More information here, https://images.nasa.gov/details/PIA22512

To the ancient Egyptians, the hippopotamus was a dangerous animal, and despite its benign appearance was thought to be a hazard for fishing boats. It was said that the beast might be encountered on the waterways in the journey to the afterlife. The original was found in a tomb chapel in Egypt. It currently resides at The Met, and is known affectionately as "William," a kind of mascot for the museum. The nickname first appeared in 1931 in a story published in the British magazine, Punch. It describes a family that consults a color print of the Met's hippo, which it called William, as an oracle. The Met republished the story and the name William caught on. Pictured above is a reproduction of the original.

I wanted to send a note to everyone, that if you find yourself grieving this week, I would like to ask you to take every opportunity you can to breathe and rest. If you need to miss class this week to do this, that is obviously totally understandable. The subject matter I had intended for this week’s class I have decided to push back to next week, and instead I would like to ask, what can I do for you? If I know one thing, if I have one thing to hold on to, as an artist and an educator as a person, it is that art making has ALWAYS been an essential tool to help make sense of the world we live in, and to leverage voices that need and deserve to be heard. Making art is a brave and vulnerable act to begin with, but it has always been necessary, and always provided opportunities for healing. Storytelling is a practice that is required to move on. It is how we build empathy for each other, and how we can remember the past to make better choices in the future. As low as my bandwidth is right now, I am committed to holding space for this practice. I am committed to holding space for YOU as your teacher. And I want to know how I can help and support you.

I am planning on a low intensity class. On doing some breathing exercises. Playing a couple videos. Bathing in the world of beautiful blue that you have created in our gorgeous Blue of the Day Padlet, and spending time with you all.

If you could also bring some paper, something to write with, maybe some colored pencils/markers/crayons that would be great. Let’s make something together.

Sending much love,

Julia

*Materials used in collage (indigo pigment, papers, fabric, thread courtesy of Julia Norton provided during the field trip. Thank you Julia!

the year’s almost over. I walked into my old job. I really miss working at the museum

How many clouds are there in the sky?

How many clouds can you see at once

within the vision of your eyes?

What is in your cloud?

Do you store anything in your cloud?

Do you still recall what they are?

How long would it take you to follow one of

your digital clouds?

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Installation views here.