Dia dhuit from Dublin!

An introduction to me and this blog.

It has been a month since I moved to Dublin as a Fulbright Scholar, never having been to Ireland beforehand. The past month has held highs and lows– moments of feeling lonely and asking myself: “Why on earth did I ever leave the familiarity of New York City?!” (usually this occurs as I look outside my window to see that it is raining… again), followed euphoric moments of turning a corner in Dublin to discover a breathtaking, Norman cathedral originating from the 12th century that makes me ask: “What the heck was I doing wasting my time in that shabby concrete jungle?!” (albeit, these moments usually occur when the sun is shinning). 

As time already begins to fly by, and fleeting moments on the Emerald Isle become newly cherished memories, I have been trying to figure out how to best document this year as a Fulbright Scholar in a new country, alongside my work at the Hugh Lane Gallery (more on that later). I’ve decided to try out the form of a Substack; a sort of blog/ newsletter that can be delivered to your inbox every week (….or so. Please do not hold me to that number, it may have been a far-too-generous bode of confidence in my actual abilities). But regardless, I plan to use this blog as a sort of virtual journal that I can share with you all, writing about whatever I feel like taking a moment to recount any given week. For now I will call it: Rain or Shine (trademark pending).

As an art historian working at a museum in Dublin, I do plan to write about the art I see. But WAIT! Before you non-art-folk quickly close out of this window, I ask you to give me a chance to demonstrate how art is not just for the “elite” or the “cultured”— for those who have access to museums and books and so on. My goal as an aspiring curator— and my literal, stated mission through this Fulbright grant— is to explore how art can become something accessible; how art can offer us new means of looking at the world and ourselves. I believe that, through art, we can expand our understandings of both histories and the present moment. We can build new connections across old divides. We can see perspectives that may otherwise go unseen. I will not write in academic jargon with footnotes and bibliographies (trust me, I just paid A LOT of money to spend the last two years of graduate school doing exactly that). Instead, I will try to use my words to make art something we can all learn from; something we can all find a little bit of ourselves and our own experience in. 

Plus, I plan to write about more than just art. I am here to experience Irish culture, and boy am I throwing myself in headfirst. We are talking driving on the left side of the road to go see quaint towns and countryside. We are talking sea diving with locals in the freezing water of Dún Laoghaire (after proudly telling my father about this experience he simply said: “that sounds awful.”). We are talking my quest to learn Irish (although my streak on Duo Lingo is not currently looking too hot. I was getting sick of translating “caife le bainne le do thoil” to “coffee with milk please.” When is the app planning on teaching me how to say “may I please have a medium vanilla latte with almond milk— or oat if almond is unavailable? I will also settle for soy if there is really no other option. And make it snappy!”). We are talking Guinness and rugby at local pubs on Saturday evenings (that is, until Ireland LOST in quarterfinals to New Zealand last weekend. It may not have helped that I accidentally wore all black to the game. Who knew New Zealand’s team is known as the “All Blacks” ?!). And we are talking photography! Although for the past few years I have prioritized studying art rather than making it, I did arrive in Dublin with a beautiful, refurbished Olympus OM-4, and I plan to share my pictures here as well. Here is a sneak preview of some of that:

So please, follow along to hear about my adventures: my musings, my laughs, my cries, my embarrassments (of which there are many. I actually started a running list on my phone. Did you know you know about “Together Mode” on Microsoft Teams? Neither did I until I pressed that setting while leading my first virtual meeting at work!). 

In all seriousness, I cannot wait to share my experiences with you all. Since I was a child I have been determined to live abroad. Perhaps I was inspired by my father, who took the leap of faith to move to Frankfurt, Germany— similarly knowing no one and never having even visited the city before— when he was around my age. My mom later joined him and they spent three years there. Every year we still send a pile of Christmas cards off to Germany addressed to the life long friends they made there. I am finally doing the damn thing for myself! And I have many of you to thank for helping make this happen.

Here’s to chasing after our goals, slowly but surely, one step at a time.

Is mise le meas,

Allison