Master's degree #2 and the exhibition

We had the most excellent time with Patti & Maggie last weekend. It was like a girls' weekend (+Stu, but he fits in nicely with the girls) with lots of eating and drinking and time outside. It was so great to have them visit before we move, and celebrate a little early about being done with school.

But this week was a big one. Thursday, I woke Stu up with the sweet sounds of me wretching in the toilet...I guess the whole morning sickness thing comes back when you feel stress? Because Thursday morning was my thesis defense, which I had to survive to graduate that afternoon! Aside from the sickness and then my class mate's alarm malfunctioning and thus us beginning an hour late, it all went very well. I now have a few edits to make before turning it in to the department for grades and archiving. And, most importantly, I now have a SECOND master's degree under my belt. Woot! Now the bigger question, am I employable?!?

Well, I darn well should be as a curator, since I also finished installing the small show I put together at Moderna Museet this week! It looks really professional, IMHO. Here is a little information online in English (though, admittedly, with some typos. Where did my italicized titles go, or that last 's'?)
I took pictures over the few days of installation, which I will post here whether you are interested or not. This blog has the secondary function, aside from communication, of 'archiving' our experience here, and I think its a project I want to remember. Regardless, it has been a lot of fun. I have felt a little insecure about some decisions, but I've still had to make them. I have done a ton of research and planning and installation, along with the *amazing* staff at the museum (I cannot get over how professional and nice they are!) It feels pretty good. And admittedly, it also felt pretty good when both the museum's director and deputy director came through and gushed about how good it looked. Almost like they were surprised about how good it looked, but regardless, I'll take the praise!

Day 1, a bunch of empty display cases

Day 2, placing the artworks, wherever they would actually fit!

"Closed for Re-hanging"

All of the works in their right places, display cases in their right positions.

Day 3, putting on the glass covers

The very funny conservator cleaning the inside of a case, while making Anchorman jokes about being in a glass cage of emotion.

Day 3, wall texts in place! Wow, I hope people read them.

And, we're done!

I love this wall. I love Henri Matisse. Holy wow, I got to put a Matisse in my school art show!

In the middle is the TV screen showing a sound piece in conjunction with one of the books. There are also two other screens showing book films I planned (and Stu edited!), from a selection of works in the show, with the idea that visitors can better see the three-dimensional object via film than they otherwise can under glass.

And then there are lots and lots of artists' books. Each book has a corresponding 100-word text to give it some context, so I hope people read them. You may not even realize what you are looking at without them! And each also had to have a specially designed cradle for it, so the conservator and prints & drawings technician worked incredibly hard to make these in a very short time span.
One of the other curators (one the museum actually pays for their work) wanted to use a few of the works I had already earmarked for exhibition, in addition to needing nearly ALL of the large display cases in storage for another show. I held on to the artworks, diplomatically, but since he had left post-it notes on so many of the best display cases, the technicians and I had to scrounge for whatever could be found. Surprisingly difficult, but it all worked out. I didn't have to cleave any of my darlings due to space issues. It just meant I could not group the books according to any particular theme; they just got placed where they fit.
There is no real 'opening' event. We had talked about it quite a bit, and early on, I had been excited about it. But in the last few weeks, I'd just gotten too busy and tired to pursue an opening or to think of a curator's speech, so it opens to no fanfare this morning at 10am. If you are in Stockholm any time this summer, go see it!

Thesis complete!

I turned in my thesis today! Not too shabby, if you ask me. I am officially done writing about the complicated yet fascinating history of artists' books.

With the exhibition preview out of the way, and the paper complete, the last hurdle is a thesis defense on June 9, the day I officially graduate. And that promises to be pretty lame...out of 9 people in my program this year, I am likely the ONLY one who finished the paper on time and will be doing a June defense. I don't even know if they'll make me do it? I am one of two who will defend next week. Surprising, since I finished it and I have been PREGNANT since February...it couldn't have been that tough for my young and not-with-child classmates. To be fair, though, some have decided to go for double-length theses: ours only needed to be a piddly 30 pages as it is but one-half of the final project, though we had the option to do a 60-pager, which sets you up for PhD programs later. Of course, I went for the normal requirement...PhD? No, thank you.

