A Bittersweet Ending

Thesis has been quite the journey and I'm happy it is over. I am proud of my work and I believe it came out better than I expected. I remember freaking out at the beginning not knowing what I was doing or how to even write a thesis. I truly appreciate and am thankful for my advisors who helped me through it all. To top off my thesis, I was able to volunteer for the Nitrate Picture Show at the Eastman Museum and sneak in to view the films. It felt super official having my own "staff" badge. I am excited to start my next journey in graduate school surrounded by film.

May the Fourth Be With You

(Above: Myself and Dr. Decker at Senior Thesis Poster Sessions, where we all present the culmination of our work in an abbreviated format.  May 2018).

Wow.

I did that. 

(Above: Me and my friend Tristen standing in front of my poster for my senior thesis). 

I feel so awesome I barely have the words. This has been an incredible journey. And I'm so thankful to all those who have helped me to complete it. Thank you Cam, for introducing me to the Public Market. Thank you Dr. Carroll and Dr. Brown for guiding me through this process; it wasn't easy, but it was made bearable (and at time enjoyable even) because of you. Thank you to my senior thesis classmates and co-workers at the Cary Graphic Archives for being so supportive during this year long journey. And thank you Dr. Decker for providing a well-structured and creative environment for us to create the best theses that we possibly could. It's been wild, you guys, and I'm grateful that I got to spend the time that I did with all of you.

(Above: Me and my friends during my first visit to the Rochester Public Market).

-K.T. Jackson

Artpark's summer season is almost here, but...

...my journey with Artpark has been brought to a close for now. I am very happy with how the poster session turned out. It was interesting to share this work with both people who have never heard of Artpark as well as others who have. There are even those who grew up visiting Artpark! Regardless, many are surprised to learn of Artpark's rich history just as I was when I first learned of it. I would like to visit Artpark again, but visiting Artpark today is not anything quite like it was during the years of my study. I was never alive during any of the years of Artpark's artist residency program. Artpark grew and changed, just like my thesis and I throughout the year.

I would like to thank my wonderful advisors and everyone else who helped make this thesis possible. I am so grateful for your support. The future is uncertain but I am so glad and thankful I found this program, for I consider becoming a MUSE student as one of the best decisions I ever made. I wish my fellow graduates and professors the best. 

Wow, it's done, hurrah...

Requisite "Wow, it's done, hurrah" aside, the only remaining part of the thesis process to talk about briefly is yesterday's poster session, which I thought went rather well. It was a good experience to get to talk about and share my work with those outside of my immediate thesis cohort (research methods and thesis professors, advisors, and my peers in the class), and to receive their reactions and questions, which I hope I was able to answer to their satisfaction. There was also something very satisfying about seeing my finished poster (and those of my classmates, which I know they worked so hard on) printed and pinned to a wall, as if seeing it in hardcopy made the end of this process somehow more real than the email that confirmed my thesis has been approved. 

To everyone who helped me with this thesis journey, I would like to thank you.  Your efforts helped me more than you can ever know and were immensely appreciated. I wish all of you and the rest of my thesis class the best in your future endeavors. 

I Guess This Is It?

I feel like I don't really have much to say. At this point, I am done with classes, but have still been running back and forth to campus every day for other responsibilities, so I haven't had the bitter-sweet thought yet that "this is the last time I'll be here for a while..." Maybe it'll hit me after the 12th, but I also feel like I've been at this for eight (generally long) years, so I am ready. Scared in some ways, of course, but also very, very ready.

Love you all. Thanks for helping me find my place in this weird world.