There and Back, Again

I've been off the blog for quite some time now.  Last post, I was reporting highlights from New York's November gallery and museum offerings.  Today, I am back in Portland after another five days in Manhattan and have little to offer in way of shows seen as I was spending most of my time in the Hilton at 53rd and 6th Avenue at the 2011 College Art Association conference.  For those of you who might not be teaching art at the college level, this conference, most commonly referred to as "CAA,"  is a yearly  4-day conference packed with discussion panels and formal presentations offered across a wide range of topics in art.  For Art Historians, it is but one of many international venues where the most current research in the field is presented.  For educators, CAA is also the largest annual opportunity for employers and job-seekers to meet. So, concurrent with tens of ballrooms booked in a constant barrage of scholarly topics, you have hundreds of candidates interviewing in rapid succession at tables, in booths, and even in rooms at the hotel.  Although many colleges do not use CAA to screen applicants, enough do to make the trip worthwhile for candidates with prearranged interviews.  I count myself lucky to have been busy this go round.  With not much time to see art, I did make time to visit with friends over some great meals.   Two memorable first experiences: authentic Sichuan in New Jersey and riding on top of the double-decker Megabus from Boston.  Though the view on my ride back on Bolt yesterday was less dramatic, the winter landscapes were incredible and left me hungry for the studio.