So, I've got the small Moderna exhibition opening on June 11. Stu is done with his internship/consultant work tomorrow and is done with school a week after me. And then we travel for a few weeks, first to France, then to Italy. We'll be visiting the US in late July.

We have a meeting set with our landlady on Wednesday, which is when we have to officially decide whether we are staying put in Stockholm or moving back to the States (and leaving our excellent apartment in Vasastan!) She needs to A) know we want to stay to send our info for the building's Board approval before the July holidays, or B) know we are leaving to find new renters! We are leaning one way heavily, but haven't completely made the final decision. So Wednesday, I guess we'll have to know! What a strange feeling.

At the moment, I don't quite know what to do with myself. Very little schoolwork left, but I'm not on vacation just yet...

Preview week at school

My week of presentation at Stockholm University is over!  Though I have organized my "real" exhibition at Moderna Museet (now opening June 11! Until August 21! Come see it!) we had to present something in our space on campus. So I put up a "preview" of the show--basically some images of the works that will be in the "real" thing, and I showed the films I made of several of the works. Nothing fancy.

The big stress factor was that yesterday was my final examination presentation, so even though the show hasn't opened at the museum, I theoretically have already been graded on it.  Stu has become a *master* at presentations (I'm not kidding...he is good!) and he made me a fancy powerpoint, and I managed through an hour long presentation of what has consumed approximately one-third of my life for the last 4-5 months (the other thirds being thesis and baby.) 

And they liked it!  They gave me some comments and a little critique, and some very good ideas for other things, and a lot of encouragement. So all-in-all, very successful. I was truly scared of one of my examiners and thought he might just tear the whole thing down, but it was all for nothing. Woot! I celebrated by drinking half a light beer and going to see Thor in 3D, where I ate an entire tub of popcorn myself. Seriously, Stu ate like 6 kernels.

So now, I have exactly 10 days to finish my thesis (my thesis advisor thinks I can do it---hopefully she is right!) Graduation is June 9, the opening is June 11, Stu graduates June 17. We find out whether we will we have a boy or a girl on June 20. We head to Paris and points south on June 21, then on to Italy, and back to Stockholm July 6. 

But then what?

May update

It is so GORGEOUS in Stockholm right now. It's like summer outside and the sun is shining.

Which makes it such a drag that it is the end of the semester and I have a ton of school work to finish up on. Next week is my big presentation week at Stockholm University (we are required to present some visual example of our exhibition at SU, even if we chose to complete our master's exhibition project elsewhere.) Thankfully, we pushed the opening date of my little show at Moderna Museet back a few weeks to accommodate the heavy conservation required in the Siri Derkert show. So it is now June 11, my friends. And a tentative Family Day workshop (where kids & parents get to make their own artists' books!) on Sunday June 12!

Still got the thesis to contend with, and I am actually seriously contemplating extending my school time a bit to finish it!  I am supposed to complete the thing May 24 to defend and graduate by June 9, but it is just not going to happen. So, along with 80% of my class, I may not defend until August. It is not a huge impact otherwise, 'cause I still plan to finish that sucker as soon as possible (I want to *enjoy* my summer!) But it does leave some uncertainty. Uggg. Stu will finish mid-June as planned.

We have had some pretty exciting things come up recently (sorry, can't spill just yet) but the bottom line is we still don't know for sure whether we will stay in Sweden or move back to the States. Talk about uncertainty, our self-imposed deadline of mid-May to choose WHAT COUNTRY we'll live in is fast approaching!  And Stu & I actually can't agree! We are usually on the same page with these 'big life decisions.'  I guess we'll see...anybody want to hire a librarian/curator/collections manager or perhaps a management/strategy/operations consultant? You won't be sorry you did!

School update

I graduate this master's program in exactly 2 months, to the day. Stu has to wait an extra week before he gets a proper graduation ceremony in Stockholm's stadshuset. I'll probably just get juice and cookies, but you know, with 7 of us graduating, it's a small class.

