Paperback Writer

It's almost been an entire month since my last post! I can't believe how quickly time flies. I've done so many things-my days have been packed, I've been exhausted (in a good way), and all the adventures have been making my summer incredible. There have been a lot of visitors in the City, which gives me hope for staying in touch with everyone post-graduation. Two sorority sisters, Laura and Larmo, spent the day with me going around my neighborhood and Union Square. My fellow Poly Rep, Jenna, and I found a killer oyster bar near Pier 24. And, best of all, a whole slew of my friends from various parts of my life (Shack from Poly Reps, Shelly from home, Lindsay from AOII/school, and Ryan) all enjoyed Waffle Sunday at Lindsay's PLUS were immersed within colorful delights as we sat around at the Berkeley Kite Festival. My little sis, Kelly, is visiting at the end of the month, and I get to see my friend Kevlyn tomorrow; hopefully Kelsey Rugani and Charlotte Cashell-Varga will be up here soon. The last exciting aspect of all the visitors is that my friend, Danielle, moved up to SF yesterday with her boyfriend, Kyle. Talk about wonderful!

The internship has been going really well. We're coming into the final weeks for the rock'n'roll exhibit. At the end of the month, I'll be helping to deconstruct and pack-up the whole thing-including handling costumes, such as Janis Joplin's infamous feather boa and Jerry Garcia's Americana top hat. No big deal. :) Also, the following week, I'll be thrown into helping get together the Angels in America exhibit! I've been sitting in on exhibit committee meetings for the past few weeks, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that this will be a fabulous and epic exhibition. If you have yet to see a production of the long, 8 hour play/opera/miniseries, I highly recommend you do. The show itself uses humor, honesty, and wit to call for a need for acceptance, allowing everyone to make their own choices, and ultimately to revive a spirituality that has seemed to be lost in modern day America, especially at the height of the terror created by the AIDS epidemic. I've been doing my research on the play, as well as helping the curator with transcribing interviews. Hopefully there will be more to help him out with.

I've also had the opportunity to go on plenty of field trips on behalf of the museum. Other than SFMOMA, I've been to Walt Disney Family Museum and the Maritime Museum, located in the Marina and is also a National Park. Pictures are posted on my facebook! (If you want to see them, but don't have a facebook, just email me at ilanawinter@gmail.com). The Maritime Museum was beautiful not necessarily for it's content, but rather for the establishment's history. The building was created and decorated thanks to the WPA (part of the New Deal) in the 1930s. It's home to gorgeous art deco architecture, a mural painted in a style ahead of its time, and a great mosaic that was done by the first African American artist to be hired by the WPA. The best part is that there was an issue regarding the project (and the integrity behind its use) that the artist quit, and the mural was never completed! Also, any conservator would gravitate towards this place due to the second floor having severe water damage, and would be an amazing project to really sink your teeth into to help renovate. The Walt Disney Family Museum was INCREDIBLE. Imagine Disneyland and your favorite museum colliding; that was this place. We all got a tour from one of the directors, which was fabulous. There was so much content, it became overwhelming...but in the best way possible. I can't even express how much joy filled my heart when I saw an entire gallery devoted to Disney's interaction with HUAC hearings and creating WWII propaganda. I could feel a thesis writing itself within the depths of my soul. The best part was at the very end, in the gift shop, there was a book that countered an argument I'd made in my American History through Film class; essentially, it states that Disney helped to establish the counterculture that explains the 60s and backlash of the 70s. However, I believe that Disney could not have been as wildly successful has was without the conformity that swallowed America in the 50s. I'll report back after I finish the book. Basically, it's my favorite museum of all time...with the exception of it's lack of costumes. However, there's always room to grow...maybe they just need the right person on their staff. ;) I still have quite a few places to check out before September 10: the DeYoung, Academy of Science, the Exploratorium, Zeum, Museum of Folk and Craft, Wells Fargo Museum, Jewish Contemporary Museum, and Yerba Buena.

