All the best,
Shanjun
Tuesday 7 June 2011
Farewell day
All the best,
Shanjun
Wednesday 1 June 2011
Do small things with a heart that's full of gratitude and joy ∩▽∩
Before starting the internship, I was being worried a lot. Even I was a little frightened. I encouraged myself so many times to knock the door of that institution on the first day. Since English is my second language, I really wondered what kind of tasks I would be given. Certainly, all the tasks the supervisor gave me were small and even sound boring(if you go through all of my posts, you can know what I did),but I would like to say that I was doing every task with a full heart. The reasons are simple: above all, I love working for art, and secondly, I am always gratitude for ** giving me this intern opportunity and valued it deeply.
I am a stubborn person - If I were indifferent to something, even if I was paid a large amount of money to do it, I would not finish it well. Last year, during my first intern at a photo shop in China, the boss had asked me to be a cashier. Unfortunately, I hate counting money and indeed I had once forgotten to charge a customer 15 RMB. On the contrary, this time was completely different; I felt like a fish in water ^ ^ I enjoyed doing any small thing that the curator and registrar gave to me. Some tasks, such as filing and reformatting CV, sound very tedious,especially for the other staff who has been working here for a long time. However, all of these things were utterly fresh to me. I always think it is essential to do these "trifles" well if I want to develop my career within this field. If I failed to do these small things, how could I finish more challenging things in the future? I never despited the routines, such as checking daily artist's mail by EMU. In the beginning,I didn't do it until the curator put the box in front of me, but after a few days later, I got a habit of checking the box everyday through EMU when the curator hadn't been arrived, and put every mail in the corresponding file. I knew that the curator was very busy and mail filing was a tedious load for her, but I would like to help and practice to be organised myself. Also, through frequently checking the file, I have acquired a lot of excellent information about Australian contemporary artists.
It is not because the language, I prefer "say less, do more", but I was not shy to chat with other staff and they are very friendly and polite. I am grateful to them all.
I had to get up very early to go to work on Mon and Tue, but I was full of joy and enthusiasm, because many things I am interested in were waiting for me to finish.
I probably wouldn't write any more until next week (the last day of my intern),and maybe one more post left. Hope everyone enjoy reading my experiences which would be my beautiful memories of studying abroad Y(^_^)Y
I am a stubborn person - If I were indifferent to something, even if I was paid a large amount of money to do it, I would not finish it well. Last year, during my first intern at a photo shop in China, the boss had asked me to be a cashier. Unfortunately, I hate counting money and indeed I had once forgotten to charge a customer 15 RMB. On the contrary, this time was completely different; I felt like a fish in water ^ ^ I enjoyed doing any small thing that the curator and registrar gave to me. Some tasks, such as filing and reformatting CV, sound very tedious,especially for the other staff who has been working here for a long time. However, all of these things were utterly fresh to me. I always think it is essential to do these "trifles" well if I want to develop my career within this field. If I failed to do these small things, how could I finish more challenging things in the future? I never despited the routines, such as checking daily artist's mail by EMU. In the beginning,I didn't do it until the curator put the box in front of me, but after a few days later, I got a habit of checking the box everyday through EMU when the curator hadn't been arrived, and put every mail in the corresponding file. I knew that the curator was very busy and mail filing was a tedious load for her, but I would like to help and practice to be organised myself. Also, through frequently checking the file, I have acquired a lot of excellent information about Australian contemporary artists.
It is not because the language, I prefer "say less, do more", but I was not shy to chat with other staff and they are very friendly and polite. I am grateful to them all.
I had to get up very early to go to work on Mon and Tue, but I was full of joy and enthusiasm, because many things I am interested in were waiting for me to finish.
I probably wouldn't write any more until next week (the last day of my intern),and maybe one more post left. Hope everyone enjoy reading my experiences which would be my beautiful memories of studying abroad Y(^_^)Y
I will miss you ( to my intern teacher- the registrar )
I don't know how to say farewell to you next week. It is really not enough to say a "thank you", if I did this, I would hate myself. All the goods will come to the end, and I still cannot accept that after next week I cannot see you anymore...Whilst my supervisor - the curator wants me to do things for her, you teach me as a true teacher who cares about me, so I would hate myself more if I were ungrateful for all your help.
