More San Diego #wma09: “The Buffalo in the Room”: Talking about the Tough Stuff at Native Museums

From disease and death to land loss and forced subjugation, native museums often have the daunting task of exploring difficult issues and events. Too often, as museum planners and exhibit designers, we talk around these subjects without fully confronting them. Three museum professionals from the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. and Bishop Museum and ‘Iolani Palace in Honolulu, Hawai’i will share their efforts to shed light on these dark chapters. What problems did they encounter? How did they work with community members? And how did museum visitors respond?

Karen Kosasa, Director, Museum Studies Graduate Certificate Program, Department of American Studies, University of Hawai’i at Manoa handled introductions and then presentations were made by:

• Kippen De Alba Chu, Exec Executive Director, Iolani Palace
• Alexandra Harris, Editor, National Museum of the American Indian
• And Noelle Kahanu, Project Manager, Bishop Museum

Talking about the Tough Stuff at Native Museums #wma09

By Karen Kosasa

We owe Noelle our thanks for organizing the panel and soliciting our participation on it.  As the moderator, I had the privilege of speaking with Kippen, Alexandra, and Noelle before they had to pare down their presentations from many topics to a few.

What I appreciated most was their willingness to talk about highly sensitive issues with candor and care.  Candor because talking about these issues is absolutely critical to our efforts to transform museums, and care because what they discuss is part of an ongoing process they cannot afford to jeopardize.  In her panel description Noelle refers to these issues as “the buffalo in the room”—the things that museum planners and exhibit designers talk around and rarely confront.

This panel marks a stage in a journey toward what some are calling the “inclusive” museum.  The inclusive museum is notable for its efforts to include diversity, and not just the “feel good” strain, but the type of diversity that museums generally avoid for fear of alienating their audiences or infuriating their staff or board members.  Here, diversity often includes the views of a museum’s harshest Native critics as well as the hopes of those who envision the museum as a place for conversations about complexity and controversy.

The museums mentioned in these presentations—‘Iolani Palace in Honolulu; the Barona Cultural Center and Museum in

Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha family.

Lakeside, California; the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.; and the Bishop Museum in Honolulu—are presented as Native museums, but they speak to larger issues that concern non-Native institutions and cultural centers.  As a non-Native educator, I thank the panelists for allowing us to learn along with their institutions as they tackle the “tough stuff” and transform themselves and their relationship with Native communities and visitors.

I would like to summarize a few things about each of the presentations.  (Perhaps in the future we can put together an anthology where we can discuss these issues in more depth.)  It is interesting to note that some of the most compelling insights shared by the panelists concerned “internal” debates that took place among museum staff or between staff and board members.  At times these internal criticisms weighed more heavily on staff than external criticisms.  In certain cases it may have been due to the respect a staff person had for a colleague’s expertise, in others it may have been the result of being outranked, and in still others, of having no means to appeal a decision.

In Kippen’s presentation he described the significance of ‘Iolani Palace as an “emotional symbol” for many Hawaiians.  Although it was not the official seat of government for the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, it was the site of the last monarch’s imprisonment, and eventually housed the offices of the territorial and Hawai‘i state governments for many years.  In recent years, it has been “taken over” and public access temporarily blocked by different Hawaiian sovereignty or independence organizations seeking to restore the Hawaiian kingdom by bringing attention to a range of issues including the overthrow of the Hawaiian government in 1893 (by white settlers and the U.S. military), the illegal annexation by the United States in 1898, and the illegal process by which statehood was achieved in 1959.

As the director of ‘Iolani Palace, Kippen has had to work with many different constituencies to protect the palace and ensure that it remains open to all visitors.  He described the continuous challenges he confronts from questions about the historic interpretation of the period rooms, to whether educational programs can be relevant without making references to “politics,” to discussions about acceptable funders/donors, and in 2009, to mediating conflicting views over how the palace grounds should be used to commemorate (not celebrate) the 50th anniversary of Hawai‘i statehood.

It is obvious that Kippen and his staff must carefully negotiate issues of interpretation, collections care, and heritage management that in most institutions are routine matters, but at ‘Iolani Palace, quickly become the subject of media attention for local, national, and international audiences.

