Announcement 35: More Mural Opening Ceremony Pictures

Thanks to the U.S. Embassy's photographer and staff, we have several more nice pictures of our mural opening ceremony in June 25, 2010.

Announcement 34: Mural Opening Ceremony in June 25

Thanks to all of you who showed up in today's mural opening ceremony. It was our pleasure to have the company of staff from Bulgarian-American Fulbright Commission, US Embassy, some current US Fulbrighters, graduate students, and some supporting faculty, Prof. Oleg Gotchev and Prof. Roujko Chelebiev, and students from the National Academy of Art at our mural opening ceremony. Again, congratulations to all of you who have made a difference in this collaborative mural. Thank you.

Announcement 33: Mural Varnishing and Final Critique Session in June 24

Thanks to 5 of you showed up in today's mural varnishing and final critique session. We shared our experience in this first collaborative mural course and gained recognition from each other for contribution in this mural project. This collaborative mural not only about introducing new mural materials, like "parachute" or polytab non-woven fabric and technique of using gel medium, but also the idea of collaborative community mural and the opportunity for us to open ourselves and know each other. It is my honor to work with you all for the past 5 months in this pilot collaborative mural. Congratulations to all of you who have made a difference in your study and created a mural greater than yourself. I am looking forward to meeting you all at tomorrow's mural opening reception in the Academy at 10:45 hour.

Announcement 32: Mural Final Touch-Up Session in June 23 & Dates for Final Critique and Mural Opening Reception

Thanks to 6 of you showed up in today's mural final touch up session. All the major touching up work has been done and we will work on varnishing the mural tomorrow morning at 11:00. After that we will have our final critique or oral reflection. Our official mural opening reception is scheduled on this Friday, June 25, at 11:00. We have invited the director and staff of Bulgarian-American Fulbright Commission, current US Fulbrighters, Fulbright graduate students, English teaching assistants, US Embassy staff, National Academy of Art rector and dean to attend this significant mural opening ceremony. Please try your very best to attend this opening reception on time to get credit for your time and effort spent on this first collaborative mural.

Announcement 31: Mural Installed in June 22 Session

Thanks to 6 of you showed up in today's final mural fabrics installation session. After set up the scaffold and prepared the gel medium for mounting the mural fabrics. We worked on mount the first section fabric onto the wall. It was hard to mount the first section because of the distraction from all the events happened at the same time in the second floor. Setting up the next two sections were not as hard as the first one. Then we worked on the both sides first and left the most difficult center door part done later. Finally, we cut the sections to fix the door frame and door and mounted all sections on to the metal door and frame. The mural was complete mounted by the afternoon. I have attached the mural fabrics installation process pictures on this announcement. We will work on the final touch up to match the colors between the sections tomorrow morning at 11:00. Again, thanks a lot for your participation in this final mural installation.

Announcement 30: Mural Progress Pictures in June 21 Session

Thanks to 6 of you showed up in today's final mural painting session. We cleaned the mural wall surface and trimmed the edges of mural fabrics. We all get excited to install the mural section fabrics onto the wall and door tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. So please come to join us to witness the final installation stage of our collaborative mural. I have posted the middle and bottom row of mural sections on this announcement.

Announcement 29: Mural Progress Pictures in June 20 Session

Thanks to four of you showed up in today's mural painting session. Most of the mural sections have been done and we will meet tomorrow at 1 p.m. in cleaning the mural wall surface and the back of the mural section fabric plus trimming out the extra space of the mural fabric. We will install the mural section fabric on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. So please come to join us in this last installation stage of our collaborative mural.

Announcement 28: Mural Progress Pictures in June 19 Session

Thanks to four of you showed up in today's mural painting session. We have made some more progress in completing our mural. Tomorrow will be the last studio mural painting session and we will return the studio space to the graduate students after tomorrow section.

