the morning to see her sitting in her (newly-Will-Bruder-ized!) cubicle. Laura and Pat were excellent, thoughtful leaders in the installation team, utilizing what skills I already had, and encouraging the growth of new ones at every turn. I can't wait to come back and work for you two for real! And that doesn't even include Lesley, Tim, Christie, Rivance, (other) Laura, and the numerous others in SMoCA and the Cultural Council at large who have given me so many opportunities for growth.

While I am very sad to not be working directly with each of you anymore, I could not be more grateful for this time, or more excited to begin my work with Laura and Pat as a real, live assistant preparator in January! Thank you each so much for trusting me and believing in me.

-Connor

Lessons Learned

Well that was quick. Just a few months ago, I was embarking upon a new semester, ready to tackle the second phase of my internship at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Clichéd as it may be to say, it's all true. While I'm ready to move on, it's strange to know that I won't be doing the same duties each week with the excellent staff under whom I've been learning for the past seven-plus months.

On the subject of learning, I finally was able to understand all of the inner-workings of a moderately-sized nonprofit (one that even has to extensively work with city government), and the incredibly complex process that produces some of the best art exhibitions I have ever seen. More specifically, I learned about the particular practices of artistic research, the contracting and archiving process, and the installation process. With regard to installation, I finally saw how site-specific art works are put together. Spoiler: it's really hard, turns out differently ever time, involves a lot of trial-and-error, and requires tons of creativity to get done. BUT, it's always worth it. Also, as with every internship and job I've had previously, I learned about professional workplace dynamics. What was different this time? This time, I actually sat at a desk for entire days! While there was certainly hands-on and other unique work, it was honestly the first time I saw how an actual, (semi-) traditional office is made up. At times exciting, at times mundane, but always something I am glad to have experienced.

When looking back at my initial goals for this internship, I am proud to say that I have a deliverable outcome for each!

1. Better understand how to create a cohesive show of art work
I'm co-curating a group art show at my workplace (gallery Modified Arts) that opens this month! Also, I feel quite prepared for future work in a museum setting.
2. Gain practical skills to complement my creative ones in working at the intersection of art and urbanism (my true twin passions)
Here, while I failed in my first attempt, I will be reapplying for a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council to fund a documentation project (inclusive of writing, researching, and curating a photo exhibition) of historic properties along the light rail. While this iron was already in the fire when I started, I feel far more prepared for action this time around.
3.  Build relationships into which I might one day build a career.
I got a job! While not in curatorial, I am now an assistant preparator for the Museum, beginning in January. Cool stuff!

A pretty successful semester, in my estimation.

What is "Cool?"

As I was writing the final blog post for this batch, I got distracted, as I often do. This time, it was the cover story from this week's New Times, entitled "The Cool Index: Ten Years Later, Phoenix Is Still Hot. But Is It Finally Cool?" It's a followup on an article written ten years ago about the then-burgeoning downtown Phoenix arts scene, buoyed by a few hardscrabble creative entrepreneurs. The article aims to reexamine those folks a decade onward, reflecting on whether Phoenix is finally "Cool."

I understand the Creative Class. I understand entrepreneurship. I understand social geography. I understand gentrification. And I understand exactly the kind of capital in which the New Times traffics.

This article, like so many others, aims to cast judgment upon the conservative, podunk town that, oh, I don't know, birthed the New Times itself and allowed it to grow into the national "alt"-weekly conglomerate it is. The one that bought the freaking Village Voice--the grandfather of the alt-weekly medium of journalism.

Yeah, it's pretty much the objective of every major New Times article to exert some sort of holier-than-thou assessment of a given concert, politician, creative movement, et al. But this time, it's different. Lo and behold, it's a positive article about the growth of the city! But here's the thing a hip, creative-class publication will never get about this city: it's not all about the "creativity" of these folks and the dozens of unusual projects they're taking on at any given time.

The things the article neglects to mention in its glossy overview are the exact reasons why I am in Phoenix. The exact reasons why I've connected with the very people being mentioned in the article. We're in Phoenix because it's hard. We're in Phoenix because we're trying to build a better place. For (most of) us, it's not about creating the next Portland or Seattle. It's about creating an inclusive place, one that celebrates its LGBTQIA community, one that celebrates its Latin residents and welcomes future ones, one that has affordable housing options, one that repurposes blight and makes it something beautiful.

I found a glimmer of hope in the words of Beatrice Moore, the so-called "grande dame" of the funky thoroughfare of Grand Avenue. She cringes every time at the use of the word "cool." While ever a believer in hard work and beautification and livability, she doesn't want anyone to feel unwelcome--except those who seek to scrub out the very grubby charm of her neighborhood.

The unglamorous parts that the New Times forgets to mention are the parts that make up the everyday lives of those they champion in the article: the zoning meetings, the protests, the countless dollars and hours, the grants written, the applications, the fundraisers, the painting, the drywall.

It's THAT can-do spirit that keeps me here, and THAT pride that keeps these people believing in Phoenix.