Alexandra began by describing the many issues the staff at the Barona Cultural Center & Museum considered in developing a major history exhibit to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Barona Indian Reservation.  (To view Alexandra’s slideshow click here.)  A significant number of elders wanted to avoid representing the past in a negative way that would depict Indians as victims and make non-Indian visitors feel uncomfortable or guilty.  They emphasized the need to portray positive factors.  At the National Museum of the American Indian, she explained, everything is “potentially controversial” because it is committed to dismantling myths about Native peoples and replacing them with stories or perspectives that are generally unfamiliar and hence disturbing.  In order to assist the museum in this difficult task, it has conducted surveys to find out what visitors know as well as how to encourage them to engage with new information and experiences.

The rock-and-roll innovator Jimi Hendrix often spoke proudly of his Cherokee grandmother. He was one of many African Americans who cite family traditions in claiming Native ancestry.

To illustrate some of the challenges facing NMAI, Alexandra described two upcoming exhibitions, “Indivisible” on African-Native Americans (opening in November 2009), and “Treaties” (opening in 2012/2013).  Let me mention a few things she presented about the latter.  Although many Native people believe that treaties are “universally bad” and should be discarded, the exhibition developers hope to change these beliefs.  Past treaties acknowledged Native sovereignty and can be used to argue for tribal rights in the present.  With the help of explanatory texts, displaying a Kiowa pipe can help visitors to understand its function and meaning within treaty negotiations—the telling of truth and the sealing of agreements.  A pipe thus stands as a witness to the existence of treaties and the fact that two or more parties consented to them in good faith.  What happens, then, when one party violated an agreement after it was sealed?  For me, crucial and disturbing topics of conversation open up.  For instance, what are the implications when the violator was the United States government and its representatives?  What is our ethical obligation to right historical wrongs?

Noelle started her presentation by locating the Bishop Museum within two histories—first, the historic decline of the Hawaiian population since Western contact and the political dispossession of the Hawaiian people in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and second, the history of the museum itself.  While Bishop Museum began auspiciously with collections of treasured objects from three Hawaiian royal women, it eventually devolved into portraying Hawaiians from a non-Native perspective and relegating Hawaiian culture to the past.  Hence, she emphasized the importance of the museum’s newly re-opened Hawaiian Hall in August 2009, and its efforts to present an Hawaiian worldview.

For many in the Native community, the renovated exhibits are more than beautifully redesigned displays, they are restoring “health, trust, faith, foundation, and a nation.”  According to Noelle, most of the “buffalos” in the museum were/are congregating on the third floor of Hawaiian Hall.  Here, controversial political issues are directly addressed by Bishop Museum for the first time (e.g., the events leading up to the 1893 overthrow, the 1898 annexation process and its protesters, opposition to statehood in 1959, and the rise of the contemporary Hawaiian “renaissance” and independence movements).

Like Alexandra, Noelle described the concerns of staff and board members that the exhibition team avoid developing negative portrayals of historic events.  Because they could not completely avoid this problem, Noelle ended her presentation by noting the presence of an important exhibit on the third floor that includes a large painted mural and a video.  Both works refer to a prophecy chant that foretells the rise of the Hawaiian people (“that which was below would rise up…”) after experiencing profound changes.  In these two pieces, the museum hopes its uplifting message about the resiliency of the Hawaiian people will resonate with all visitors who have experienced difficulties and grown stronger because of them.

I believe these three presentations have opened an important space for future discussions about topics we have avoided in both Native and non-Native museums.  I hope all of us will take the opportunity to join Kippen, Alexandra and Noelle and carry the conversation further.

Thank you.

WMA Unplugged

By Stephanie Almeida

This morning I took some time to unplug completely (no blackberry, laptop or iPod) and take a walk along the beach here in San Diego at the WMA Conference.  As I listened intently to the world around me, suddenly bereft of the continual beeps, pings and whirring that I usually have clouding my senses, the world around me became clearer.

There were surfers paddling against the ocean current fighting to catch the next wave.  I watched as some surfers let the waves carry them lazily – no desire to fight for the small incoming waves – instead, the floated in a group with their friends for the perfect BIG wave to leap upon their boards and ride it as far as it would take them.   Some surfers were alone in the ocean apart from the others.  I watched them fight for both the large and small waves – looking at each wave as a chance to rise and ride and travel back to the beach again and again.

