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Adventures in New York, Part One

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This past weekend we had the privilege of attending the National Sculpture Society Sculpture Celebration Conference. The highlight of the event for Michael was the awards dinner Saturday night, as he received the Alex J. Ettl Grant and was honored for the caliber of his body of work as a sculptor. Each day we were there we met new people, from artists to business gurus. The bond was that everyone there had a love and passion for sculpture.

View from Trump Tower
The first day - Thursday - we attended the opening reception in Trump Tower, where Michael was able to reconnect with friends as well as meet people he'd been communicating with through email. The view from the flat was breathtaking, and the art collection was awe-inspiring. It's always refreshing to meet people with the same passions as you. I took the initiative to step out of my comfort zone for this event, and went up to a couple we had been introduced to earlier and asked them where they were from. We were instantly caught up in a conversation and couldn't seem to stop talking for the rest of the night.

Empire State Building, 80th Floor
The next morning we decided to fit in breakfast and a trip to the Empire State Building before the conference, which didn't start until 11. We found a great cafe down the street that I can't remember the name of, but they had deliciously warm steel-cut oats and whole-grain bagels. Our brisk one-and-a-half mile walk brought us to the Empire State Building, where we thoroughly enjoyed the views, the history, and the architecture. This was the one thing I wanted to do while we were in New York, since I'd never been there before.

Portrait Sculpture Competition
At 11 we met with more conference-goers in the Park Central Ballroom, which was set up for a 4-hour portrait sculpting competition as well as a vendor/booth venue. Ten people had been selected to participate in the competition, which had evolved since the time Michael participated three years ago from a 20-hour, 5-day task to a 4-hour, 1-day grueling heat. The competitors were between the ages of 18 and 35, and they were all amazing! As someone who can't draw to save her life, I appreciate both the talent and hard-work it takes to do something as well as these people did.

Tension at the Competition!
While Michael spent most of his time circling the competitors and talking about how much fun it would be to get back in there, I spent some time watching, some time reading, and some time eating and drinking. The last hour was definitely the most entertaining. You could cut the tension with a knife. The sculptors were focused and intent. When the moderator counted down and they each had to step away from their tools, there was a moment, I swear, when nobody took a breath.

The Courtyard at The Met
After the competition, we took time to catch up with one of Mike's friends. We had a nice dinner, but time got away from us and we missed the "Blessing of Animals" exhibit at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Instead, we ran like crazy people through the rain to make it to the Met before they closed. We barely made it, having hailed a bike-taxi in Central Park to get us the rest of the way there. Because we didn't feel we had enough time to observe that night, we decided to put it in our schedule to go back again Sunday morning. On the way home, it rained.

Diana, by Augustus Saint-Gaudens; Courtyard
A muggy, hot day in Manhattan, but a thoroughly enjoyable one.
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