One month down, two to go.

Hello there!

It has been quite a while since I last regaled you with stories of Venezia, la serenissima. I'm not going to lie to you: I looked up how to spell "regaled" just now. The intricacies of the English language have left me for the most part, as I speak mostly Italian during the day. I catch myself thinking and reasoning in Italian also, which scares and excited me a bit.

Without further ado, here's an update on my charmed life:

I have been settling into a routine here in Venice for the last couple of weeks. It is true that Venice is more like a village than a city; I see the same people, do the same things, and feel at ease here. As I walk to work, I see the gondoliers polishing the gulls of their boats, the shop-owners Windex-ing their windows, the man with the three bulldogs conversing with a friend as they cross the Accademia bridge.

At the PGC, we have become a make-shift family for each other. Like any other family, we are a little too big and a little too loud, but the deep love and respect we have for each other is evident nonetheless. Of the 33 interns I started the month with, 17 are leaving. Last night was our farewell bash: la festa di fine mese, or the end-of-the-month party. I never thought I could be as moved and changed by a group of people as I was by CUAB, but the PGCers managed to draw a few tears out my eyes. (Just a few, though.) Tomorrow the newbies arrive, and I get to meet 10 new people who have totally different backgrounds than me but are some how eerily similar. I could not be more excited.

Because so much time has elapsed since my last post, I will not attempt to summarize the events that have transpired. Some of the highlights were Mom's visit last week (see image of Venice from the San Giorgio Maggiore bell tower, wow!) , various dinner parties, and late-night tea drinking, scary story telling, Sex and the City watching, bruschetta eating marathons. I wish you all could have been here to take part.

With that being said, I will now introduce to you a new wave of blog posts. I am going to try my hand at listing, profiling and extended photo captions. Here is one try at each new genre:

LIST: Types of delivery boats
These are different boats I have seen. If I was anywhere but Venice, these would be trucks instead. Just imagine my delight at seeing these cruising the canals:

1. Ice Cream boat
2. Coca Cola boat
3. UPS boat
4. Fruit and veggie
5. Animal control boat

PROFILE: Allison
Allison is a delightful little sprite of a human being who hails from New York and currently attends Bard College. She always has a small notebook and a fountain pen with her and is constantly writing notes or sketching. She wears a giant orange barrette in her hair. Before she left the US for Venice, she was walking by an American Apparel store, and they asked her to come in for a moment. Wondering why, Allison obliged. They offered her $1000 in merchandise to take a few Polaroids; they were so stricken by her manner and style. She accepted, and has since offered to buy anyone anything they want from the store. She could never use it all herself, she says. That's just a little bit about my friend Allison.

PHOTO: Burano
Burano is a quaint fisherman's island in the northern lagoon. Venice just one of many islands in the larger lagoon connected to the Adriatic sea.

I visited Burano with my mom when she came to visit this week. We had a lovely time exploring the tiny streets and had a wonderful picnic lunch along the water. Twas a great visit.

A note about the houses: All of the row houses are painted different colors. It is said to be so as an aid to the fishermen that leave there. They are out at sea for so long that they forget where they live, so the wifes simply remind them of the color of their home before they return. Cute story, eh? I thought so.

Well, folks, that's all I have for you today. I am off to my friend Rebecca's for lunch. Until next time, I hope you all are well and enjoying your summers. Ciao for now!

Love,

L

Le fotografie della mia vita

I thought you all deserved a break from reading. Aside from a few short captions, this post is all pictures of my life here in Venice. Enjoy.

1. A view from beyond my apartment: The Grand Canal from Piazza San Marco.


2. Corte Torretta, the courtyard where my apartment building is.

3. A view from my apartment window.

4. My kitchen wasn't as tidy as I would like, so I decided to take a picture of my lunch instead. Fresh mozzarella, Sicilian tomatoes (fresh and pureed), tagliatelle noodles, olive oil, garlic and herbs.

5. The finished product: Homemade tomato sauce with fresh tagliatelle, mozzarella and bread. Mmmm.

6. More Italian produce. Yum again.

7. A view of my cube. The "Taxi Driver" poster was left for me by the previous tenant. How sweet.

9. Another view. The poster on my door is of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. The poster to the far right is named "Pesci di Mare," and it has all of the fish in the Venetian province on it.

10. Yet another view. The poster on the wall is of a Magritte in the PGC. On my wardrobe are Biennale posters, fliers and postcards I have collected so far. I also have a dartboard on the right that I use as a bulletin board.

