TAC Trainings

Heyyy!

Nancy L. here to talk about the amazingg trainings we, TACs, have had at the CJM since June 2009 until now (October 2009). =)

During the summer, we all met each other on our first training...I think it was on June 15, 2009. It was a little weird at first, cuz we didn't know each other and didn't know what to expect. But the people are all hella chill so we hit it off pretty well. Our old supervisor, Emma, was one of the coolest adults everrr. She helped us learn the ropes here at the museum during the two weeks we had with her, and then she moved to L.A. We miss her sooo much, but weeks later, we got a new boss, Leah (who's also greaaatt). By then, we already knew about the basics of the museum and the galleries, the information needed to give architecture tours, and have worked in the museum for months already...so it wasn't a HUGE adjustment having to meet a new boss. Leah's also super nice which made the transition a lot easier.

The first training, as I said before, was a little awkward. The museum actually served us food from the cafe that day, and lemme tell you, it was DELICIOUS. But after that day, we had to start bringing our own food...which sucks, yeah. But it also gave us a chance to go out for lunch together and bond. I remember eating lunch on the hot summer grass in a huge circle and having hella random conversations. Those two weeks of summer training FLEW BY. I swear. We learned so much about the architecture, the galleries that were present at the CJM during the trainings, and just a bunch of basic info required to work at the museum. ANNDDD, we got to meet each other. =)

We basically use trainings now to review our recent experiences working at the museum, going over some information, learning about the new galleries, etc. We meet once a week, unless said otherwise. So we, TACs, don't get too see each other as a whole group that often, but when we do, we have a blasttt. <3

New Beginnings.

Hey, Rina C. here, and i'm one of the new TACs at the CJM.
I'm a senior at this small french school in San Francisco and i applied last April for the job and now i'm working with 14 other high school students from the Bay Area.

Here are the cool new TACs i work with:
Nancy L. --> Lowell
Nancy C. (r)--> SOTA
Nancy C. (yes there are two with the same exact name)--> George Wash
Vanessa C.--> SOTA
Olivia S.--> Miramonte
Seth G. --> Bishop O'Dowd
Rafael A.--> Berkeley High
Beverly L.--> Lick
May B. --> Balboa High
Karni Z.--> Lowell
Doug A.--> Ida B. Wells
Mandy L.--> Redwood High
Liana D. --> George Wash
and Zach R. --> Lowell

Basically, what we do here as TACs is make the museum a place for teens to come and enjoy visiting a "not so typical" museum. Every other Sunday, we're planning on giving architecture tours of the building which was designed by Daniel Liebskind, a famous Polish artist. We're also planning teen nights (i promise they'll be cool) because trust me, once you see the museum at night, you'll want to come in and see whatsup.

Hit us up on facebook any time.
Better be seeing you soon,
Rina <3

Love and Listening

Love and Listening StoryCorps, one of many of the new additions to the Contemporary Jewish Museum, knows plenty about love and listening. But what IS StoryCorps? StoryCorps, according to their flyer, is an "independent, nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another's lives through listening." StoryCorps is a place people go to share their stories, to be interviewed by loved ones, to tell of their life experiences. Each conversation is recorded on a CD, and preserved at the Library of Congress. The Contemporary Jewish Museum opened its Story Corps booth October 12th, 2008, and more than 400 people have come in to interview and be interviewed. I fortunately got the chance to be part of one of the many interviews, what StoryCorps employees call shadowing. I sat quietly in the booth while a very-in-love couple talked about how they met and what they planned to do with the rest of their lives. StoryCorps showed an example of their committment to love on February 12th with their listening event, which was sold out, and was themed on love. The event was very popular (so much that they ran out of chairs a couple times during the event) and went very well. Teen Art Connect threw their own StoryCorps-like event in March, where we at Teen Art Connect and the other teenagers and young people who came got a chance to learn about the lives of a complete stranger. The event moved many, but could not compete with the mastery of StoryCorps.

New Jewish Filmmaking Project Free Screening Party at CJM!!

The SF Jewish Film Festival and the Contemporary Jewish Museum’s Teen Art Connect program present a screening of documentary shorts produced by Citizen Film. On March 19, 2009 at the Contemperary Jewish Museum. From 6:30-8pm!

Enjoy FREE popcorn and refreshments, watch films and discuss them with teen, young adult and pro filmmakers.

Then, stick around to workshop your own film ideas with award winning filmmakers.Want to tell your own story in a film shown to thousands of people?Visit the New Jewish FIlmmaking Project's group to view excerpts from the evenings 90-minute program of shorts called "inspiring" (San Francisco Bay Guardian), "memorable snapshots of teenaged Jewish Life" (Youth Radio) and a "well-crafted gem" (SF Arts Monthly).

Pleas RSVP on our facebook even page!! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=72282641468&ref=ts

Earth Girl

Earth girl joyously picks the flowers off your frigid, gray, tombstone,
carefully plucking and collecting your decomposed thoughts and dreams and wishes
Stealing them for her own strange uses

Hippie dreams, rainbows, and peace signs
these distractions keeps us from our never ending truths

Organic peanut butter, flax seed, tofu
all just to keep us placated
to keep us thinking that we are balanced

Handmade clothing, hemp bedding, biodegradable shampoo
Earth girl slyly cons us into thinking were saving the world
when really, we are just turning our heads

And all the while the bloody money, the sewage, piles up
clogging the streets, blocking the gutter

We drown without knowing,
looking to Earth Girl as blood pools around our bony vegan ankles
as gore soaks our bodies clad in patchwork skirts and second hand slacks

we sink still convinced,
that we are saving the word

-Alison S. Rabbit

Bible Man

Bible Man makes a wild gesture
And genuflects to the moon
He moves like a serpent and then
Promises to leave you too soon

He upholds the ark
With his thin wiry arm
And careens through the mold
Inflicting random loving harm

Keeping pigs at bay
With smiley bucktooth shine
He kills the giant upon the stone
And floats his soul down the line

He gives me a handshake
I feel for the knife
He mumbles a prayer
While gripping his wife

The phantom corruption
That eats away at him
Has left his woven countenance
Pale and poor and dim

So I tell him to leave
And never ever come back
Because who needs a Bible man
Who's nothing more than a trumped up hack

But the people need him
So he stays

- Robert D. Adler

Internship Update

Internships are going great for Teen Art Connect! Liana is working with Heidi, the Family Program Coordinator, Eli is working with Daniel Schifrin, the Director of Public Programs and Writer-in-Residence. Jesse is working with Story Corps, Ellen is working with Mary and is outreaching to teens in the Bay Area, Sasha has an internship at Education with Jeanine, and Nancy is interning with the curatorial staff. Tal is interning at development with Joe, and no one knows where Hana interns at- stay in for the next blog post to find out!

Liana:
Working with Heidi has been great. Not only does she have an art project available for families every Sunday, she also puts great thought and effort into planning these projects. You think it would be easy to just think of different things to do with the visitors who come in but not in this case. Heidi has to think of these art projects that. In May, I am going to be able to create my own art project for our visitors to create! But of course with the help of Heidi.

Sasha:
I have been working with Jeanine and I must say, it's been amazing! I have learned so much about the depth and dimension that is required to work as a educational coordinator. I have been able to see the connections between the museum and education. I have been given a rare opportunity to work as both a educator and a intern.

Tal:
I have been working with Joe at development. I get to find out how the museum organizes all of its members and affiliates. I usually enter data onto Raisors Edge, a program most non profit organazations use to organize information. It's great job experience if I ever want to work at a non profit organization. Working at developement is a nice break from downstairs. I get to witness how the museum runs behind the scene.