I was walking in the sand very close to the water and I immediately became more conscious of my own steps.  Here the sand was packed tight and secure beneath my feet; every now and then I felt the dips and divots as the tiniest of waves gently touched the sand beneath my toes and left impressions and crevices behind me as I walked.  I moved back to the deep, shifting sand and trudged on – looking up in the direction of road alongside the ridge separating the traffic and noise from the sand and sea.  There were people scattered about up high along the ridge sitting on park benches watching everything from above.

I thought about all of the people in my life and who they were and how they would react to these surroundings and where they would “fit in” among these vignettes.  Some would be the surfers…trying to ride waves of success…fighting hard for each accomplishment or working together to succeed with big ideas.  I thought about the others who would be most comfortable walking on the secure sand leaving little impressions of them on the beach.  I thought about some who would be trudging slowly and methodically through the dense and heaping sand.  Of course there were others who would be content watching it all from high above – hands off, eyes on.

I thought about who I was and how I react to things and I realized I am truly a mixture of all of the above.  When it comes to the future of Museums – where we are now and where we are going – I am out there looking to catch the next wave, watching and hoping to give the big and small waves a shot and working with groups to catch the big ones too.  I am walking along the safe sand too, leaving my impression as I go.  I am trudging through the deep sand sometimes; feeling like I am using muscles I didn’t know I had with each step and moving forward even though sometimes I find it difficult to go on.  And lastly, I’m observing.  I am observing where everyone else is going and contemplating how I can go there too – maybe even going there faster and better and stronger then the people I see in front of me.

Where are you going?  How do you fit into this mix?  Are you watching?  Are you walking?  Are you wading?    Take some time to unplug soon and ask yourself the same question.  I hope you find this as enlightening as I did.  The best news of course is that wherever you are and however you are interacting with the places and people around you, you’re not alone.  I am continually surprised, impressed and amazed with the Museum professionals I meet at these conferences.  I know we are all pieces that make up the bigger picture of the future with WMA.

The Mythological Museum Visitor – The Young Cosmopolitan

By Adam Rozan

The author at the Oakland Museum of California, showcasing and Creative Time presents Mark Tribe's Port Huron Project 5: The Liberation of our People.

The Targeting Young Cosmopolitans in Museums study was born out of a 2009 session of the Association of Midwest Museums conference entitled, The Next Generation: Targeting Young Audiences in an Uncertain Economic Climate.

The report was designed to measure the energies involved in young cosmopolitan programming by examining 170  museums, varying in size, affluence and scope.

The term “young cosmopolitan” describes a hybrid generation born out of Generation X (those born between 1967 and 1977) and Generation Y (those born between 1978 and 1993). They “are exceptionally social, ethnically diverse, college educated, technologically savvy, and have a creative and open mindset.” Alexandra Gregg, co-author of the Targeting Young Cosmopolitans in Museums survey, wrote earlier in a post on WestMuse:

YoCo – young cosmopolitan – because it focuses more on a psychographic than on specifically drawn lines of age, gender, etc. YoCos are the people who are highly social, are all over Facebook and iPhones, and are curious, creative, and cosmopolitan. It’s the people who go to the Hirshhorn’s famous after-hours event in DC, or the Hammer’s Bike Night in LA… But YoCos can still be understood in terms of geography and economics – they tend to gravitate around cities and have a general US buying power of $924 billion.

A recent cover from Time Out New York reads, “You’re smart. Cultured. And you’ve never been to the Rubin?… Museums: The Actually Cool Guide.” Inside the article reads as a tasting menu of New York city’s many museums, highlighting various activities, events and parties held each month targeting this cosmopolitan audience.

Despite such articles, this scene is not the norm across the country, rather the opposite–only 37% of museums that participated in the Targeting Young Cosmopolitans in Museums study offer such programs.

With the key attributes of the YoCos in mind (e.g. highly social, college educated, creative, etc.), why are the other 63% of museums studied in this survey not engaging these audiences? Funding, limited staff time, lack of board support, and “not enough time to organize an effective program to YoCos,” prevailed as the primary reasons provided. Furthermore, 8% of those surveyed felt “this demographic cannot be reached” and accordingly another seven museums provided that this target group was not relevant to their institution. While seven museums are far from a majority, can any institution truly afford to ignore this diverse and knowledgeable audience?