11. The infamous shower. Showering is definitely memorable here in Corte Torretta.

12. We are out of my apartment now (obviously) and on my route to work. Here is a view of a group of gondoliers about 5 minutes from home, 10 minutes from the PGC.


13. Here is a view of the PGC from the Accademia Bridge, one of the two bridges that crosses the Grand Canal. (The museum is the low-lying white marble palazzo two buildings from the right.) We are about 3 minutes away from work at this point.


14. The view from the other side of the Accademia. The boat on the far left is a vaporetto, or water bus.

15. Really hot billboard man I ogle at everyday when I cross the Accademia.

16. A view of the Fondamenta Zattere, a fun road to stroll along or to stop along to have a drink. The grocery store I go to is at the end of this road, about 10 minutes away from the museum and 25 minutes away from my apartment. The Grand Canal is on the left.

18. The Canal is so beautiful with the sun shining. I like Venice, sigh.


That's all for now. I hope you have enjoyed this post. Stay tuned for another installment in a few days. You may be getting some more pictures if you're lucky :) Ciao!

Love,

L

Biennale

From the Biennale Web site: "The Venice Biennale has for over a century been one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Ever since its foundation in 1895, it has been in the avant-garde, promoting new artistic trends and organizing international events in contemporary arts."

More plainly, the Biennale is an international exposition of art. Each of the 77 participating countries has a pavilion or a garden, and they select one contemporary artist to represent the country. The US artist is Bruce Nauman, whose work has been displayed at the Tate Modern in London and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

The PGC's role in the Biennale is a large and complex one. Because it houses all of the most important modern art in Venice and it positioned prominently on the Grand Canal, the PGC is a favorite site for pre-Biennale parties and functions. Everything will become more clear as I talk you through last week's events.

Monday, June 1: Pre-chaos Meeting

My first day of work at the PGC. After a normal day of work, the staff briefed all of the interns on the upcoming week of Biennale events. They basically just scared the shit out of us and told us we would be on our feet in high-heeled shoes and formal gowns and suits for 16+ hours everyday catering to the most important people in the art world. Keep in mind that Sunday was my training day and the first time I had ever set foot inside the PGC.

Tuesday, June 2: VIP Tour

The museum is not usually open Tuesdays, but we were open for Biennale stuff (including a rooftop-terrace breakfast for the Tate Modern director and a huge press conference for all of the Biennale artists). After work, Susan Davidson, a curator at the Guggenheim in NY, gave the interns a tour of the temporary exhibition she hung at the PGC called Gluts. The Gluts are assembled metal works by Robert Rauscenberg, a prominent American artist who died one year ago.

Susan was accompanied by RR's widow, son, granddaughter and his boyfriend (yes, his widow and his boyfriend). She decided to talk with us so we could best answer questions during our tours and guarding duties. It's not everyday (or every lifetime) that one gets a tour of a show from its curator and the family of the artist. I felt quite special and learned a lot. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Wednesday, June 3: Guggenheim Foundation Gala

We had a huge gala at the PGC for the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation board members. Very rich and important art people flew to Venice from all over the world for a big shindig. My role in all of this was to pin my name badge to my formal dress and guard the galleries, protecting the artwork from wayward elbows and red wine.

Important people present included the directors of all the Guggenheim branches, directors of the Tate Modern in London, Museum of Contemporary Art in LA, and the Whitney Museum in NY (a bunch of prominent curators and art patrons were there too).

I have never seen such beautiful clothes, shoes and handbags in all of my life (aside from later in the week, that is). I was like all of the manakins in the windows of Dior, Versace, Gucci and Prada sprung to life and decended on the museum. I do love a man in a designer suit. And the women were all so graceful. I was jealous even though I was formally dressed as well. My feet still hurt from guarding the galleries last week in stilettos.

Thursday, June 4: US Pavilion Party

We had 1200 of the most boring people in the world in the garden Thursday night. Everything was set up beautifully, but the company was dry and the people were pompous and rude. To write about this party would be a waste of time. Skip to Friday for a good time.

Friday, June 5: UAE Pavilion Party

The work day Friday was totally normal and uneventful. As the sun set over the Grand Canal and the royals began arriving, however, things got quite festive quite quickly.

It was a spectacular scene. There were giant flower arrangements on all of the mirrored, elevated tables placed around our garden. White and red silk tents interspersed with strings of lanterns graced the courtyard. White leather chaises and ottomans were brought in for the guests to lounge on. The food looked and smelled wonderful, and they had a fully-stocked bar with everything from cognac to champagne.