As per the adventures I've gone on, they've ranged from sitting on the floor for hours in City Lights bookstore (home of the Beats, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsburg) to discovering bars with ridiculous amateur comedy nights. I've checked off quite a few things on my To Do list for summer, though! Ryan and I ventured to Napa, where wine tasting was delicious (however...not as good as compared to Paso Robles. Let's be honest here.) My favorite was actually in Sonoma on our way, a place called Jacuzzi Vineyards. Not only was the wine good, but the vineyard was gorgeous. And, would you guess, that the woman helping us just so happened to have gone to Cal Poly and was in AOII?! She graduated the quarter before I joined-go figure! I also romped around Golden Gate Park a bit, including sitting outside the venue for Outside Lands Music Festival with Ryan, Laura, and my friend (and Laura's boyfriend) Vince. Who needs a ticket when you can hear Cat Power and the Strokes for free? :) The best adventure thus far, (and over the past month) I must admit, has been being surprised by Ryan with a private horseback riding trip through Marin, complete with a picnic. It was relaxing, gorgeous, and surprisingly good exercise. The trees were green, the weather was perfect, and the fresh air filled my lungs with vitality and happiness.

The most productive aspect of the last month has been my academic track. I'm almost done with my last draft of my senior project catalog (which will be turned in next Monday), which means I'll be completely finished with all things senior project by the end of September. YAY! Also, I've been finalizing my list of graduate programs to apply to. The big contenders are the following: JFK University's Museum Studies M.A.+MBA, NYU's Costume Studies M.A., New School (Parson)'s Fashion Studies M.A., Claremont's Cultural Studies with Media and Museum Studies Concentrations M.A./PhD, SFSU's Museum Studies M.A., George Washington's Museum Studies M.A., and University of Texas's American Studies M.A./PhD. This is only 90% sure, but I have already visited JFK (with whom I was thoroughly impressed with), and have plans to visit SFSU and Claremont's programs within the next few months. I'd love to visit the other schools whenever possible, but have been able to correspond with a few via email (always a good thing). I'm so happy that a large majority of them want to see the catalog as part of my writing sample, and some don't even take GRE scores into account (which I would prefer only because I don't believe in standardized testing). We'll see. I have a meeting with our in-house curator tomorrow to see if he has any recommendations, as well. My coach for senior project, Darlene, has been helpful-as have the History Department staff at Poly-who all say the same thing: check the curriculum, location, and faculty. Any program can work, but it's the connections that are most important and that you enjoy the whole basis of the program. We'll see!!! All I know is that considering the light load I have fall quarter, the applications look more like fun than punishment or something I'll resent later on.

So, what an update! More to come as there are a few concerts, lots of visits, and hopefully some baseball in store! The only thing I'm really waiting for is for the summer weather to kick in...I'll probably already be back in class. I wonder if I'll miss the fog...

White Wedding

I just got back to the bay after a long weekend in Pasadena, where I attended the wedding of Jeff and Velveeta Winter. It's official: I have a stepmom. I'm happy for them because after enduring and overcoming obstacles, they finally reached a point of happiness and security in the journey of their lives. They deserve each other and the goodness that will come from the commitment they've each promised to the other. Also, there's nothing more exciting than getting a stepsister who is absolutely awesome. Madison is someone I'm looking forward to having the opportunities to watch grow from the wonderful little girl she is into the beautiful young woman she'll develop into.

The wedding took place at my dad's friend's house, Barry Cohen, in Laguna. His home not only overlooks the ocean, but he and his husband, Will, have a comfortable and chic home with a great little yard that fit everyone just comfortably. Vel looked beautiful in her strapless mermaid-style white gown adorned with crystal beading. I got to hang out with her and her friends as they, one being a make-up artist, helped her get ready. When Madison arrived, we finished getting ready together before walking out of the house into the yard, followed by her mom. We each carried bouquets of various shades of purple and pink roses in our deep purple dresses. My brother and dad stood side-by-side in their black suits with lavender shirts and dark purple ties, while Barry stood in the middle (Bry and I on either side of him...it was like a small circle in front of the guests); even Barry wore a tie with grays and purples to match the colors of the family. After the ceremony, we all went upstairs in the house for food and drinks (namely tequila...a family and friend favorite), and just hung out until people filtered out back into L.A.

