IMC '11 - Part 1, Downtown Amherst

After a Very Long travel day yesterday (hours and  hours in the Chicago airport due to thunderstorms, etc..) I have made it up to Amherst College.  Today is an informal day - mostly getting checked in, unpacked and organized in preparation for lectures and studio  time starting tomorrow morning.

That didn't take all that long, so a friend and I walked around the main street in Amherst, which is full of cute architecture. Here is some -

Lots of neat brick buildings to see. Sunshine and breezes to help ameliorate the humidity (have I mentioned I am never moving from Seattle? I do love the architecture here however).

Dinner with a bunch of fellow students - and looking forward to seeing many more on the morrow...

The campus -

Before I talk a bit more about my week at the IMC, I must take a moment to rave a bit about Amherst campus:

It was founded nearly 200 years ago. Beautiful, brick buildings with gorgeous detailing...

-Attention to architectural detail -

The basement of the studio building we worked in had arched hallways!

This was a tower - at least 100 years old that used to be on a church that burned down. This cool mock-medieval structure is all that remains.


The campus also boasted two museums full of uber-cool stuff. The Natural History Museum was chock-full of various dinosaur, mammoth and saber-tooth tiger skeletons just for starters. As well as the Mead Art Museum - which had a lovely Sargent and Bouguereau and lots of other lovely pieces.

It made for a lovely setting to work in...