When I saw you on the first day of my intern, I thought you were a little unapproachable, but this impression turned out to be a mistake when I assisted you in accessing a "stegosaurus". You has got a mild temper and infinite patience. I was very curious about why the label of every part of "stegosaurus" should be inside the small grooves. You told me that this was for avoiding the exposure of the label after the "stegosaurus" was constructed. You taught me how to correctly label an object with different materials and gave me a very useful handout - a simple guide to labelling museum objects. When working and communicating with you, I felt the time passed too soon...%>_<%
When we packed and unpacked the artworks, you introduced a lot of packing materials I heard from the textbook but didn't see before. You taught me to open the package always from the back and also told me how to stack artworks (face to face, back to back). I was a little shy to talk too much but you wanted me to remember the importance of communication during moving an artwork.
I would never find the charm of registration if I didn't meet you. The four steps of accessioning you taught me: inscription recording, measuring, describing and condition reporting made me love this work from the bottom of my heart. I am a person who loves to be organised and pursue perfection and through accessioning I found my talent for doing this well. Unfortunately, I was afraid of measuring things, and when you first time asked me to measure the width of a painting, I made a funny mistake, but from then on, I got more and more confidence to measure artworks of different sizes and never be fear of measuring anymore, and yes I did very well. But I think the hardest thing for me was to describe an artwork in a limited time. Thank you for leading me to practice this so many times and I made a big progress, but Sorry, as I am not a native speaker, I often experienced difficulty in finding a right word: I didn't know what the English name of the animal in picture was. Do you know? My favourite course is conservation, and I had tried to keep the glossary in mind, but I didn't get chance to use them in practice until you taught me how to check the condition with a torch. From the practice, I indeed found the limitation in my previous knowledge, but more important, I have known what a real "accretion" or an "abrasion" looks like. I made an obvious progress in reporting the condition and would never forget the method for doing it properly.
Working with you is the time I've always looked forward to, and now I still expect to help you next week. Almost every week you came upstairs and called me: "hi, Shanjun, how's going, do you have time to help me do some accessioning?" Sometimes, while searching some files, I couldn't help myself looking through the window and quietly saw you being busy downstairs #^_^# . You were always patient with me, but I've always feel really guilty at showing a very negative attitude one day before the Easter. On that day, you showed me how to handle a very large and unframed work, after that you told me to describe that aboriginal painting, but I said I wasn't in a good mood and didn't want to do it. Until now, I still feel very sorry about my grumpiness; I should't make you disappointed, although I indeed felt awful that day ╯﹏╰. On Monday in the following week, I went to work with a much better mentality, but I was heard of you had been sick for a whole week. I put a picture on your table I drew for you on Sunday and hoped when you saw it you would get better. That Monday I worked very hard with pretty enthusiasm. And I was very happy that you said the picture drown by me was very nice and cute ~@^_^@~
I really love the book you recommended: Museum Registration Methods 5th; I will read it carefully, because Ive become so fascinated with registration now ^ ^
I love speaking with you and watching the way you work, from which I gain so much more than the words can describe. I'll note everything you taught me down, keep them in mind, and bring to my country. I had a wish that one day I could become a good registrar, just like you =^_^=
Thank you and wish God bless you. Sorry that I don't want you to see this post; sometimes it is better to for you to know nothing.
I miss you. Hope one day I can see you again, and talk about registration again or talk about something else...When writing here, I am in tears.
When I saw you on the first day of my intern, I thought you were a little unapproachable, but this impression turned out to be a mistake when I assisted you in accessing a "stegosaurus". You has got a mild temper and infinite patience. I was very curious about why the label of every part of "stegosaurus" should be inside the small grooves. You told me that this was for avoiding the exposure of the label after the "stegosaurus" was constructed. You taught me how to correctly label an object with different materials and gave me a very useful handout - a simple guide to labelling museum objects. When working and communicating with you, I felt the time passed too soon...%>_<%
When we packed and unpacked the artworks, you introduced a lot of packing materials I heard from the textbook but didn't see before. You taught me to open the package always from the back and also told me how to stack artworks (face to face, back to back). I was a little shy to talk too much but you wanted me to remember the importance of communication during moving an artwork.