YoCo programming remained the primary responsibility of the education and programming departments for 51% of the study, and sadly, only 7 museums reported “cross-departmental collaboration (primarily between education and marketing),” and only one institution had a “YoCo team with representatives from marketing, events, development, etc.”

The 77% of museums that host YoCo programs reported having clear goals and objectives, and used terms like “attract,” “welcome,” “target,” “reach,” or “increase attendance” to describe some of their goals; another group used “engage” or “educate” to best describe their objectives. Because only 23% of respondents “have or consult a young adult advisory board or related committee,” it is not surprising that some of the museums felt they were not adequately targeting the YoCo audience.

What is to be done with YoCos?

Time Out New York’s article on museums highlights activities such as “behind the scenes tours, lectures, films, and even the quirky B-movie nights,” which are similar to those mentioned by the museums surveyed. These events usually occur at night and are aimed at attracting YoCos to museums. The evenings differ between alcohol and no alcohol, tours to lectures, and so as I have written earlier here at WestMuse:

At first, with young adults the need was to create the parties, and provide the invitation. Now, that they are arriving, and are interested–isn’t this the time to change our programs, exhibitions, and other existing models of activity? Let’s begin to re-think how visitors act and interact inside galleries, and with our collections. Asking what is the role and purpose of exhibitions, and programs, and how our visitors are to use them and participate. Maybe the best place for the deejay is inside the gallery, on a Saturday afternoon, next to the collections?

Rethinking our visitors and the visitor experience is paramount to the successful museum, not just in outreach exercises, but in the delivery of the modern museum visit. What that means is unique to each museum: however, we can no longer avoid the new rules assumed by today’s modern audiences. The lives of YoCos are defined by their digital identities and social and cultural connections with their psychographic interests. The balance between one’s iPhone and one’s personal life has merged, and yet at the same time the need to socialize, learn, and interact has never been more present.

Museum of Modern Art Twitter Sign in to Recommend STRETCH A yoga class at MoMA surrounded by a video installation by the Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist.

In many ways we are entering an era focused on experiences. In the 2009 Museum Section of the New York Times, Carol Vogel writes:

Yoga classes and bicycle get-togethers may not be your typical museum fare, but in these rough economic times, anything goes…But lean times are bringing out a pioneering spirit as museum officials strive to develop creative strategies for what is undeniably a new world… Most, if not all are expanding their public program. More than before, institutions big and small have adopted the same mission: to transform once-hushed museums into vibrant cultural centers where the activities go far beyond what’s hanging on the walls.

Today’s economy has given permission to experiment, and has required us to evolve.  Audience development for museums is not by any means a new pursuit, nor is recognizing underserved audiences within our institutions. Moving away from demographic pursuits to psychographics and augmenting our institutions to today’s audiences is necessary to captivate today’s audience and tomorrow’s patrons.

(Note: Special thanks to Kathleen McNally for her assistance with this article!)

Elida’s Choice: Director’s Favorites pt. I

Elida Zelaya, Executive Director

A recent contact called some of the planners at WMA “the Funky Bunch” LOL.  I love the name, it does fit, BUT we are still professionals designing a professional program for you. When asked what I am most looking forward to offering at this year’s conference in San Diego, I have to say the hands-on Resource Clinics first.

On Tuesday October 27 from 5:45 pm – 7:45 pm, the Resource Clinics offer delegates an opportunity for brainstorming, immersion learning, or direct advice from industry experts in one-on-one, small group, or hands-on formats.

In each of these amazing sessions, not only will you get to work with experts, but also to brainstorm with your peers and to learn form those around you.  It’s these kind of meet-up groups that can really make all the difference at the conference.

