{"id":2221,"date":"2012-01-01T21:48:13","date_gmt":"2012-01-01T17:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blogblog\/?p=2221"},"modified":"2012-01-01T21:51:45","modified_gmt":"2012-01-01T17:51:45","slug":"never-too-old-to-live-in-a-dorm-part-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/never-too-old-to-live-in-a-dorm-part-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Never Too Old to Live in a Dorm (part-time!)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Half of the dorm room; notice the hummel and ukelele on the wall - playing music helps survive the academia and four walls - the other half of the room is occupied by my Italian roommate<\/p><\/div>\n

24 years ago, after my last child was born, I took a few classes at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe – it was my way of “getting out of the house” without taking any responsibilities with me except those that I carried in regards to schooling.\u00a0\u00a0 Then I was not interested in achieving a degree so I took fun classes.\u00a0 However, I’ve raised my family on my art income without a back-up “real” job and I thought it’s time to get my Bachelor of Fine Arts; in this way I have the balance of the Indigenous and Western credentials.\u00a0 Why is it important to have that balance?\u00a0 To gain more understanding of the complexities of living in a cross-cultural world.<\/p>\n

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The Center for Lifelong Learning at the Institute of American Indian Arts<\/p><\/div>\n

At first, I scoffed at the concept of having to take the requirement classes in Drawing I & II, Geometry, Intro to Indigenous Studies, Contemporary Art, Native Art History I & II, English Composition I & II, etc. — yadda, yaddie, yaddue!\u00a0 Like golly, Holy Moses, do I have to take stuff I pretty much already know!?\u00a0 Friends of mine thought that with my status as a full-time artists for three decades, I ought to be a teacher at IAIA, not a student!\u00a0 Often I had wondered what the heck am I doing wasting my time getting stupid credentials.\u00a0 Yet, I’ve discovered how much I DON’T KNOW and how much fun it is to go through the assignments and learn additional stuff!\u00a0 We humans are so doggone arrogant and funny!<\/p>\n

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Easy walks on IAIA campus<\/p><\/div>\n

At IAIA, we either gain weight because of the astounding food at the cafeteria, or we lose weight because IAIA is an easy campus to walk.\u00a0 Up on a mesa, it has 360 degree views of spectacular skies and faraway mountains.\u00a0 Although a biting cold in Winter, it’s sunny about 395 days of the year.\u00a0 And for those of us coming from Southeast Alaska, well…although the countryside lacks the dramatics of the big spruce, hemlock, alders and cedars, there is an ancient silence in the high-country deserts of the Southwest.\u00a0 As any of us Indigenous peoples know, go out onto the land and feel its gifts.\u00a0 There is the everlasting to appreciate.<\/p>\n

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Sweatlodge skeleton at IAIA; in use during the late Fall\/Winter\/Spring - what other 4-year accredited college are you aware of that conducts sweatlodge ceremonies?<\/p><\/div>\n

There is a footpath for runners and walkers alike on campus.\u00a0 I don’t remember how many acres belong to IAIA, but it’s enough to continue growing.\u00a0 Hopefully, as IAIA grows its campus, the designers will always keep in mind our need to be connected to the earth, especially for many of us who are missing our homelands and require being outside — feeling the earth beneath our feet and enjoying the horizon.<\/p>\n

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Courtyard of the sculputure building at IAIA -- If I am not mistaken, this monumental, marble sculpture is by Craig Dan Goyesun - behind bars, the courtyard gate was locked. I thought this an interesting image.<\/p><\/div>\n

IAIA is a unique environment.\u00a0 I hadn’t come to appreciate its qualities until this past Fall Semester.\u00a0 There is an Indigenous Studies department that was added to the “normal” Western curriculum of IAIA.\u00a0 Some of the classes from this department are requirements for a BFA.\u00a0 As\u00a0 mentioned earlier, I resisted taking the requirements, yet I discovered how much I don’t know and better yet, I discovered how much I want to learn!\u00a0 I am actually considering achieving a Minor in Indigenous Studies.\u00a0 We’ll see what transpires within this next year.<\/p>\n

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The Chama River near Abiqui, New Mexico - October 2011<\/p><\/div>\n

I commute from my studio home in Colorado to IAIA.\u00a0 The 3-hour drive is one of the most scenic in North America (2nd best to that drive from Whitehorse, Yukon Territory to Haines, Alaska!).\u00a0 The drive enables me to relax, listen to Van Morrison’s “Listen to the Lion” and books on tape.<\/p>\n

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The Chama River with first snow - December 2011<\/p><\/div>\n

I drive through Geronimo’s Apache homeland and “Georgia O’Keefe” country.\u00a0 Although the high-country desert is a vast difference from the rainforest of my homeland in Southeast Alaska, I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the beauty both environments have to offer.\u00a0 I am privileged to have the option to experience these kinds of freedoms in America.<\/p>\n

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Looking towards "Ghost Ranch" of Georgia O'Keefe country during first snow - December 2011<\/p><\/div>\n

Many years ago, my mother and father, Irene and William Lampe, encouraged me to get a degree; they said it’s the way to “get ahead” and understand living in the Western world.\u00a0 My mother said that back when she was young if she had the grant opportunities we have now, she’d have gone to school and she often wondered what her life would have been like.\u00a0 On behalf of my parents, I’d like to thank the following Grantors for their support:<\/p>\n

*\u00a0 Chugach Heritage Foundation\u00a0 *\u00a0 Sealaska Heritage Institute\u00a0 *\u00a0 Tlingit & Haida Central Counil\u00a0 *\u00a0 Huna Heritage Foundation\u00a0 * Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) and\u00a0 *\u00a0 FAFSA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

24 years ago, after my last child was born, I took a few classes at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe – it was my way of “getting out of the house” without taking any responsibilities with me except those that I carried in regards to schooling.\u00a0\u00a0 Then I was not interested […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,13],"tags":[163,162,161,165,111,164,63,100,38],"class_list":["post-2221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travels-adventures","category-classes-retreats-apprentices","tag-chama-river-valley","tag-georgia-okeefe","tag-ghost-ranch","tag-institute-of-american-indian-arts","tag-institute-of-american-indian-arts-business-certificate-program","tag-institute-of-american-indian-arts-indigenous-studies-program","tag-irene-loling-sarabia-lampe","tag-native-american-art","tag-william-lampe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2221"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2236,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2221\/revisions\/2236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarissarizal.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}