Once the guests began arriving, the most amazing DJ started playing mashes of traditional music with contemporary hip hop and techno. I have never seen a royal family let loose before, but oh how they danced. There were over 800 people there, and they were all having the time of their lives. I wish I had been allowed to partake.

There are too many details to share here, but just know that the UAE royal family knows how to throw a good party. And they were all exceptionally appreciative and polite. Go, UAE.

Saturday, June 6: Catalogs, L'acqua Alta & Intern Party

Saturday I was working with Silvio, the PGC head librarian, and he sent me out to collect catalogs from the various pavilions for our archives. At first listen, this task sounds great: walking around, seeing art, meeting people, etc. But there are a few important things about me and Venice that you must consider:

1. I am spatially retarded, and I have been designated to trek to obscure corners of the city by myself. Not good.

2. Venice is a labyrinth of bridges, alleys and canals. It is very easy to get lost (see number one) and you quickly tire from all of the steps. Keep in mind that I have to lug scores of catalogs too.

3. When it rains anywhere in the Adriatic region, Venice floods. On this particular day, the majority of the streets on my route were flooded, leaving my legs soaking wet and aching from all the water aerobics. Dirty canal water up to your knees is not fun in any circumstance, let alone when you are carrying at least 40 pounds of catalogs.

Anyways, sigh, I ended up having an OK time, minus the water. I got lost probably 17 times, but I quickly noted and corrected all of my wrong turns. At the end of three hours, I had secured catalogs from the Montenegro, Georgia, Croatia, Taiwan, Morroco, Ireland and Northern Ireland pavilions. I was given the most beautiful poster from the artist at the Georgian pavilion, which I will take a picture of as soon as I charge my camera.

After I went home, changed my soggy, smelly jeans and ate lunch, I took my four tote bags of heavy books to the PGC and hung out in the intern lounge til they told me I could go home (two hours early, hooray!) I got back to my apartment, got cleaned up and went to a huge party down the Fondamenta for PGC interns past and present.

It was a great party, and we had a fabulous time unwinding from our crazy week. On our way out to bars from the Fondamenta, we discovered there was still high water in the streets, so we frolicked. (I will post the pictures of me pirouetting through the 2 feet of water in Piazza San Marco as soon as my friend Whitney sends them to me, haha). I will not continue on with details of our drunken debauchery, just know that we all had a damn good time and got home safely.

Sunday, June 7: Queen of Norway

The Queen of Norway arrived promptly at 9 a.m. Sunday morning with her posse of secret service men. The director of the PGC, Dr. Rylands, was giving her a tour before the museum opened to the public. After the seeing the UAE royal family, I expected the Queen to be dripping in diamonds and rubies and adorned with the finest Norwegian furs. She was, however, classically dressed in a Chanel suit, pumps and hat. She was very elegant, yet simple. She was also very kind and relaxed. I think if I was an old lady we could be friends.

Monday, June 8: Breakfast on the Terrace & Intern Party 2

I had a normal day at work. I was at the ticket office. Time flies when I work there, which is nice. After work a bunch of us interns went for drinks of the Fondamenta Zattere along the Grand Canal before going across the canal to Rachel's for a party. She had 20 of us over for pasta, salad, hors d'oeuvres and wine. At 4 a.m., after learning drinking songs, games and toasts in 4 different languages - I passed out on her fold-out couch. We had a great time. Everyone I work with is absolutely wonderful.

In conclusion, I had one hell of a week, filled with extraordinary happenings. I feel very lucky to be here in Venice and experience all the things that I have so far.

I join you now from just beyond Piazza San Marco, where I live. My roommate Kristen and I just made a banana chocolate cake, which smells delicious, by the way. I did laundry for the first time, and I'm generally enjoying my day off (aside from a tiny hangover). I hope you all are well, and I will talk to you soon. Cake is calling.

Cheers,

L

The PGC (Peggy Guggenheim Collection)

Here is a rough idea of what I do everyday, where I am, and who I'm with:

1. Location

There are six sestieri, or districts, in Venice. The PGC is located in Dorsoduro, a residential sestiere, across the Grand Canal from San Marco, where I live. It takes me about 15 minutes to walk to work each morning, and it isn't confusing at all because there are signs the whole way. The collection itself is housed in a palazzo, or palace, on the Grand Canal.