• H1 Resource Clinic: Career Planning & Resume Review, Facilitator: Rancy Breece, Transition Consultant, DBM
• H2 Resource Clinic: New Directors, Facilitator: Heather Ferrell,  Executive Director, Salt Lake Art Center
• H3 Resource Clinic: Evaluation, Facilitator: Wendy Meluch, Evaluation Consultant, Visitor Studies Services
• H4 Resource Clinic: Creative Education, Facilitator: Melanie Fales, Executive Director, Boise Art Museum
• H5 Resource Clinic: Grant Writing, Facilitator: Norma Gurba, AV Grantwriting and Consulting

I encourage you to sign up for one or more of these clinics (sign-up sheets will be at the registration desk). Looking forward to sharing a few more highlights as the dates for San Diego near…

Oregon Heritage Commission: Facing Adversity

By David Porter

To follow up on my earlier post, I wanted to note that the Oregon Heritage Commission,  a state chartered entity which oversees grant programs and other similar activities, heard testimony about the challenging state of affairs among heritage groups across the state at a meeting early this summer.

Under the leadership of Chairman George Kramer,  the Commission pledged to charter an investigation of the situation and to use its standing to make recommendations to the Legislature early in 2010.

The starvation budget which Oregon’s government is operating under, combined with the continuing economic gloom, will make their work more challenging.  Importantly,  the idea of engaging in global scrutiny of the situation and looking for broad solutions is a first.

It may well set the stage for a stronger fabric to support heritage museums and related institutions in the future.

Looking for Loci: a mobile museum experiment

by Maria Mortati

“Have you ever found a place in your home, neighborhood or city, and felt an invisible energy, almost like magic? In Roman culture, this was called “Genius Loci”, which referred to a location’s distinctive atmosphere, or spirit. In our urban environments these places can be more difficult to find, or lost altogether– but they do exist.

Locate a special place in your city and create a visual tribute to the genius loci of the spot. It can be part of your home, in a park or garden, on a street corner, or just a forgotten place in the alley.

Artifacts can take any form; photos, drawings, handmade sculptures or totems, a written account – anything that shares the essence of the place.”

This the challenge that co-curator Jaime Kopke (of Denver Community Museum fame) and I developed for “Looking for Loci”, a mobile, collaborative exhibit about place that toured this summer in Denver, and is opening here in SF on Friday, Aug. 28th in the Mission.

We asked 37 citizens of San Francisco + Denver to locate these special places and create a visual tribute to them. The results from the challenge have been delightful- I can’t decide which I like more, the contributions made by people, or the descriptions in their own words.

Now that it has come to the Bay Area, it’s part of a museum experiment called The San Francisco Mobile Museum. It’s an exhibit platform that was designed and built to be reconfigurable, and adapt to a variety of environments indoors and out.

I’m starting with this exhibit and adding to it by inviting visitors to add their stories about place to a large map of the Bay Area. These will show up on our blog, and likely evolve into a larger piece geo-tagged artwork that will live online. We’ll also have a phone number where folks call in and leave messages of their favorite places.

The folks who made the boxes in Denver are going to be writing about their experiences on the blog, as will the SF participants over time.

My plan is to host openings in Bay Area neighborhoods this Fall: open on a Friday night with an event where the community can come and add, as well as throughout the weekend– and then move the exhibit to the front windows while I am… at work during the week.

Since this is a personal project, time is limited. However, I’ll be iterating it and adding to it as I learn from the process and the public. Feel free to keep track of future openings at our blog or website.

If you’d like us to appear at your institution, please contact me at info [at] sfmobilemuseum [dot] org.

…and come to the debut this weekend and add your thoughts to this experiment!

Maria Mortati
San Francisco Mobile Museum

Helping Friends: Posting Survey Links

Securing Future Audiences at Your Museum

Need some creative and cost-effective ideas on how to attract todays young cosmopolitans to your museum? Help us find out!

This new and unique study examines and raises awareness of programs across the country that engage this younger, socially minded, and creative adult audience known as young cosmopolitans (YoCos).

Your input is crucial to finding out how to attract the next generation of museum visitors and donors. Please help us by filling out this very brief survey. It will only take 5-10 minutes and the results will be emailed to you directly by the end of the summer. Click here to start http://tinyurl.com/yocosurvey

Thank you for your help!

Matthew Edling, Science Museum of Minnesota

Alexandra Gregg, University of Toronto

Jessica Koepfler

Adam Rozan, Oakland Museum of California

YBCA Inside Out & Art Babble

Hello folks,

My name is Isaías D. Rodríguez, Interactive Media Producer, at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, YBCA in San Francisco, CA. I’ve been with YBCA for over 4 years  and in the last year transitioned into my new role as an in-house media producer. I produce media on our exhibitions, performances, film/video screenings, and events.

