The semester officially started on Wednesday, and here's hoping that despite my lapse in updating over the holiday break, the need to procrastinate will be the impetus to get me blogging on a regular schedule again. One of the more exciting aspects of this semester is my internship with the Neustadt Collection. The director is a graduate of our program and I'm very excited to work with her. Plus, I get to take a trip to New York, and who doesn't love riding the Bolt Bus?
I am researching World's Fairs and Louis Comfort Tiffany's exhibits therein. Before I started graduate school I was aware of World's Fairs in a tangential way. I knew Queen Victoria started them, but that knowledge is based on my love of the Queen. I was aware of the St. Louis fair because of my enjoyment of musicals. And Kelly convinced me to read The Devil in the White City (which I highly recommend for a quick, thrilling, and historical read), giving me greater insight into the planning of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition. But, that takes me away from Louis Tiffany and his Favrile Glass. Most known for his windows and lamps, Tiffany experimented with glass and ceramics, taking advantage of his father's money and workshops to develop stained glass that is still revered to this day. Granted, you can be in the John LaFarge camp, but I've been a Tiffany girl since I was little. Biased, sure, but you can't deny the way the light catches the rich colors, the use of lead to separate the panes, and the warmth behind each design. I'm excited to see what I will learn and what this internship holds for opening up new research pathways and giving me the chance to break away from ceramics and explore my other great dec arts love: glass.
(But not to worry, Ceramic Sentiments will soon resume!)
I am unbelievably jealous of you right now. You must keep me updated on your research!
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