Some of you may remember that I set a goal at the beginning of this year to take more risks. Really, it was to be more adventurous in general. I thought having more of a broad goal would make it a little easier to achieve but would still give me a chance to do something new. I was hanging out with two of my friends on Monday and Camilla told me that I'm one of the only people she knows who actually achieved her New Year's resolution! I thought I'd share with you some of the successes that I had in achieving this goal.To start, I was thinking about how many museums and historical places I visited this year. I came up with a list which is pretty darned lengthy! (An asterisk [*] indicates a place I've never been to before this year; if there is a number next to it in parentheses that indicates the number of times I went there this year only.)
The Museum of Modern Art, NYC*
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC*
The Frick Collection, NYC*
The Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit
The University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History
Arab American National Museum, Dearborn, MI
The Public Museum of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, MI*
Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, G.R., MI (3 times)*
The Grand Rapids Art Museum, G.R., MI*
The Salem Witch Museum, Salem, Mass. (twice)*
The Salem Pirate Museum, Salem, Mass.*
The House of the Seven Gables, Salem, Mass. (twice)
Hershey Museum, Hershey, PA*
Plimouth Plantation, Plymouth, Mass.*
Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA*
Meyer May House (a Frank Lloyd Wright house), G.R., MI*
Nauvoo, Illinois (Joseph Smith house, Red Brick Store, Skovill Bakery, etc.)*
Empire State Building, NYC*
Quincy Market, Boston, Mass.
Fanueil Hall, Boston, Mass.
Some other places I went/saw:
Artprize (a pretty big deal in Grand Rapids this fall)*
Liberty Bell, Philadelphia, PA*
Lincoln Center, Juilliard, The Strand, Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Plaza, NYC*
I think you can tell from some of the locations of the museums and other places that I travelled quite a bit this year! New York City; Boston (twice); Salem, Massachusetts (twice); Maine (Bar Harbor, Freeport, Boothbay Harbor, Portland); Philadelphia; Hershey, PA; and Ludington, MI (4 times).
I also embarked on a very big new adventure: I quit my job, moved to Grand Rapids, and started a graduate program in painting at Kendall College of Art & Design of Ferris State University. It's been a bit of an adjustment living someplace new, going to a new school, etc, but it's been a great adventure!
So now I need a new resolution for next year that out-does this year's. I'm open to suggestions! Now that I'm a student again it has to be a low-budget resolution, but I think I'd like to stay in the area of doing things that are adventurous. I've got one more day to work it out...I'll let you know what I decide it should be. There may be more on this decision tomorrow...