The rest of the weekend was fun. It was entirely too hot; coming from SF where the warmest it's been was 78ish during PRIDE, the 90+ weather all weekend (even in Laguna) was ridiculous. I got to see Jamie Buongiorno and Dania Gottschalk! Jamie was in AOII with me, and lives in Orange County. I can't wait for her to come visit all of us up in the bay...:) Dania is one of my closest friends from camp who was living in Spain for the past year, teaching yoga and going on adventures. She got back on Monday, so it was perfect timing! Plus, it turned out she lives a short block away from Barry and Will's house, so I got ready at her place :) This summer has been fantastic in terms of getting to see all the people I care about all within a matter of months. The rest of the weekend I spent with my brother, and my god parents/siblings, Abe, Eti, Carmen, and Benji. I never get to see them enough. It's crazy how much Car and Benj grow between my visits home, and how incredibly wonderful, intelligent, and amazing they are. Actually, we had an amazing/ridiculous lunch at Burger Continental (on Lake in Pasadena) with Ryan. First of all, the host pointed to a table outside and said he'd been saving us the table. We'd just walked up. Then, he repeatedly told us how he would "take care of us". I mean, this phrase was spoken multiple times each moment he was at our table. Then, he brought us plates and plates and plates of food...none of which we'd ordered. He also told us if we were wrong when we ordered, saying we should have something else. Then, at the end, he just looks at us (a table of 6 filled with food because no one could even try what they ordered because of all the plates he'd brought us), and said, "35." He was referring to the bill. THEN, as we packed up 6 or 7 to-go boxes, he looks at Ryan, said, "You're 21, yes?" and handed him a bottle of champagne. No big. Epic, to say the least.

Although I didn't get a chance to see Jess, it was an all around successful weekend. The drive back wasn't nearly as it had been after 4th of July, and I was lucky to have such great company. It's strange after being going between L.A. and the Bay since leaving San Luis Obispo to have no idea when I'll be back home. The more I contemplate grad school, and the amazing programs in New York and D.C., I can't imagine being so far from my family. That's another thought for another time. During the drive back up (and sitting in a car for 6-7 hours gives you quite a bit of time to contemplate all those big decisions in life), I realized I'm still not 100% sure I know what I want to do. I love working in museums, but I'd love to be a History professor equally. The beauty of being happy doing so many things is that it offers options; there's flexibility in deciding on a profession based not only on passion, but also on the "adult" aspects, like benefits, salary, hour flexibility, location, use of skills all over the world, etc. It's also not really a question of which path to follow, but rather which order to go about it. Although "carpe diem" plays a strong role in my life, there's so much time for all these goals to be possible. If I've learned anything from my family and friends, it's that we are all able to do whatever makes us happy...it's just making the choices on when.

Tonight, I'll be seeing Inception. More thoughts to come. Tomorrow, my internship is finally back to normal after time off to go home, the exhibit opening madness dying down, and getting to start working on a tour for the rock'n'roll exhibit. The best part, though, is that on Wednesday, I'll be going to the Walt Disney Family Museum. Oh, hey there dream job? Expect a detailed report of trip to the happiest museum on Earth. (And for those of you who don't know, if I ever have to write a dissertation, it will be on the affects of the Cold War on the Walt Disney empire...or company :)...or the ways in which Disney films act as a visual history book in the ways they reflect American history.) Basically, my first week of stability in the City is going to be overwhelmingly wonderful.

With Arms Oustretched

I don't know if it's where I am, what I'm doing, variables out of my control, or a combination of many things that are making this the busiest summer I've ever had. My 4th of July weekend in L.A. was eventful, to say the least. After a solid six and a half hour drive, Ryan and I made it to Pasadena where we spent the next day and a half seeing my family. My brother and I introduced Ryan to one of our important family trends: 21 Choices. Mmmmm! (Best frozen yogurt ever.) Ryan also got to meet my dog-or rather my "little" pony-Bruce. This was certainly the first time he hadn't become crazed or hyper when meeting a new person; in fact, Bruce actually preferred to hang around Ryan while we were there. I guess he approves...