His big presentation of his Capstone is on Friday, the project he has dedicated the last 5+ months to, helping solve specific business issues with a big corporation here in Stockholm. They spent nearly half a year, working full-time, and he & his partner get whopping 10 minutes to present the project to a room full of suits, professors and fellow classmates (and me! Hey, there's a free lunch out of it!)  And then he has 2 final classes to finish up before getting that MscGM! I'm so proud! He'll also be working at the big corporation part-time for the next 2 months, and I'm hoping in that time, they'll decide they just cannot afford to lose such a valuable employee and offer him an awesome job with an awesome matching salary.

The lovely stadshuset...city hall

I just hit my page requirement in my thesis, so while it's not done, it feels good to have written so much, so early! I didn't have to write a proper thesis for my first masters degree--I just took 2 extra classes--so this feels more "masterful." It is still shorter than most, since it is only one half of the culminating degree project, the other half being the dreaded exhibition!
My thesis isn't due until May 24, however, my final presentation of my own project is May 19, the installation of the exhibition is that same week, and the opening of the small show I am curating at Moderna Museet is May 21. So I have a feeling that I'll be so overwhelmed in a few weeks, I'll forget I even have a thesis requirement. And I just found out who my examiners will be for my final presentation of the exhibition, and oooh, I did NOT luck out. I got stuck with a particular curator here in Stockholm who frightens that CRAP out of me...I know I will get ripped apart, no matter how well I do! Not looking forward to May 19 at all.

Anyway, we're busy wrapping up, not doing much exciting, blog-post-worthy stuff, and generally worrying about the next stage. ACK! Jobs! What *country* are we going to live in!? It is a source of low-level yet constant stress. If all goes according to plan now, we think we'll be back in the States in July, either for a good long visit before returning to Sweden, or to stay.

Business trip

It has been a while since we posted!  I have an excuse...I have been generally sick while also working on my thesis and planning my graduate exhibition (got an opening date now! May 21 at Moderna!)  Not very good excuses, but nonetheless.

But this week, Stu is going on his first business trip as an intern for this big Swedish-multi-national company, to the States! He'll be in Charlotte for meetings for several days (and I selfishly hope it has potential for a job there...NC is warmer than Sweden!) Then he is taking an extra day to hang out in NYC to catch up with a few friends. I'd be more jealous if he wasn't promising to bring me lots of presents back. And I *am* totally jealous...he's going to fill up on burgers and Carolina BBQ! Can't bring those back in a suitcase too easily. Nah, aside from a list of drugstore stuff, I'm hoping for some mac & cheese of all things, some American Easter candy, and maybe even an H&H bagel or two...

In the meantime, I'm on my own for a few days. I guess he thought I'd forget to eat or something while he was gone (because I'll be so distraught?!?) so he popped by the grocery store last night and bought about $100 worth of food for me for the week. Including my very own pint of Ben & Jerrys Baked Alaska. We often fight over a pint, and the thing gets eaten in one very short sitting. But now I don't have to fight with anyone over who gets those delicious little white chocolate polar bears. He's so sweet. 

Thesis lament

I am kicking ass in my thesis writing...this morning alone, I re-structured and added several more meaty ideas, and am more than half done with my required length and have a fairly solid skeleton for what remains.
But here's the problem.
It's really lovely in Stockholm today! It's sunny, and being in the 50s, it's warmer than it has been in 6 months (farenheit, of course.) So I really want to say "Screw writing about Artists' Books" and go outside to play. Yesterday, it was gray and kinda chilly, and I didn't get a single thing accomplished school-wise, nor did I have any desire to even leave the house. But the sun is out today, and everything feels easier and more clear with work, but all I want to do is go outside!
Grrrr...so do I work or play?



Graduation is June 9th, and that date can't come soon enough...

the first step

I spent several hours today at the Konstfack library, doing thesis research. I had a synopsis deadline due today, which finally got me moving on writing. Slowly. Sloooooowly. Only a few dozen daunting more pages to go. But seeing this typewriter and motivational quote mounted to the wall outside the art school library helped a bit (even with the typo.)