Announcement 27: Final Mural Installation Date & Mural Progress Pictures in June 18 Session

Thanks to seven of you showed up in today's mural painting session. Since the availability of our painting studio, we have to reschedule the final mural installation date to next Tuesday, July 22. In case we can't get all 9 sections of mural fabric installed on that day, we will continue on Wednesday, July 23. The final completion ceremony is scheduled on Friday, July 25 at 2 p.m. We only have 3 more painting sessions, including this Sat. Sun. & Mon., to complete our collaborative mural before the final installation. So please contribute your time and effort in completing our mural and participate in all remaining sessions. 

Announcement 26: Mural Progress Pictures in June 17 Session

Thanks to three of you showed up in today's mural painting session. I have asked Stefan to call each of you to remind you that it is your responsibility to complete our collaborative mural from almost two weeks final exams. Please don't let yourself down in this collaborative mural project. I have posted today's mural painting progress photos on this announcement.

Announcement 25: Mural Progress Pictures in June 2 Session

Thanks to six of you showed up in yesterday's mural painting session. Due to the painting studio, No. 57 was occupied by other event in this afternoon, so I had to cancel today's session, even it is not a required date for you to come, I have posted yesterday's mural painting progress photos on this announcement. So remember to come back to set up the mural fabric and work on next Monday, June 7, even I won't be there at that day, thanks.

Announcement 24: Final Exam Period Mural Painting Sessions

Five of you showed up in today's mural painting session. Due to your final exams schedule on June 5, 9, 12, & 16. So we have to reschedule the remain mural painting sessions to allow you to have one to two days time to study before your exam. Our new schedule are as the following: June 2, 7 , 9, & 14, (3 hours per session) 17, 18, & 20, (whole day from 10:00 to 17:00), 21 to 23 (3 hours per session). I will be in the studio to paint on all above dates plus June 3, 8, 15, & 16 , except June 7 and 9 & 14 for presenting papers at two conferences in Athens and Washington DC. Well, I have posted today's mural painting progress photos on this announcement.

Announcement 23: Rescheduling Class Sessions for the Final Exam Period

Only four of you showed up in today's 3 hours mural painting session. Five of you were absent. As you all may have already known that we have changed our studio to another painting studio, No. 57, in the second floor of North Building. Also, the final exams schedule for your year is June 5, 9, 12, & 16. So we have to schedule the remain mural painting sessions to allow you to have one day time to study before your exam. Our new schedule are as the following: June 1, 2, 3, 7 , 10, & 14, (3 hours per session) 17, & 18, (whole day from 10:00 to 17:00), 20 & 21 & 23 (3 hours per session). I won't be here on June 7 and 10 & 14 for presenting papers at two conferences. However, it doesn't mean you don't come back to work on the mural. Anyway, we have to delay the mural installation day to June 18 due to the final exams. Also, our mural completion ceremony is initial scheduled on June 24. Finally, I have posted today's mural painting progress photos on this announcement.

Announcement 22: Rescheduling the Remain Class Sessions

As you all know that we had to cancel our last Thursday, May 27th class due to unavailability of the painting studio which we all didn't know before our regular meeting time. Anyway, we have to reschedule the remain class sessions to make up the time we miss for this whole week. So we will meet next Monday, May 31st, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. for 3 hours. Also, all classes will be end by next Monday, so we should not have any more studio unavailability problem happen. So we will meet from Monday to Thursday, May 31st to June 3rd for next week. In case our mural painting progress is not faster enough to make up all the time we have lost, we will have another 4 days mural painting sessions for the week of June 7. The due date for installing the mural fabric can't be delay any more because we will have to refine or retouch the mural after joined all the mural fabric sections together. We will get our mural done if we all contribute our best in this project.

Announcement 21: 7 Classes Left Before Due Date & Progress Photos on May 20th

I was quite disappointed that only 5 of you showed up in last Thursday class and two had to leave early. There are only 7 classes left before the due date to install all the mural fabric onto the wall on the week of June 14th. If you don't work harder for this collaborative mural, you are not only let me down but also yourself and others. I will present paper at the Athens conference in Greek in June 7th and another art education conference in Washington DC in June 10th, so I won't be able to attend the classes on June 7th and 10th. I would be grateful if you can still come to work on the mural even I am absent on those days. I have posted the progress photos of May 20th on this announcement.