Career Services Webinar--A Digital Portfolio

For my second Career Services event, I chose to listen in on the webinar offered on creating a digital portfolio. While I have always taken care of my online presence and in particular my resumé, this presentation offered me a new perspective in bringing my work online, translating it into a truly living documentation of my accomplishments. Most importantly, I saw how to put together a website which allows prospective employers to cycle quickly through my entire body of work.

My portfolio includes everything from photography to news articles to editorials to panel discussion moderation to research papers to policy papers to curation to art installation. Therefore, in order to even give my work some semblance of order requires a truly multimedia platform. Through the webinar, I came to understand how best to market myself in order to promote a variety of skills and bodies of work. Especially as I end my internship at a contemporary art museum and my work at student-news publication, I must be certain to properly document the work I performed at each business. In order to ensure such jobs were worth my time, I need to use them to my advantage in pursuing future endeavors.

Farewells

Today I moderated my final Downtown Devil Discussion. Begun the Fall of my freshman year, this panel discussion series has been highly formative for me as a student, downtown Phoenix resident, and burgeoning member of the community.

The first DDD was arguably my first downtown-centric public event. I was invited by my RCSL at the time, Dustin Volz, who was attempting to woo me into joining Downtown Devil, the student-run news publication he and a few others had founded to serve the downtown Phoenix community and its then-new student population. He knew I had a keen interest in downtown Phoenix, and thought I would find it of interest.

Fast-forward a few months and I was co-writing an Innovation Challenge proposal with Dustin and a few others to fund an extension of the Discussion series in the form of a magazine (unsuccessful). Fast-forward again and I was the Director of Community Initiatives for the Downtown Devil. Fast-forward yet again and I was moderating the very Discussion I had been invited to attend one year earlier. And now, after three semesters at the helm of the event, I have given up my role to focus on my thesis, and the many other jobs I have gained in the meantime.

The Downtown Devil Discussions were created as an extension of an innovative hyper-local news publication, aiming to keep its finger on the pulse of downtown Phoenix as it grew and evolved. From attending, moderating, organizing, and promoting these events, I created a niche for myself  and the publication in the community--bringing together diverse interests to discuss critical issues facing the area. Over the semesters the events have covered ASU/community interactions, small-businesses and entrepreneurship, transportation, sustainability, arts and culture, gentrification, and much more. And (if I may brag), I still haven't seen an event like it in town.

While I am sad to step down from the organization, it is a pleasure to have helped birth something which truly has contributed to the city I love so much.

Organizational Strengths

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art's structure is unique, to say the least. It exists as a nonprofit organization, one of three branches of the Scottsdale Cultural Council, which itself was created as a nonprofit to administer arts and culture in the city of Scottsdale by the city government.

The (minimal) government funding does provide the organization with some amount of stability. But it certainly doesn't hurt that the museum and its sister organizations are identified with arguably Phoenix's wealthiest suburb. While delegation of responsibilities does help the SMoCA to focus on itself at times, it does lead to bureaucratic difficulties, especially when pursuing an exhibition or performance that might be considered "controversial."

To be clear, SMoCA itself has an excellent, kind, welcoming, intelligent, and dynamic staff. However, as a program of the Cultural Council, this means all its smaller decisions are subject to bigger scrutiny. This has been especially true in recent years as the Cultural Council has gone through a handful of different Presidents/CEOs, making that kind of stability difficult to achieve. Therefore, frustrations with this upper management are not uncommon.

Managing such a dynamic museum is a difficult proposition. As with any public/private partnership, some things get lost in translation, and I have seen this happen several times as both an outside observer and intern at the museum. So, while I could note that I would prefer the museum be an independent entity, the kinds of partnerships which have occurred between branches of the Scottsdale Cultural Council (see: Canal Convergence, This is a Present From a Small Distant World, etc.), the pros far outweigh the cons.

Building a Network

If I have learned anything from my nearly 2.5 years in college, it's all about making connections. From my first classroom guest speaker to the present, I always make a point to show my interest to those with which I come into contact.

Through simple personal contacts and without formal applications, I have been offered opportunities for grantwriting, blogging, panel moderation, conference speaking, internships, arts magazine writing, gallery curation, concert booking, and much, much more. Truly, the thing I have found most vital is showing people that you care, and can do whatever is thrown at you.

Ever since I first E-mailed the IceHouse to ask about volunteering at the landmark, ever-endangered art space, I have taken the opportunity to introduce myself those whose work I found interesting, or with whom I might have something in common. Serendipity becomes quite easy when you are willing to talk. It seems like every week I am asked by someone new to participate in a new project, or recommend a friend for a new venture. The best part: it isn't about shmoozing.

While most people see this kind of networking as self-aggrandizing, I find my work to be truly invigorating. When you actually care about the causes and work that you are pursuing, people see that passion and look to ignite it into real and substantive action. What begins as a big, menacing city becomes a close circle of people with the same, mutually-beneficial goals at heart. Within my own network, I have found dozens of people eager to build a sustainable, dense, creative community of their own, rather than importing someone else's culture, or worse yet, simply moving away to find a culture that already exists.

I care about the work that I do. Though it is at times exhausting and seemingly endless, there is never a moment when I regret talking to someone new and opening up a new door of opportunity.