Well Reader, I am sharing my take on a week in the art world, or rather the small world of this particular artist caught between ARTnews and life while still adapting to postgraduate studies...

News, Friday January 31, 2020:
World Health Organization declares Coronavirus a public health emergency and Art Basel Hong Kong is likely affected; Los Angeles County Museum receives $50 million pledge for new
campus; Dali sculptures and etchings brazenly stolen in Sweden.

Meanwhile: The Yankee artist wakes to find that she is thankfully not hung-over after attending an art party at Rasheed Araeen's Shamiyana. Indeed, she is gleeful—for even though it was only 3 glasses of wine, she was definitely a bit giggly and the hangover probability was high for such a lightweight. At the end of the day however, much to her chagrin, she realizes that her English cohorts must be feeling depressed about the official end of the UK’s membership in the EU. She feels like a total dolt for not realizing this sooner. Damn Yankee.

Well Reader, I am sharing my take on a week in the art world, or rather the small world of this particular artist caught between ARTnews and life while still adapting to postgraduate studies...

News, Thursday January 30, 2020:
“Head of Coffee” job posting at Tate museum causes a stir; Research reveals Pompeii
eruption vitrified sleeping brain.

Meanwhile: Venturing out into the unknown, aka an "Art Party" hosted by artist Rasheed Araeen at Shamiyaana in London, the Yankee artist is grateful for her accompanying MFA cohorts. With the onset of great food, great company and unexpectedly overflowing glasses of red wine, she reflects over the
course of the evening on art as social practice, the prospect of starting a foundation, as well as the delights of Bollywood style dancing at bus stops.

Well Reader, I am sharing my take on a week in the art world, or rather the small world of this particular artist caught between ARTnews and life while still adapting to postgraduate studies...

News, Wednesday January 29, 2020:
Next president of the Venice Biennale is to be film producer Robert Cicutto; Dali diptych headed to auction for an estimated £7-£10 million.

Meanwhile:
After a sleepless night, the Yankee artist heads into the studio, spurred on by the free yoga class on campus. Feeling much better, she experiments with cutting her canvas to ribbons, hoping that the act will yield a fruitful outcome. Perhaps she should consider making diptychs.

Well Reader, I am sharing my take on a week in the art world, or rather the small world of this particular artist caught between ARTnews and life while still adapting to postgraduate studies...

News, Tuesday January 28, 2020: Gauguin wood carving purchased for a “record price” by the Getty is now attributed to “unknown”; Ghent Altarpiece restoration reveal is still causing an uproar.

Meanwhile: Whilst discussing writing diary entries with her esteemed classmate—who muses about using alternative years of his choice rather than the [current] year of 2020—the aforementioned Yankee artist is both amused and impressed with this non-linear thinking and wonders why she thinks so conventionally. All. The. Damn. Time.

Well Reader, I am sharing my take on a week in the art world, or rather the small world of this particular artist caught between news and life while still adapting to postgraduate studies...

News, Monday January 27, 2020: Fire in NYC destroys thousands of objects at the Museum of Chinese in America; Exhibitors at Art Basel Hong Kong ask for 50% reduction citing “political friction”; Yale University to no longer teach introductory art history survey course.

Meanwhile: A Yankee artist sitting in a glaring white seminar room in London’s East End, makes the
startling discovery that she has acquired near fluency in International Art English. Estimating that her language level could only be classified as C1, rather than C2—or possibly even downgraded to a B2 rating—she wonders if somehow this newly recognized language skill can be parlayed into obtaining free food and wine at future art events.

   I've been living in London for four months, acclimating to the climate, the culture, the rhythms of living in a metropolitan city that is so different from Santa Fe, New Mexico. You would think that speaking English as my native language would be an asset to assimilating into the United Kingdom, however I have learned that all it does is set you up to make some wrong-footed assumptions. Or draw a complete blank when encountering common British vocabulary. All because I speak American English, not British English!  Which brings me to introducing the word of the day: Palaver. It's got two short "a" vowel sounds, plus the rear guard "r" seems to disappear altogether when pronounced by an Englishman. And if you are truly annoyed you can really draw out the second syllable for dramatic effect, "Wot a pah-laaaah-vuh...". According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it can be used as a noun: Unnecessarily elaborate or complex procedure; unnecessary work or trouble; or, historically, an improvised conference between two groups, typically those without a shared language or culture. Alternately it can be used as a verb: to talk unproductively or at length.
Anyway, it seems to be the perfect word to describe the state of this blog, which is a complete palaver, complete with my palavering on with no resolution.