Only a few daunting more months to go...

Who speaks Swedish anyway?

I realized it has been a few since I posted, but I had no idea what to write about?!? What we are up to? What we have planned coming up? Something totally random?

Currently, I am helping out with a project on postmodernism that involves 1980s Swedish art journals at Moderna Museet (and spent 8 hours today helping an artist make 400 paintings for the project...I have paint in my ears.) I am also supposed to be working on my final exhibition and thesis. It'll happen. I hope.
Stu is busy working full-time at a Swedish company for his capstone project, but he'll be done in 2 months. In fact, he'll be done with a 2-week break right when I will be most busy preparing for my final exhibition presentation, so I need someone to take my husband for that time....anyone want to babysit Stu? Anyone? If he is home with nothing to do, while I have to focus and produce, we might get divorced. Not really, but he could use a vacation then, anyway ;)

We are applying for jobs all over. I see lots of museum/library jobs in the States, but Stu has more options in Europe. So it's a bit of a toss up...I guess we'll take the first thing we get! We are traveling a bit. We are apartment-swapping in London in a few weeks, and are thinking about taking a weekend up to the super-north of Sweden to see the Northern Lights and have dinner at the Ice Hotel (yeah, just dinner...not all that interested in sleeping on a chunk of ice and wolf pelts.) We were invited to a wedding in southern France and one in Tuscany. I love it when people get married in exotic places. And our friends from NYC are coming for a visit in April, which I am *psyched* about! Hmmm...what else?

And for the something totally random...a commercial I really like. Tele2 has a sheep as a gimick because Swedes pronounce the word "cheap" as "sheep". Clever.



Consummentbaguette?
Ha. Swedes.

Last week of interning

I just finished up my fall semester internship at Moderna Museet, working within the registrar's department. During the 13 weeks with the exhibitions registrar, among other things, I got to help de-install the big Ed Ruscha show, assisted in this year's Modernautställningen, began helping organize the upcoming Eva Löfdahl, Siri Derkert, and the giant Turner, Monet, Twombly shows, re-learned the TMS database (surprisingly, this was far less painful after library school!) and made some lovely new friends. This is the third internship I have done for school credit, and this was by far the best experience and will take me far in applying for collections management jobs in the future. (And it didn't hurt that they gave me lovely presents on my last day!)

Learning from the master in the galleries

8 sculptures that all looked virtually the same, all were untitled, could not be physically labeled, in which none of the measurements added up, but belonged to several different collectors and therefore, needed to be differentiated. See my ingenious post-it note solution.

 But maybe one of the best things out of this was more short-term. To complete my master's degree in June, I have to write a thesis and curate an exhibition. And I just found out that I got the okay to curate my master's show AT MODERNA MUSEET! I am pretty psyched. It will be lots of work, and I think that next April and May will be the busiest 2 months I have ever experienced in my life, but it will be a fantastic experience. And pretty fantastic to put on the ol' CV, too!

Mondays will be rough

First Swedish class of the semester tonight, from 6-9pm. I worked at Moderna from 9-12, then went to my philosophy class from 1-4. And then had Swedish until 9pm. It was a long day. Mondays suck anyway, but they are going to be bad here on out.

I think Sweden has a Mondays-suck attitude, as well, based on the decision to "celebrate" Chlamydia Monday. It's already the worst day of the week, so getting tested for an STD and possibly finding out you have one can't make it that much worse, right? At least you aren't ruining a perfectly good other weekday with that kind of news.

And I guess it is a problem here. According to the ever-so-scholarly article in The Local, four people contract chlamydia PER HOUR in this country. I'm shocked at that number (condoms, people!) but feel like maybe I should take that "fact" with a grain of salt....after all, the related articles linked through this page include: Swedish officers fined for flying painted penis and Swedish snails hide sex to avoid horny males.