I’m really excited about our new web-based video series, YBCA Inside Out, that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what happens at a contemporary art center. YBCA was just added to Art Babble, a great site that features media content from several arts orgs from around the country. I welcome you to view our videos and leave your comments. I love the feedback! I take the good, the bad, and the ugly. My audience is you, so hit me up with your thoughts.

I look forward to providing you with some juciey content and invite you to visit us at ybca.org.

Have a great day and thank you for your time.

Isaías D. Rodríguez
Interactive Media Producer
irodriguez@ybca.org

http://twitter.com/irodriguezybca

“Jump and the net will appear.”

By Kristen Olson

Risk.

When I was 10 and he was 14, my older brother would follow me around wanting to play Risk. Ten-year-old me would shriek, “NO. It is boring. It takes forever. I never win.”

I literally feared Risk, (conveniently brought to you by Hasbro), because I did not want to fail.

On Saturday, May 30, 2009, I went to the Helzel Colloquium, “Risk and Reality” hosted by the John F. Kennedy University museum studies department. Walking in, I expected the day to be filled with cloudy conversations just out of reach, but all about defining risk. I expected us all to be encouraged to take more risks in our professional lives to benefit the field; you know, heady conference-y type stuff that I would put in my back pocket and let gestate until I would need to use it later. Smartly, organizer Susan Spero (with Brianna Cutts and Gail Anderson) pushed past the diffuse toward two goals of the day: understanding and tools. We’d all walk out with a clearer understanding of risk, as well as gain – or just see – new tools to use when confronting or initiating something institutionally (or personally, or field-wide) risky. This was one of those days when I wanted to go right back into the office and get to work. Exciting stuff. I hope to post this entry, then invite others in attendance today to add their two cents.

Though I’m still processing, I’ve realized how personal risk-taking is. Everyone has different levels of comfort, and as Robert Garfinkle from the Science Museum of Minnesota appropriately posited, almost everyone feels like they take a good amount of risk in their lives. How many would characterize themselves as complete sticks-in-the-mud in all aspects of their life? We all have our own comfort level, and sit in our own specific platform to allow for creative freedom. I, for example, feel very risky writing this blog entry. I fear harsh critique by those in the field more experienced and smarter that I. I am not quite comfortable having my words on unlimited display. I fear future-me, looking back and thinking, “oh geez, you really rambled there, didn’t you?” However, the way to make a break from that limiting behavior is to just jump in, I think. The benefits outweigh the detractors. Anyway, enough about me.

Well, not really. Jonathan Katz, CEO of Cinnabar, said this very short sentence early on in the day: “It is not personal.” I’ve heard it before from colleauges, and I’m still trying to wrap my arms around it, mostly because it is a break from how I think about my career. I care and am passionate about museums. I’ll venture an easy guess, and say we all are. I take it personally when I hear a harsh critique about the place I spend my days. I wince when I see cell phone commercials that have someone in a gallery…but the person is texting. (I should be happy they are in the gallery, right?) Is that a risk I shouldn’t be taking? Should I take myself out of the equation when thinking about taking a professional risk? (Here I go being diffuse.) Like I said, I’m still processing.

Thoughts that are still rolling around in my head and in my notebook:

1. The disconnect between feeling and cognition. (My gut says yes, my brain says “are you ******* kidding me?”)
2. Risk takes tenacity.
3. Risk takes patience.
4. “It is not personal.”
5. Know what you don’t know.
6. Make plain your risk factor: if it is fear of the unknown, be okay with that. Own your risk factors. Be authentic.
7. Change happens on the fringes; museums used to be on the fringes. Some still are, and have that freedom.
8. There has to be a strong goal in order for risk to be worth it. (Risk without reason is silly.)

So I ask you, dear readers, what are your risk factors? What nets need to be in place before you jump? When did you take a risk and it failed? How long did it take you to admit it? When did you take a risk and it was a wild success? How long did it take you to admit it?

Kristen Olson is a second year masters student in museum studies at JFKU, and the Academic and Educational Technology Liaison at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. She is laughing while writing this in the third person. She blogs irregularly at koko500.wordpress.com and rambles more often on twitter.

O.M.G.