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.

Announcement 15: Progress Photos in May 11th

I am happy to see 7 of you showed up in today's class and we have made some good progress in our mural painting. I have posted today's progress photos on this announcement. I am looking forward to working with you all again this Thursday.

Announcement 14: Progress Photos & Additional Make-Up Thursday Session for this week

Thank you to 5 of you showed up in yesterday Monday session but at the same time four of you absented. I can't force you to come to class, but your participation will definitely affects your learning and final grade plus the working progress of our mural. There will be a make-up session for last week on this Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Please join us to get our collaborative mural done by the middle of June. Enclosed please find yesterday progress photos.

Announcement 13: Change of Mural Design Due to Inappropriate Image

Due to the inappropriate image of double-headed eagle, which commonly represents Russian imperial symbol, so I have to replace it with another double headed eagle suggested by Prof. Gotchev. The image is found in Stara Zagora (Bulgaria) and it is very old Proto-Bulgarian's symbol brought by the people when they established Bulgarian first state. This relief is from IX-X c. AD and you can find more information from the following link, which is provided by Anelia Aleksandrova:

http://www.protobulgarians.com/Stara%20Zagora%20-%20istoriya/Kamenni%20relefi%20ot%20Stara%20Zagora.htm

This design error is caused by irresponsible submission of images for our collaborative design. All of us have to respond to it. Usually, we won't change the design once it is finalized. This is a exceptional case because of the political sensitiveness towards previous image. I have to print out another two section images for section 5 and 8 and whole design. Also, I have attached the amended mural design and new divided sections of this mural in this message.

From now on, we all have to work together to get all the sections done by June 15, five weeks from now. On that Tuesday, we will install all the sections onto the wall. Then we will refine or retouch all the details because we need time to join all the pieces together and make sure all the colors are matched with the design. Moreover, even you are assigned for one section of the mural, it doesn't mean you are only work for one section. You have already realized that we all have worked on the first section. So each of you have your responsibility to work on other sections once your section is done. That is call "collaborative" and group interdependability.

I would like to remind all of you again, your final grade is depended on your contribution to the mural design, participating in the mural painting and your attendance and learning attitude. You will fail in this course if your participation and attendance is poor because it is not fair to your peers who have worked hard for this course. Also, you have to remember to bring your palette and brushes to class. You don't expect your peers will give you the art supplies to work. Furthermore, I need to remind you about the classroom civility. This includes coming to class on time, not disrupting the class with cell phones, and leaving class before scheduled time.

Announcement 12: Change of Studio and Additional Session for Mural Painting

For the accessibility to our art supplies, we will change our regular class meeting place from South (Red) Building drawing studio to North (White) Building second floor painting studio. Due to the availability of this painting studio, so we have to reschedule our additional session day for mural painting from Thursday to Monday at 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Therefore, we will meet at least twice a week on Monday and Tuesday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. No excusable absence without proper informing your professor in advance. Also, any late or leaving earlier will count half absence and it is printed in our syllabus. So please come to class and prepare to work two hours together and be a good responsible mural painting student. Therefore, we will meet next Monday, May 10, at 2:30 p.m. at North Building painting studio. Also, I have attached today's mural painting progress pictures in this announcement.