The rest of the long weekend was spent in Lomita with the Rosso's. First of all, I got to see a bunch of pictures of Kyle and Ryan growing up (thanks to their grandparents). Two words came to mind: PRECIOUS & roast. Second of all, I learned to play bocce ball. The boys' dad and I won every game. Mind you, I was an amateur. Perhaps I'm a bocce prodigy? Or just had a great teammate? Or both? The highlight of the trip was the 4th of July, which included more bocce, mimosas, pool time (+sunshine=tan lines...even with SPF 70), delicious BBQ, and the Galaxy game. Landon Donovan is the man. One of the pictures I have is of Kyle showing off his undying love for Poly while we were at dinner:

For the past week and a half, I've been exploring the Bay (from Marin to San Jose), and dealing with less fun things. First off, my Dad is getting married this Saturday! However, it will be a bittersweet-emphasizing the sweetness, surely-event due to a death in his fiance's family. Velveeta has been handling everything with an inner strength I'm beyond impressed by. Her daughter (my soon-to-be stepsister) is in San Jose for the summer with her dad; so, Ryan and I used this as an excuse to visit her, where we were wiped out by a day filled with roller skating (at a retro, or rather trashy roller rink), Chuck E. Cheese (we earned 970 tickets!!!!), and lots of food. The second, far more trivial event, was the fact I looked slightly like an ogre; my eye was swollen and I had to go to urgent care. Apparently I had a cyst or something, which didn't heal on its own. Luckily, antibiotics fixed it just in time for wedding photos this weekend. Don't worry! My family and some friends had already helped start designing eye patches that would both 1. match the wedding color scheme and 2. provide a great deal of pirate jokes for the rest of my life.

My internship is going incredibly well. I honestly cannot express how happy I am there. I had to take a few days off for the sake of the not-so-good events mentioned above, but it was ok considering how organized the museum is with their exhibition management. We had a fabulous opening of the Toy Theatres exhibit this past Tuesday. That morning I was able to have a great breakfast with Chaz, a Poly Rep who was in SF for the weekend, and got into the museum to finish last minute preparations with the theaters themselves, arrange all the flowers, mount and cut figurines on foamcore (for the decor), set up tables, the bar, and help pull off a very successful evening. I was impressed by how many people showed up, and got to meet a few local curators. Considering I was working the bar, I hope they liked me a bit...I mean, most people did since I poured a tad bigger than most would. Some lovely AOII sisters came, too!!!! None of us would ever give up an opportunity to drink wine in museums. It was so great to see the Lauras and Rachel. I had gotten to see Larmo and Rach (along with Nadine, Suzie, and Katie) over the weekend when we all celebrated Katie and Suzie's birthdays at Pier 39. The best part about being in SF is how many wonderful people are all close by.

This past weekend was incredibly relaxing. After lots of stress for my family, and having a major disappointment where I couldn't go home to celebrate one of my best friend's graduation at her grad party, it worked out where I simply chilled with good people. Ryan surprised me with a trip to outdoor hot tubs in Marin and a totally gluten-free dinner at Cafe Gratitude. YUM! The next day, we had delicious Puerto Rican cuisine at San Rafael's finest-Sol Food; a Poly Rep gathering went off two blocks from me at Molly Choma's house. It felt amazing to spend time and play an epic game of Apples to Apples with Lara, Molly, Angela, and Alli Crump. Actually we discovered a new fact for tours: Architecture Engineers who are heavily involved in a multitude of outside activities will develop gray hairs at the ripe age of 23. Note the picture of Alli. The next day was the AOII girls' birthday lunch, and I also had the pleasure of meeting one of Ryan's closest friends, Grant, over an elaborate gourmet meal filled with delicious wine and stimulating conversation. Grant is one of those people where, upon meeting him, you immediately feel comfortable and safe to be yourself. His house is like an unfinished log cabin with a fire place, candlestick holders covered in layers and layers of boldly colored wax, beautiful wooden beams, and a sink that's like a huge metal wash tub with a water pump for the faucet. It was essentially one of those nights I'll be looking forward to occurring again.

Also, DPod and ShellBell were both up here two weeks ago! We all got to hang out. Shelly and I had explored Golden Gate Park a bit a few weeks ago. Danielle and I checked out the Calder to Warhol exhibit and the Anniversary exhibit at SFMOMA. The three of us also were able to grab dinner with Maya Ben Barak, an old friend who was the Regional President when I first joined BBG in high school. It was so good to see them; I can't wait to get down to SD to visit Shelly. Luckily, Danielle's boyfriend got a job up in SF when they were visiting...so hopefully, I'll just be seeing them up here soon!

