Arriving and Departing... and tales of graduation with corsets... and nudity!

Part of the title of this post is due to my recent revelation to family members that I have a hard time negotiating airport driving due to my inability to remember if I (or whomever I may be dropping off or picking up) am in fact arriving or departing. This is completely due to my tendency to over-think things, but I'm aware of a similar conundrum with someone who recently told me that she has a difficult time distinguishing between right and left. I've since forgotten who told me of their plight but I'm strangely comforted by it.

Also I'm feeling nostalgic for thoughts about my first arrival with Claire in the town of Providence and how I'm really not ready to depart for good...  

On that note, this last trip to Providence, coming on the heels of another recent trip to the same city, combined with multiple flights for Emily, a lot of hotel rooms, rental cars, a return flight for Claire-the-graduate, an upcoming trip to London for Rob, to Gettysburg for me, followed by a drive to Colorado with some flights booked on Expedia, some on AmEx, some with United miles, has proven somewhat disorienting. I guess I'm amazed and grateful that somehow we Hummels make it to where we're supposed to be and and that sister Nancy was brave enough to join us on the graduation adventure.

The weather.com prediction for graduation day was pretty consistent - 80% chance of thundershowers starting in the morning. Seeing that we were going to be seated outside from 8:30 am for the next 4 1/2 hours, it was unclear whether we would be huddled under the bright blue ponchos (seen in above photo) thoughtfully provided by sister Nancy or baking in the hot sun (like the previous day). The night before, we drowned our concerns in good food and WaterFire.

(Note to sister Nancy - You were right about the straws!)

We were excited to show sister Nancy the wonders of WaterFire - described as "the most popular work of art created in the capital city's 371 year old history." A hundred wire baskets are staked down the middle of the river and filled with wood and then lit by people dressed in black in boats dressed in black. It's really glorious and indescribable. The city broadcasts music throughout the town and people come from miles and miles away to do nothing but walk up and down the river and oooh and aaah. It is about as low-tech as can be, but the combination of the fire, with the heat and crackly sounds and sparks flying, and the water with its reflections and ripples is pure magic and I never get tired of it.

Claire's dorm is the best dorm I can imagine. It's an old bank building and somehow she and her friends have been able to keep the same room for the last three years. It's right across the river from the Illustration building where she has many of her classes, and it looks right down on WaterFire. 

Graduation day started off sunny and then the clouds rolled in but with our fashionable bright blue ponchos tucked in our bags, we weren't too concerned for ourselves. We were, however, very concerned for the graduates. RISD graduates are encouraged to transform their caps and gowns into "visual statements and wearable art" most of which involved a fair amount of materials that would not do well when doused by rain. There proved one exception to this rule, but more about her later.

I was excited that YoYo Ma, Ed Ruscha, and Walter Lorraine were getting honorary degrees. Walter Lorraine is one of the great children's book editors and worked on many of my favorites including George and Martha, which I can't think of without picturing Martha, a hippo, in her bathtub telling George, also a hippo, who's peeping in, "We're friends but there's such a thing as privacy!"

Two of my favorite children's book authors (both RISD grads) were there to honor Mr. Lorraine - David Macaulay and Chris Van Allsburg. This is the closest I got to them which is a good thing because there would have been a fair amount of grovelling involved.

The commencement speech was by Laurie Anderson (below) who, among many other accomplishments, was the first (and last) artist-in-residence for NASA. She said she particularly enjoyed the NASA timelines. One example was the "greening of Mars" timeline which was approximately 10,000 years in length. She said she thought that turning our attention toward the greening of Mars was a good idea "since we know so much about taking care of our own planet." That line continues to amuse me...  

Here are some samples of the attire of the day. In past years there had been some nudity involved so sister Nancy and Emily and I were on alert. 

It took us a while to figure out what this next fellow's outfit was about. At first it looked like an oversized stovepipe hat but then we noticed his mortarboard around his neck and realized that he had his gown upside down as if he'd simply gotten mixed up as to whether the cap went over his head and the gown under or vice versa. It was wonderful... (click on photo to enlarge)

Claire's friend Kate made a headress and corset out of her gown.

As for the promised nudity, sister Nancy, Em, and I were anticipating that of the male variety. Imagine our surprise when a girl appeared on stage wearing only a clear raincoat. Wise choice considering predicted weather conditions.  (Click on photo below if you dare!)

 

And finally the lovely-and-fortunately-not-nude Claire Bear herself wearing her famed corset along with a blouse she'd made and a skirt made out of her gown material (and some of Kate's leftovers). She graduated with honors and also with an award which was handed out at a ceremony we all forgot to attend.

Note that since you've seen no evidence of bright blue ponchos, let it be said that the weather completely cooperated and we did not feel even a drop of rain. Amazing.

Claire's former Sunday School teacher, Don, was the leader of the band that played during the ceremony. They kept changing up Pomp and Circumstance so that one minute it would be normal, and the next it would be jazz, and the next reggae, etc. Very cool.

Nick Jainschigg, head of the Illustration Department, handed Claire her diploma. We went out to dinner with he and his wife the night before and he told us he would have some pretty wild shoes on. His are on the left.  Kate's boyfriend Andrew's (in the kilt) are on the right.

Kate, Claire, Kelly, and Beth. Friends since the first day of orientation.

Nick Jainschigg and happy Claire.

The day ended with the introduction of sister Nancy to the "Man Wall." She was, of course, mesmerized like the rest of us. But, oddly enough, we never could locate George Clooney....