Announcement 20: Artists Colonies in the United States

In response to some of your inquiries about the opportunity for emerging artists in the United States, I have posted 10 "Artists Colonies" or "Artist in Residence Programs" in this announcement for you to consider. The idea of this residency or art colony is to provide a free studio and living space for art practitioners to live and create their work plus interact with each other. Usually the residency from a month to over a year. Besides the artists colonies in the States, there are still a lot of this kind programs offered in different countries. So you may consider to do your own research for that.

1.  I-Park Artist Residences in East Haddam, Connecticut: 

     http://www.i-park.org/residency.html

2.  MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire: http://www.macdowellcolony.org/

3.  Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont: http://www.vermontstudiocenter.org/

4.  Virginia Center for Creative Arts in Sweet Briar, Virginia: http://www.vcca.com/main/index.php

5.  Millay Colony for the Arts in Austerlitz, New York: http://www.millaycolony.org/

6.  Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild Arts Colony in Woodstock, New York: http://www.woodstockguild.org/artist_in_residence/index.html

7.  The Rocky Neck Art Colony in Gloucester, Massachusetts: http://www.rockyneckartcolony.org

8.  Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, New York: http://yaddo.org/yaddo/home.asp

9.  Grand Marais Art Colony in Grand Marais, Minnesota: http://www.grandmaraisartcolony.org/

10.Colorado Art Ranch in Arvada, Colorado: http://www.grandmaraisartcolony.org/

Announcement 19: Progress Photos in May 18th

Again, there were 6 of you showed up in today's class and two of you informed me before about your excusable absences. I have sent attendance reminder emails to some of you to inform you again that if you didn't attend your classes, you will leave me no option but fail you in this course. Some of you have already got close to finish all the underpainting of your section mural and started refining the colors. It is very encouraging to see some of you have done a very good work on your sections. Remember, this collaborative mural course emphasize individual accountability and group interdependability. That means you need to work on other sections when you finished your section. Each mural section is important because they forms a coherent whole of our mural. The due date for installing all the mural fabric onto the wall will the week of June 14. So there are only two and half weeks left before the due date. So each of us get to work harder to get our mural done before the due date. Well, I have posted today's progress photos on this announcement.

Announcement 18: Fulbright Programs for Foreign Students

Herewith is the link of Fulbright Program for Foreign Students for all of you who are interested in applying graduate school, master degree and Ph.D. program in the United States:

http://foreign.fulbrightonline.org/

Also, the Bulgarian-American Fulbright Commission offers The Fulbright Graduate Study Grants to Bulgarian students for Master's and Ph.D. degree study through the Institute for International Education (IIE). Herewith is the link:

http://www.fulbright.bg/en/p-Grants-for-Bulgarian-Citizens-4/

If you want to have some exposure to Fulbright international students and summer courses, you may consider to apply for the Fulbright International Summer Institute (FISI), from August 9 to 21, 2010 in Bansko, organized by the Bulgarian-American Fulbright Commission at the following link:
http://www.fisi-bg.info/?id=1&mid=2010

Announcement 17: Progress Photos in May 17th

There were 6 of you shown up in today's class and one of you had to leave early. That's means 3 of you were absence. It is your responsibility to inform your professor the reason for your excusable absence in advance. Also, please make up the studio time for your absence(s). I have posted today's progress photos on this announcement.

Announcement 16: Progress Photos in May 13th

Thank you for all of you showed up in today's class. However, if you have an excuse to leave early, you still have to let me know first no matter I know some of you come early. We are working together as a team for this collaborative mural, not an individual work. We learn from each other and share our experience in mural painting. That is the reason for collaborative mural. I am glad we have made some more progress in our mural painting. I have posted today's progress photos on this announcement. Our schedule for next week will be the same, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday because May 24th and 25th are another public holidays.