On that note, I've been waiting this entire long day, desperately hoping no one would spoil it on Facebook, to watch the True Blood finale. Oooh, I hope Erik isn't really toast...he's my favorite. And not just because he speaks Swedish on the show (I know that's what you were thinking.)

Blogging on the sly

We've had our friend Yon visiting, so I haven't been able to do a proper blog post (can't be an absentee host!) but he and Stu just popped out for something, so I'm making stir-fry and attempting a quick one.

I think it'll be more like this for at least the next several weeks. Life in Stockholm is busy for us this fall! With working at Moderna next-to-full-time, I barely have enough time to read the articles for class each week (a piece by Derrida and Nelson Goodman for Monday, which I have not yet read...and I have to *present* the Goodman to the class!!) Much less the time to write the texts for money, much less write emails to people, much much less blog. And god knows Stu won't blog. At least about anything coherent ;)

But we're getting out of Stockholm a bit. We've made travel plans to spend a long weekend in London when my dad comes to visit us at the beginning of October. I am quite excited to see London in fall, since I have only been there in January when it was cooooold. And I am excited about my dad's visit...more than two weeks in Europe! We are visiting friends in Belgium over Halloween (and renting our apartment out via airbnb for the first time...don't know if anyone has ever used it, but we get SO many requests to rent our place through it!) Not much else planned, except for our THREE WHOLE WEEKS in Egypt in over Xmas and New Years. We are escaping the dark of Stockholm for sand, pyramids and pigeons (if you believe what "No Reservations" says about what Egyptians eat.)

Speaking of, the rice is beginning to burn and Stu & Yon just got back. Gotta break...more later (if I can get a sec!)

Praktikant-ing

I started interning at Moderna Museet on Monday. Whew, let me tell you...working 9-5 is exhausting. And I only did it four days last week! I'm a spoiled student, I know.

Moderna is on the little island of Skeppsholmen, so I take a 10 minute bus ride from my apartment down to Kungsträdgården, then have a 10 minute walk over the water and around the island to the administrative office behind the museum. Not a bad commute:

I have a huge cubicle (woohoo?) with a water view. I work with nice, competent people in the registrar's office, who are civilized enough to have a mandatory coffee break at 9:30 every morning. In fact, the whole museum together has 9:30 fika every morning. 

They put me right to work helping register the big exhibition that opens in October, Modernautställningen. 

And in doing this, I caught a few mistakes (I am surprisingly good at pointing out other people's mistakes. Of course I can't point out my own, because I don't make any. Poor Stu.) But because of it, one of the curators thought I'd be good to recruit to help edit and do some research for an upcoming exhibition catalog. It's kinda nice to be needed...I just wish they'd pay me for it!

It is already abundantly apparent that I need to learn more Swedish to take full advantage of working there. And of course, what follows: I need to get fluent to get a job! 

Thankfully I start a new svenska class next Monday night.

September?

Our apartment is a pig sty. Seriously, it took all my energy to unload the dishwasher when I got home today...so much energy that there was none left over to put the tottering stack of dirty dishes in the sink *into* the empty machine. So they'll sit there a little longer.

I guess summer vacation is over! I started my fall internship Monday morning (nope, haven't unpacked from Paris yet. Haven't even moved the suitcase out of the middle of the living room.) I have my first class of the fall semester on Friday. Last week, Stu had crazy orientation events and started his classes Monday as well, and is putting the finishing touches on a consulting project that he has worked on since the spring, that he will present at the company's annual board meeting next week in Växjö (he gets to travel to the most exotic, unpronounceable places.)

I'd like to do a blog post on what I did on my summer vacation. I'd like to do a blog post on this Moderna Museet internship. I'd like to bitch about school a little (or a lot) on the blog. I'd like to fill you in on our plans for the next few months. I'd like to do some research and post on the highly anticipated upcoming national elections in Sweden (in a few weeks, the government could change directions drastically.)

But all I could manage was a lot of words basically amounting to: we're busy and we're dirty.

Last week of vacation!

Stu aced* a re-take Macroeconomics exam this morning, and has a busy week of back-to-school events.