2. Collection

The PGC is the premiere museum for modern art in Italy, and it houses some of the most important modern pieces in the world. It is a small collection, but the phrase quality over quantity definitely applies. See this link to look at some of our permanent collection pieces (click on the rooms to see what's in them): http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/inglese/museum/map.html

3. The People

I am working with the most diverse, intelligent, interesting group of people you could imagine. Aside from CUAB, I have never been associated with such exceptional individuals. To give you an idea of the diversity, I will list the countries we come from:

- Australia (Cam, Rebecca, Kelly, Jilly)
- Canada (Vikki, Nico)
- England (Rory, Rachel)
- France (Anna)
- Germany (Cornelia)
- Greece (Kelly)
- Italy (Claudio, Anita, Angela, Chiara, Cecilia, Marta, Kaitlin)
- Japan (Yoshiko)
- Lithuania (Grazina)
- Mexico (Maria)
- New Zealand (Winsome)
- Serbia (Nevena)
- Spain (Manuel)
- USA (Mardee, Francesca, Marianna, John, Lila, Allison, Rachel and Me!)

We range in age from 17 (daughter of a major art appraiser) to 27 (established lawyer and art scholar). Most of us are 22-25. I don't have nearly enough time or room to introduce everyone to you, but I assure you that everyone is exceptionally kind, smart and wonderful.

I have two supervisors, or capi, Grazina and Anita. Grazina is from Lithuania and Anita is from Lake Como, Italy. They are both super accomodating, and they will both speak English with us if we need help. We are expected to speak to the other staff members in Italian, but they will also help us if we need it. Overall, I feel very welcome and happy at work.

4. The Job

When the director of the museum spoke to us on our first day, the first thing he said was this: "You run the museum." He wasn't exaggerating. Below is a list of the things I do everyday.

MORNING DUTIES

- Take the pajamas off the artwork: Yes, all of our pieces wear pajamas to bed. The pjs are sort of slip covers to protect the art, and we have to take them all off and fold them before the public arrives.

- Wipe the nose prints off the windows: We have many windows that overlook the Grand Canal, and these windows are often smudgy with finger and nose prints. We Windex them before opening.

- Clean bird shit off the artwork: Using distilled water and cotton balls, we wipe bird shit, pollen and dew off of the sculptures in our garden. We also pick up cigarette butts around the bases of the artworks.

- Sweep the leaves off Peggy's grave: Peggy Guggenheim is buried in the sculpture garden with her 14 dogs. We have to sweep the leaves and pollen off of their graves every morning.

OPEN HOURS

- Tickets and audioguides: The interns sell tickets and audio guides to the public upon their arrival to the museum. I know how to sell a ticket in 5 different languages (not very well, mind you). We are encouraged to speak the language of the visitor if at all possible. German and French are the hardest for me. French people are definitely the hardest to work with.

- Cloakroom and entrance: All visitors must check their bags in our complimentary coat room for the safety of the artwork. Interns take visitors' bags, check them, and then tear their tickets for entry.

- Guarding: The interns guard all of the galleries in four hour shifts. We make sure no one touches the art or takes pictures of it. We also answer any questions they have about the pieces. If you were wondering, four hours is a long time to walk around the same room. My throbbing feet and I are getting to be well acquainted with the art, though.

- Shop, Library and Taxi: These are three of the easiest jobs. Our days are divided by an hour for lunch, and we usually have one harder half (see above) and one easier half (see below) over the course of the 8-hour work day. If you are working for the shop, you go into the storeroom and bring out the merchandise the museum shop needs to restock. You also roll posters and put them into plastic sleeves for the shop. Rolling posters is actually relaxing and fun. If you are assigned to the library, you help the librarian, Silvio, re-shelve and clean the library. If you are on tax duty, you pick up VIPs from the personal taxi dock along the Grand Canal and bring them to the museum. There are more VIPs that you would think.

When we close, we put the PJs back on the artwork, and go home.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITES

- Peggy talk: We are expected to give a 10-minute talk on Peggy's life to the public once every three weeks or so. We usually stand by her grave and talk about her eccentricities and sexual promiscuity (she had many famous lovers and husbands, including the artist Max Ernst) for as long as our audience is enthralled. I learned recently that Peggy had the last private gondola in Venice, and her father and his mistress died on the Titanic. She was pretty crazy and awesome.

- Permanent Collection highlight: We are expected to give another 10-minute talk to the public on a piece of artwork in the permanent collection that interests us. I think I will talk about the silver headboard that Alexander Calder made for Peggy. It has mobile elements like hanging fish and coral in relief, and it is extremely beautiful.

