22 Feb 2022

Dear Everyone:   Today’s abundance of 2s is supposed to be a day of harmony and balance, according to seemingly every piece of news coming across all the different platforms! Extra special for falling on a Tuesday, Twosday heralds a happy moment of appreciating the forces of the universe that provides for such coincidence, and I hope the day holds simple delight for you if not indeed harmony and balance.

Struggling as I have been with my tech today, I feel something less than harmonious alignment with the day! And, perhaps because I came home on a red-eye flight from the West Coast, today feels perhaps more wobbly than balanced, I say by way of apologizing for a possibly even more rambling note than usual…the puffiest clouds kept us company as the flight descended today; I remain enamored of clouds and their billowy ability to promise, at least in my view — the promise of rain or blue skies or snow or a snow day even!    I think the trip I took makes last Friday feel for me especially long ago, and so my note of appreciation for Professor Melissa Castillo Planas‘s lecture seems belated. I’m so glad so many of you were able to join us for her super engaging insights into the imaginaries of Mexican migrants and descendants living in New York City. She brought forward the vitality and vibrancy of the murals and music and other forms of art with and through which they’ve created and claimed NYC, in ways that remind us of the joyous and eruptive force that is art. I think sometimes when I come across yet another “why humanities?” essay that if we could collectively learn to look up and out and take in that force, that question would be put to rest forever!  

This Friday’s forum (4p per usual), “I Can’t Stop Thinking About…“, I suspect will similarly bring forward the moving energies of art and ideas, music and expression, thought and community. My thanks to Natasha Ochshorn for organizing! As Nancy Silverman noted in an earlier message, prior registration is required, and more information can be found here: https://www.gc.cuny.edu/events/i-cant-stop-thinking-about  

I’ll end this note with some general items collected from the various admin meetings held over the last few weeks. I think this is stuff that may be useful for you to know (with apologies for repetition/redundancy if you’ve gotten it elsewhere):  

1. CUNY has updated information and guidance regarding travel. The short of it is that there are forms to be completed, and the process takes some time, so if you want to travel for work-related reasons, start planning as early as possible. Please see here for aggregated information: https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/travel-guidance/  

2. While there are no plans for food services to resume in the GC, the Dining Commons space is open to us; wear a mask when you’re not eating/drinking.   and,  

3. There is planning underway to move testing out of the James Gallery so that it can become an art space again — I know that’s been a question for quite a few of you/us as we’ve resumed movement in and out of the GC.  

Finally, just to note that I’ll be following up with faculty and students and the program as a whole separately and together with respect to calendaring some of the open meetings on a variety – and growing number – of topics for us to undertake. I’m waiting on the appointment of the new EO so that we can think and plan in concert; apologies for the delay – not sure when all that will be settled by the 8^th floor! And more to follow.  

That’s it for now, except as ever to offer abundant well wishes to you all – Kandice