I would never find the charm of registration if I didn't meet you. The four steps of accessioning you taught me: inscription recording, measuring, describing and condition reporting made me love this work from the bottom of my heart. I am a person who loves to be organised and pursue perfection and through accessioning I found my talent for doing this well. Unfortunately, I was afraid of measuring things, and when you first time asked me to measure the width of a painting, I made a funny mistake, but from then on, I got more and more confidence to measure artworks of different sizes and never be fear of measuring anymore, and yes I did very well. But I think the hardest thing for me was to describe an artwork in a limited time. Thank you for leading me to practice this so many times and I made a big progress, but Sorry, as I am not a native speaker, I often experienced difficulty in finding a right word: I didn't know what the English name of the animal in picture was. Do you know? My favourite course is conservation, and I had tried to keep the glossary in mind, but I didn't get chance to use them in practice until you taught me how to check the condition with a torch. From the practice, I indeed found the limitation in my previous knowledge, but more important, I have known what a real "accretion" or an "abrasion" looks like. I made an obvious progress in reporting the condition and would never forget the method for doing it properly.
Working with you is the time I've always looked forward to, and now I still expect to help you next week. Almost every week you came upstairs and called me: "hi, Shanjun, how's going, do you have time to help me do some accessioning?" Sometimes, while searching some files, I couldn't help myself looking through the window and quietly saw you being busy downstairs #^_^# . You were always patient with me, but I've always feel really guilty at showing a very negative attitude one day before the Easter. On that day, you showed me how to handle a very large and unframed work, after that you told me to describe that aboriginal painting, but I said I wasn't in a good mood and didn't want to do it. Until now, I still feel very sorry about my grumpiness; I should't make you disappointed, although I indeed felt awful that day ╯﹏╰. On Monday in the following week, I went to work with a much better mentality, but I was heard of you had been sick for a whole week. I put a picture on your table I drew for you on Sunday and hoped when you saw it you would get better. That Monday I worked very hard with pretty enthusiasm. And I was very happy that you said the picture drown by me was very nice and cute ~@^_^@~
I really love the book you recommended: Museum Registration Methods 5th; I will read it carefully, because Ive become so fascinated with registration now ^ ^
I love speaking with you and watching the way you work, from which I gain so much more than the words can describe. I'll note everything you taught me down, keep them in mind, and bring to my country. I had a wish that one day I could become a good registrar, just like you =^_^=
Thank you and wish God bless you. Sorry that I don't want you to see this post; sometimes it is better to for you to know nothing.
I miss you. Hope one day I can see you again, and talk about registration again or talk about something else...When writing here, I am in tears.
Tuesday 31 May 2011
Reformatting the artists' CV
In April, one of the biggest tasks I finished was to reformat many artists' CV. Our institution has its own CV format - the concise format can well fit into any exhibition or printed brochure, but a lot of artists' CV had overwhelming word counts and various styles.
The process of reformatting was tiring but I got a good idea how to arrange an artist's CV with a clear structure, and more important, I was really pleased with serving for the artist who needed our help.
After reformatting those CV, I was given several artists' names and required to send emails to the galleries representing them to ask for their CV, for our organisation currently lost their records. I firstly wrote down their names on a new word file and then searched all of them online in oder to find available CV. I sent out about five emails to the four galleries to ask for the detailed CV, but two galleries responded me with very strange ones of few information; although I request so many times, no replies any more. The artist David Thomson replied me the following week, and I reformatted all the CV I got from those kind-hearted galleries.
As last, I sent a small report to the curator, in which I identified the artists whose CV were successfully reformatted, whose CV were provided again by the galleries and whose CV lacked details and still needed the contact with the galleries.
I practised being more and more organised in every task. ~^o^~
About writing that two texts （ˇˍˇ）
My supervisor wanted me to write a text for a client. The artist's name is Stuart Watters. His painting looks like Vincent's starry night. I was a little nervous actually, for the computer in my office is not installed with any translator. As not a native speaker, I found this was not a piece of cake. The curator required no more than 500 words, but I know that the less, the harder.
I researched Stuart Watters from the file and the internet, and indeed got some useful information, such as his general style, but not too much. I established a new word file to take down all the information and references, and then I spent more than a half day writing this text. The curator was very satisfied with what I wrote and she gave me another one to write. But I had completely no idea how to write this one. The artist was a very emerging artist and I could hardly find any review about his general style. As this series I required to write was screen printings, I spent some time researching the aesthetic characteristics of printmaking.
I love writing art and I benefit much from a book called A Short Guide to Writing about Art, what gives me a lot of clues regarding how to analyse formal qualities. I ll soon show these two article I wrote, when I go to work next Monday.