- Temporary exhibition talk: Once a month we each give a 30-minute tour of the temporary exhibition. Right now we are showing Gluts: Robert Rauschenberg. It is an extremely awesome show, but I know nothing about it. I have a ton of research to do. I will tell you more about this when my time to talk gets closer.


There are tons of other fun things that go along with being an intern. I will detail them later, because I feel that I have already said too much. Just know that my job is challenging and tiring and the people I work with make it absolutely worth it. Anyways, I love you all, and I will talk to you soon!

L

My Apartment, roommates, etc.

Hello all,

Sorry it has taken me so long to write about my apartment, one of the most crucial elements of my stay here. The other crucial element - my job - is the reason why I have not written you in a few days. Busy, busy times here in Venice.

Anyways, here it goes:

1. Location

There is an iconic square, or piazza, in Venice called Piazza San Marco. It is where all of the pigeons and tourists flock each day to prey on the city. Don't get me wrong; the area is quite beautiful, but it is jammed full of people constantly. The downside to this location is also it's upside: it is always jam-packed with people, making it safer to walk around later at night.

Anyways, my apartment is in a tiny courtyard called Corte Torretta. My apartment is on the top floor, and there are a lotttt of stairs;we're talking 13 flights. Once you get up to the top of the mountain of stairs, there is a tiny landing with two chairs, and another tiny staircase leading to my door.

2. Layout

My apartment is essentially a long hallway with four doors off of it. Directly behind the front door, at one end of the hallway, is the bathroom. It deserves it's own paragraph: stay tuned. The first door on the left is Kristen's room. I have two roommates - Kristen and Heather. Heather's room is behind Kristen's, so she walks through there to get to her space. I will tell you more about the two of them later on. The first door on the right wall of the hallway is the kitchen. For Venice standards, and city standards in general, we have a huge eat-in kitchen. I have my own shelf in the food cabinet and my own drawer in the fridge, too. The door at the end of the hallway, opposite the bathroom is my room.

3. My bedroom

My room is 14 ft. cubed: 14 feet wide by 14 feet long, with 14-foot ceilings. I have two huge windows, which let a lot of light and air into my cube. I have two little book shelves for toiletries and books, obviously, and a giant wardrobe for my clothes. We are talking Narnia-sized, people. One side has three shelves and a long area to hang dresses and place jeans, tees, and laundry, and the other side is split in half. I use one half for shirts and the other half for pants ans skirts. I have the perfect number of hangers for all of my stuff, eerily enough. I have two beds in my room, both twin-sized. I sleep on one, obviously, and the other hangs out by my door and serves as a couch (and, right now, a hamper, hahaa). I also have a long bedside table for my computer, cell phone, etc.

The quirkiest thing about my room is the wall decor. I have one poster of all the fish that live in the Adriatic sea, another of Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver, one of the Rene Magritte pieces called "Voices of Space" from the Collection, and another of the Guggenheim Bilbao. Each resident of my room has left a poster for posterity's sake, and it makes for an eclectic atmosphere.

4. The bath room

There is one bathroom in the apartment, and it is on the opposite end of the hallway from my bedroom. The toilet and sink are normal. Then there's the washing machine, just hanging out next to the toilet. Strange? Yes. Totally unheard of? No. The shower, however, is the most peculiar thing. Imagine a 2 ft. X 2 ft. piece of porcelain with a hole in the middle, accompanied by a faucet sticking out of the wall into your rib cage. No curtain. No tub or lovely little soap shelf. To give you some perspective, I will quote my roommate Lauren as she was giving me a tour of the apartment: "This is the bathroom. Yes, that is the shower. You will learn to use it in your own way." And I am, slowly but surely, learning.

5. Roommates

My roommates are both very nice and very busy. The few, fleeting times I have seen them have been great. Heather is very tall and thin Canadian woman with a mane of curly blond hair. She is very carefree and energetic, and she has a very animated way of talking, which is entertaining. She has been living in Venice for a few years, and loves it. Kristen, my other roommate, has also been living in Venice for a few years. She is petite with short brown hair. She is way more reserved than Heather, but she is just as nice and very interesting. I like them both very much, and they are very easy to live with.

That's all for now, everyone. I will reveal more apartment and roommate details as the summer progresses. I will also post some pictures when my room is clean and my roommates are present, hahha. Have a good day, and look for a post about the Collection very soon.

Love,

L