Here are some great pictures from MOMA and from Ryan and my adventures with Maddie in San Jose:

Two Shells by Edward Weston

Woman with a Hat by Henri Matisse

Guardians of the Secret by Jackson Pollock

Michael Jackson and Bubbles by Jeff Koons

Kyalami by Frank Stella (acrylic on aluminum...with glitter!)

workin' for The Man is tying someone down...

Radio by Roy Lichtenstein

No Radio by Barbara Kruger

Nine Multi-colored Marilyns by Andy Warhol!!!!

so, we found Waldo....

Maddie showed us how she is capable of licking her armpit...

My dad says this is from Batman. Madison says it's from Wizards of Waverly Place.

Chuck E. Cheese! :)


The past few days, one of my besties from college has been working a trade show in SF. So, Jen and I have been able to hang out, shop, eat (found the BEST sushi place), and whatnot. All in all, it's been a great time up here! I'll be home all weekend for my dad's wedding. It's going to be so wonderful seeing everyone! More updates to come. :)

Ballad of a Well Known Gun

Just finished some deinstalling of an exhibition to make room for Toy Theatres. I got to master the art of screw gun. Can "exquisite use of power tools" be useful on my resume?

A Day in the Life

It's official: I am living in San Francisco.

The first two weeks of being reintroduced to city life has presented a whirlwind of adventure, excitement, and comfort. Within a matter of days after finishing finals, my best friends' graduations, and moving out of my condo in San Luis Obispo, I flew up to SF. Fortunately, my bags were not weighed at the airport...I could have sworn they were only 49.8lbs when I'd finished packing. Upon my arrival, I was swept off on a driving tour from the Bay Bridge to the Golden Gate Bridge-led by my boyfriend, Ryan. We got to my place, which is in the Inner Sunset district, and explored the fantastic 4 bedroom, 4 bath flat. My bedroom is larger than any room I've ever lived in, with two large windows looking over a...parking lot. They let in a great deal of natural light, though, which is always a good thing. One of the windows leads to the fire escape, and from there is a short ladder that takes you up to the roof. Currently, this is my favorite spot in all of San Francisco. When you reach the top of the ladder, you have a sweeping view of the city; from right to left, you see the stunning SF architecture, the ocean waves, the tree of Golden Gate Park, the DeYoung Museum and Academy of Science, the hills of Marin, the Golden Gate Bridge, and concluding with more green hills. In true San Francisco fashion, it's been too foggy and/or cold to stargaze yet. The keyword, however, is "yet". :)



My first weekend was spent becoming acclimated to my new surroundings. Considering I've only been up here three times, all during which I hadn’t seen much, I needed to get some important things down. I checked out my neighborhood; it's filled with eateries, cafes, pubs, and a few shops. I've found great Thai, sushi, Italian, and gelato already! Due to being near UCSF, the area is primarily filled with twenty-somethings and families-just the place I want to be. I’m not far from the Haight, Castro, or Inner Richmond, so there’s always something to do. Thanks to MUNI, (which I’m in close proximity to all the lines I could care about) I can get all around the City without a problem.

So, the rundown of my first two weeks included my first time on the Golden Gate Bridge, gluten-free pizza in Marin, Toy Story 3, and lots of crazy events all over the place. Ryan has been the best tour guide, making sure I see all the important sights (Union Square, Jack Kerouac Alley, the many bridges and towers, etc.) Also, I’ve been getting to see lots of old friends from Poly and BBYO. It’s been great to catch up with everyone and see how friendships can withstand the test of time.

My highlights thus far have included:
Vicoletto in North Beach: Without a doubt, the best Italian food I’ve ever consumed. Had a homemade cannoli at a local cafe after dinner, too, which was the best way to cap off the evening.

Vesuvio’s: Bar on Jack Kerouac Alley, where I went thanks to the recommendation from Dr. George Cotkin. The atmosphere is both eccentric and cozy; the Tiffany lamps accentuate the mix of intimate seating & beat-inspired art and clutter.