 

I am leaving early in the morning to spend the rest of the week in Paris. 

*actually ace-ing unknown until grading is complete.

Done for the year!

School's out for summer!
I turned in my thesis proposal this morning. Stu had one last excruciatingly and unnecessarily long final class this afternoon. 
Stu is celebrating at the pub with his friends. I celebrated by watching the Glee season finale and eating more than a half a bag of those weird Polly candies, which I couldn't resist buying because they were called Summer Berries. They are literally described as "Delightfully chewy foam drops with a lovely chocolate flavour coating." Surprisingly, they are not that good (not that it stopped me) and there are a remarkable number of calories in not-that-good fake-chocolate-flavored foam, and now I thoroughly regret celebrating in this fashion. I think I'll go meet Stu at the bar.

Graduation time

That, my friends, is a dump truck full of graduates. Obviously, high school graduates (because who over 19 would be caught dead intentionally riding in the back of a dump truck?)

It's the end of the school year in Stockholm! And it is both LOUD and smelly in the city! Loud because there seem to be dozens of these giant trucks packed with half-dressed teenagers blasting loud dance music and honking every 10 meters, while driving loops through downtown. Smelly because they infuse the air with the scent of old beer and damp sweat as they drive by. The kids in the back are screaming while soaking each other with beer and champagne (which is such a tragic waste...I know I have talked about how expensive alcohol is in this country!)  For my high school graduation, my mom had a family party at my morfar's house, catered by the local BJs. Clearly, I was nowhere near as cool as Stockholm teenagers.

Why yes, that IS a tractor full of drunk kids! I couldn't help but take pictures...and yes, the one below says, in English, "Honk if you're Horny."

But the school year is winding down for Stu & I, as well. I have one class left next week, and a thesis proposal due, and one last day as an intern at Fotografiska. Stu has been doing Tango sessions at school (which has inspired him to micromanage every little decision, including the most efficient way to make egg sandwiches, which was entertaining) and has a jam-packed last week of school, in addition to running a 5K race. 

And then we'll be back in the States for nearly 3 weeks! Not long enough, if you ask me. But man, am I happy this first year is over. Next year, when we graduate, it may not have the same feeling of relief with having to find jobs and figure out which country we will live in. So I guess I should try to enjoy the end of this year like it was my last.   

things we saw in Stockholm

It is nearly 10pm, but it's still light out. It is so nice in Stockholm, we've had our french doors open for the last 2 full days.

Blue skies, and no Ejayafjällasumthinoranother debris in sight.  Stu has a business trip in Göteborg (aka Gothenburg, or Yoda Boring) and is thinking about taking the train both ways to avoid the volcanic spew. And yes, my husband now has business trips...he has managed to score several sweet short-term contract jobs at businesses here in Stockholm and in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, their terms all overlap and we still have 3 weeks of school, so he happens to be the most stressed man I know right now, but regardless I am proud of him. Bringin' home the bacon.

We got to spend some super days with our super friends Emre and Patti this weekend, too. They managed to get back to Utrecht yesterday after more than 9 hours of traveling, thanks to the ever-present ash cloud of doom. They probably could have DRIVEN to Utrecht in that amount of time, but whatever.

• We did Gamla Stan, we went to some museums (the Medieval Stockholm museum and the Wine & Spirits museum, both highly recommended.) 
• We caught a crazy burlesque show...no little people this time, but there were a whole lotta attention-hogging people in the audience. And as many naked people in the crowd as on stage.  
• We sat outside at a bar on Medborgarplatsen on Saturday when it was so gorgeous, and I just read Alexander Skarsgård and his new gf Kate Bosworth were sitting in the exact same spot enjoying the sun yesterday. I'da loved that celebrity sighting...
• We had a few friends over for dinner and drinks super late into the night. 
• We took a boat out to a close island on the archipelago and ate ice cream and laughed at Stu getting harassed by large, angry birds. He does not like birds, of any size or disposition, within a few feet of his space. 
• We saw a few movies and hung out and generally enjoyed each other's company.