The first
Reinis Zusters was a prolific painter who produced large landscapes, cityscapes as well as portraits. Absorbed in oil painting, he expressed his fascination with exploring nature and his inner world.
I researched Stuart Watters from the file and the internet, and indeed got some useful information, such as his general style, but not too much. I established a new word file to take down all the information and references, and then I spent more than a half day writing this text. The curator was very satisfied with what I wrote and she gave me another one to write. But I had completely no idea how to write this one. The artist was a very emerging artist and I could hardly find any review about his general style. As this series I required to write was screen printings, I spent some time researching the aesthetic characteristics of printmaking.
I love writing art and I benefit much from a book called A Short Guide to Writing about Art, what gives me a lot of clues regarding how to analyse formal qualities. I ll soon show these two article I wrote, when I go to work next Monday.
The first
Reinis Zusters was a prolific painter who produced large landscapes, cityscapes as well as portraits. Absorbed in oil painting, he expressed his fascination with exploring nature and his inner world.
Zusters bought an old house at Greenwich
Reinis Zusters OAM was born 15 October 1918 in Odessa ,Russia Riga Technical College Western Australia Australia , Japan and USA Japan and many other public and private collections in Australia Wentworth Falls
The Second
Stuart Watters is an artist who specialises in creating abstract work. He chooses succinct creative language to constitute a pictorial surface of formal rhythm.
His screen printings Fillet (1984) and Whisket (1984) show the strength and beauty of abstract form by the manipulation of shapes and colours. Fillet (1984) presents an attractive visual focus by the artist’s construction of the layered shapes, fresh and mute colours, whilst Whisket (1984) reveals a more succinct language to emphasise a beauty of a large blank which not only enhances the sense of light but also leaves us something to guess. The configurations of two works show fresh and strong visual effects. Stuart Watters is an artist who specialises in creating abstract work. He chooses succinct creative language to constitute a pictorial surface of formal rhythm.
Stuart Watters studies painting at City Art Institute, Sydney. Since 1984, he has had numerous solo exhibitions including the latest The Shape of Language (2010) in Kudos gallery, Sydney, and his work has been exhibited at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. He was a recipient of the inaugural Sir William Dobell Art Foundation Award and the artist currently lives and works in Sydney
Before the new library
When I came into the office a couple of weeks ago, I was surrounded by stacks and stacks of magazines. They were artist profiles, art crafts international, artlink, art monthly, and other interesting magazines. The curator was ill that day, but via email she asked me to check through all these magazines in oder to find the reviews relevant to the artworks in our collection. If I found these articles, she wished I could clip them out or photocopy them, place them into the corresponding artist's file and throw away these old magazines for the installation of the new library.
It was definitely easy to find the name of the artists who in our collection by EMU, but the review articles on the specific artworks in the collection were very rare; thus I planned to clip out the article related to the artist who in our collection and his/her artworks were similar to the works that in out collection.
I spent solid four days working on these, but nearly the end I suddenly found that I forgot to mark the references on the top right corner of the article cut out. One significant thing I learnt from this magazine checking was that marking the reference was essential, because if the article could be used one day, it would be terrible that the reference could not be found. After checking them one by one through EMU, I classified every article according to the surname of the artists and then placed them back into their files.
Writing essays seems to be a daily routine of a curator. She/he needs a lot of inspirations and also references. That is a reason why the curator wanted to keep all the useful articles in file. Many clients require the article about the work he/she appreciates. Next I ll tell you the story that I wrote two articles for our clients. #^_^#
It was definitely easy to find the name of the artists who in our collection by EMU, but the review articles on the specific artworks in the collection were very rare; thus I planned to clip out the article related to the artist who in our collection and his/her artworks were similar to the works that in out collection.
I spent solid four days working on these, but nearly the end I suddenly found that I forgot to mark the references on the top right corner of the article cut out. One significant thing I learnt from this magazine checking was that marking the reference was essential, because if the article could be used one day, it would be terrible that the reference could not be found. After checking them one by one through EMU, I classified every article according to the surname of the artists and then placed them back into their files.
Writing essays seems to be a daily routine of a curator. She/he needs a lot of inspirations and also references. That is a reason why the curator wanted to keep all the useful articles in file. Many clients require the article about the work he/she appreciates. Next I ll tell you the story that I wrote two articles for our clients. #^_^#
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