data, data, data

'data' is the magic word these days as every industry is trying to validate what they are doing and why. and the whole idea of impact measurement is like a golden ticket in the non-profit art world...except it's not always the right kind of ticket.

this is the crux of my master's thesis: the disconnect between what data can measure and the realities of how art can benefit communities. it's not just about trying to measure what might be immeasurable according to current criteria and metrics; it's also about providing organizations with the right questions and tools that a) actually prove useful and can be consistently utilized over time and b) enable them to understand how to gauge their own program effectiveness and communicate that information to funders in a way that's coherent.

it's like i'm swimming in these issues, to the point where i can't stop thinking about it. i am obsessed.

measuring impact is a hot topic right now, and here's a great recent post by david brooks in the nytimes about why data collection and interpretation can be not only inaccurate but actually insufficient:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/opinion/brooks-what-data-cant-do.html

love this quote:
"One of the points was that data is never raw; it’s always structured according to somebody’s predispositions and values. The end result looks disinterested, but, in reality, there are value choices all the way through, from construction to interpretation."- David Brooks

at the end of the day, it's not just about the answers you seek but the questions you ask (or don't ask).


cups of coffee: 3

mood:  nerding out

"he's my brother; he ain't heavy" *

31 years. not much has changed.

happy birthday to my favorite brother!


cups of coffee:  2

mood:  good

* this is in reference to some lyrics of an old song that is often used in hokey family/christian imagery. which, of course, my brother and i mock mercilessly. to this day.

internship

this semester, i'm interning with an organization called no longer empty, a non-profit arts organization that revitalizes unused spaces around the city by curating temporary art exhibitions coupled with thematic community programming. the workload is running me ragged - i'm coordinating several events - but i'm LOVING it. thank God for my days at twocities.....all that event production experience is coming in handy.

here's a visual smattering of some of the events i've been involved with so far....

 "the wedding": an interactive theater performance where audiences participated in various wedding-related transactions with the actors

 "amorama": part of a monthly family day series with workshop activities for children

 "immigrants are tax contributors": a participatory performance art piece with immigrant movement international

and i get to work with and meet some pretty darn cool people. can't complain.......


cups of coffee:  2

mood:  tired but thankful

"call me maebe"

if you're an "arrested development" fan, then these mock-up valentines on flavorwire may be the BEST THINGS EVER.

this makes me want to give out valentines to everyone i know. and also to strangers.


cups of coffee:  2

mood:  laughing

lent-ing

it's officially ash wednesday and the start of lent!
last year, i gave up alcohol, chocolate and dating for lent.

this year, i'm giving up 2 of those 3 again.

guess which two?

in other news, i'm ready for spring break.


cups of coffee:  numerous

mood:  i need a massage

thesis-ing

i care so much about my thesis. SO MUCH. more than i need to.

is it because i'm a type-a-asian-american-oldest-child-of-an-immigrant-family? is it because i'm an obsessive perfectionist when it comes to my work?

or is it because i love my topic so much and believe (probably naively) that i may be able to prove some assumptions and develop some tools that can prove radically beneficial to the non-profit arts sector?

whatever it is, sometimes it hurts to care this much.


mood:  uggggghhhhhhh

coffee:  2

wowzas

yesterday, tom finklepearl spoke in one of my classes about public art and community.

today, richard armstrong spoke to another one of my classes about the guggenheim brand.

i'm in awe.


cups of coffee:  3

mood: ahhhhhhhhhhhh