And it all generally made me more excited to head back to DC in a few weeks, to see everyone else we miss.

Walpurgis

Whew, its been a ridiculously busy week. It still is, technically, but I met all my deadlines for the rest of the week, so I finally caught up on my blog reading (its amazing how many things you miss in just a few days...I had several hundred posts in my Google reader!)

And its May! We have officially hit spring here, and the sun shines and its fairly warm every day. And, to contrast with just a few short months ago, we now have over 18 hours of daylight in Stockholm every day. Its been earned.

Friday was April 30th, with two big celebrations in Sweden: the king's birthday and (honestly, more importantly) Valborgmässoafton. We didn't really bother to acknowledge Carl Gustaf's bday, though I read that he does pop out of the castle window like the Pope and waves to the people below. Or something.

We were definitely planning on celebrating our first Valborg the proper Swedish way (aka Walpurgis.) A group of friends were taking the train up to Uppsala, where they have a giant all-day party with drinking and picnics and boat and raft races and champagne-soaked people and bonfires. Its a huge deal here.

But we wussed out just a few hours before going. There was just too much school work this weekend, and they had called for afternoon showers. Lame, I know.
But Skansen was opened for the season on Friday, and happened to be free (its not cheap, so go when it is!) So we went for a few hours. It was a nice afternoon, and we got to see some of the concert, drank beer in the sun and saw the GIANT pile of woodstuff that would later be a GIANT bonfire. We didn't stick around for long enough to see it burn though.

Swedishy Blue & Yellow flowers

Bageriet är öppet, and it smelled like heaven.

A view from Skansen 

The giant Valborg bonfire

I Love this. I looooooooove this.

Next year, we'll do an Uppsala Valborg. Just looking at our friends' pictures on Facebook was enough to make us jealous. Maybe not about the soggy, champagne-y mess that they all seemed to be. I'll be sure to bring a poncho.

First day of interning

I mentioned that I was offered an internship at Moderna Museet, working with the registrars (in particular, the international loans, and bonus, the unofficial universal language in museums is English!) But I likely won't start that position until the fall.

I felt like I've been looking for part-time work, an internship or just the chance to volunteer for months (just something useful to keep me busy outside of classes and nannying.) Not being a fluent Swedish-speaker is a huge handicap...the job market is so bad everywhere that the Swedes are going to be the first to get the jobs I'm qualified for, and Stockholm doesn't seem very work-for-free friendly. Volunteering just isn't big here (which is so different from the US) and the internship thing has only been made possible because I am clear that I am doing it for graduate school credit! So it has been a little tough to find the right spot for me here.

But oddly, the week I met with the department head at Moderna, I got a call for another internship opportunity! At a brand new museum, not even open yet. I started my first day of being a curatorial intern yesterday, at the Fotografiska Museum...planned to be a giant space for internationally known photographers, right on the water in the old toll house near Slussen (the one that was supposed to house the defunct ABBA museum.) It opens in a month with 4 photographers, including Annie Leibovitz, who is coming for the opening (and I will get to meet!)

It was an interesting first day...I felt like I was thrown into getting some big things done right away. I have started writing a tour of the Vee Speers show and will interview her next week. I am going to help with writing/editing for the website, coordinating the opening, condition reports for the loans and maybe even hanging the show, which is all fantastic experience for me. Annnnd, they all speak Swedish to me, which is super. I answer in English, because that's the only way I sound half-way intelligent, but hopefully that'll change. And the curator is American and great about about translating for me.

 

We took a hard-hat tour yesterday to see the space, and I don't know that I should post too many pictures of the museum here before they open, but I thought you should see the view from the future top-floor bar & restaurant that opens in the fall. A beautiful view of Djurgården and the Gröna Lund amusement park across the water? I'll take it!

So, I got my wish, and will have most of my free time sucked up by this and school, but it should be fun. 

Stu is out of town, and tonight is Kulturnatt in Stockholm, where every museum and theater and cultural venue is open until midnight with special activities...which should also be fun!