Well, reader, it’s difficult to believe but the five weeks of rest between the Fall and Spring semesters have almost come to a close. With that in mind, I thought it might be nice to catch up on what’s happened for me since I last wrote and what’s in store for me in the coming semester.

A view of Santo Domingo’s Zona Colonial taken during my winter break.

My break began with a grueling, but rewarding drive from Chicago to Atlanta to spend time with family and was followed immediately by a much-needed international excursion to the Dominican Republic. Though the first few weeks of my break were not academically oriented, they were truly replenishing ones.

Nonetheless, in a certain way, even while I was physically separated from Columbia, I never felt totally disconnected from it. I continued to correspond with prospective applicants to the Interdisciplinary Arts and Media program by email and even once by Skype from Atlanta to Lebanon. Maintaining my responsibilities as a Graduate Ambassador over the break truly had a way of keeping me close to the pulse of Columbia.

Another constant that remained during my break was my communication with ThoughtWorks, the Chicago based technology firm for which I curated an exhibition last semester. The exhibition, Mediating Bodies, will be up in ThoughtWorks’ spaces until February, and so throughout the break I’ve continued my exchange with the company’s representatives to create a closing program for the exhibition. Through our mutual correspondence, we’ve organized a “salon” style artists’ talk featuring several of the exhibition’s participating artists to close the run of the show. Directly related to this, Danielle Wilcox, Manager/Editor for Columbia’s News Office reached out to me over the break to cover Mediating Bodies for the college’s News and Events page. Connecting with Danielle, too, has kept me very closely tied to Columbia over the last several weeks.

In the last week and a half since I’ve been back, I’ve been getting back up to speed with my own life in Chicago and the things I need to accomplish in the new semester. This includes preparing for my first time leading a college level studio course, which I will do at Columbia this semester with Drawing for Non–Majors. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been corresponding with the professors teaching other sections of this course for their advice and guidance and planning for my own approach to teaching it. It’s at once nerve-racking and exhilarating and–in turn–one of the things that I’m most looking forward to this semester. Moreover, I’m already thinking about the opportunities to continue to develop my own artwork this semester through my Directed Graduate Projects, Art as Spiritual Practice, and The Art of Collaboration courses.

I know that I’m extending myself in this final semester before my thesis year–with work as a Graduate Ambassador and office administrator, teaching a studio course, and my own obligations as a graduate student–but I feel prepared and invigorated for the challenge after what has been a very fulfilling  and restful winter break.