Gold Dust Lounge: On Powell near Union Square-happy hour goes from 7am until 8:30pm. The best $3.50 margarita that is only made better with the ridiculously horrific silver-haired rock’n’roll cover band that attempts to get some form of a tune down when they play the Beatles, Billy Joel, and Elton John. The people who drink a bit much from their tough days in the Financial District are great to watch, unless they try to make you dance with them...

Golden Gate Park: I am four blocks away; 6 blocks or so from the Academy of Science, and another block from the DeYoung Museum. Heaven.

MY INTERNSHIP!!!!: Oh man...the whole reason I’m in SF is for a learning experience of terrific proportion from the Museum of Performance and Design. I’m working under the Exhibition Manager, Mimi Manning, who is absolutely fantastic. Her expertise reminds me what I’m striving for. As an intern, I’m working with a group of other interns-most of whom are in graduate programs whereas I’m one of the youngest of the group. I spend a lot of time with Liz, who’s in a Museum Studies program in Toronto. She’s been with MPD since mid-May or so, and I started out shadowing her. We, along with Mimi, all share similar views of museums in terms of how exhibitions can be felt with every sense, specifics for programming, and the importance of networking. We’ll be going on field trips soon to the Walt Disney Family Museum and the DeYoung. YAY! Also, I’ve gone on fun errands to art supply stores and framing and glass stores. The Paige Glass store, located on Mission, was the coolest thus far because the owner, Ken Paige, is a collector of all things fabulous. I got to a tour of his collections-from his original prints of performers at the Opera House to digitally woven tapestries and from Ming Dynasty pottery to a French tapestry in mint condition from the 16th century. Needless to say, I was speechless.

MPD, Mimi especially, have been impressed with my past experience. I didn’t realize how unique my senior project was until I came here, nor did I find how greatly I’d underestimated the amount of knowledge I’d gained from it. I’m looked at somewhat of an expert (for an intern, anyhow) with textiles. I can hold my own with conversations about text panels, paint colors, and conservation efforts. Being here has solidified my love for museums, and it’s only been two weeks. I felt the same thing walking into Mimi’s office as I had when I first stepped on Cal Poly’s campus: I’m home. Whether I’ll work for MPD after graduate school, or if I’ll be hired elsewhere, it doesn’t truly matter. All I know is that I will want to work with people like Mimi, and Liz and Bill Edelman (see below), and the other museum professionals I’ll be meeting. I don’t feel part of the MPD, but rather part of the entire SF museum community.


The internship has also been great because I get to help with installations and de-installations of exhibits. I’m working on designing a tour for the last few months of their exhibit, There’s Something Happenin’ Here: Bay Area Rock’n’Roll from 1963-1973. Come September, I’ll be helping to take it down, where I’ll get to handle clothing that belonged to Janis Joplin, Sly Stone, and Jerry Garcia. Epic. Also, we’re putting up a new exhibit these upcoming few weeks based on a collection of toy theatres, which are sets and stages for paper dolls. It’s titled Toy Theatres: Worlds in Miniature, and is guest curated by Dr. Bill Edelman, a professor emeritus at Stanford. He taught a seminar on the psychology of clothing, so we’ve had a few lunches where we’ve discussed all sorts of things from my research on wedding gowns to his views on drag clothing (which he adores). Anyway, the toy theatres exhibition is opening on July 13th with a gala at 6:30pm. If anyone wants to go, check out the website (where you can RSVP)! http://www.mpdsf.org/EXHIBITIONS/TOY/Toy.html It’s going to be a blast!

So, if you want to check out the museum in general, please come visit us at 401 Van Ness Avenue (between Market and Golden Gate) across from City Hall. The building is gorgeous, as it’s one of the War Memorial buildings (and the other is occupied by the San Francisco Opera). The website is http://www.mpdsf.org/index.html.

I will be in L.A. this weekend for the 4th of July. Big weekend because Ryan and I are doing the whole “meet the family” thing. I’m excited to see everyone, though, and to enjoy the warmth of SoCal. Plus, I’ll be going to my very first pro soccer game on the 4th to cheer on the Galaxy as they (hopefully) dominate Seattle.

Look forward to more updates soon! Missing SLO and L.A., but enjoying SF so so so much. :)