Category — Rolanda

This collage really represents me. It contains things that symbolizes my ideals and things that I feel are important. Some of the things that I decided to include were family, food and fashion. Although I do not consider my family to be “stereotypical” or “traditional” we do hold traditional values in very high regard. In addition to this we are very tight knit and we would sacrifice anything for family. Next is food. Food is something that links all of us. It is an important part of my family and I feel that the best way to connect to another culture is through their food. Other things that were important for me to include were a representation of travel, my interest in equestrian sports, and New York. Lastly I would like to mention the words that I included on my collage. “Bold” is meant to represent me. I like to think that I make bold decisions and I try to steer away from being a conformist. I like to be bold with my assertions and with my choices. “Empowered” represents many things for me. First, Baruch is empowering me to a better future. Next, it also represents my family’s attitude towards me. They never pressure me to do anything or be anything that I don’t want to be. I know many stereotypes about Asian parents pressuring their children to be doctors and lawyers, but I never received such pressure which I am grateful for. I think that this has empowered me to make my own decisions. Lastly, “Lady” is a word that represents manners and rules that I think all people, not just ladies, should follow. To be courteous to others. To be respectful of other people’s thoughts and opinions. To be humble and to realize that not everyone will think that you are the most amazing person to grace the earth (no matter what your mother tells you). FInally, always be yourself no matter what people think of you; it is impossible to please everyone and some people are just born miserable so don’t take it personal if they don’t like you.

This exhibition was like walking into a time machine. It was an amazing display of various pieces as varied as any collection could be. The pieces ranged from golden daggers to vessels found from the ancient wreckage of a sunken ship. It is not often that you get to be surrounded by pieces that are from the 18th Century B.C. Each and every piece was so unique and unlike anything that I had ever seen. The pieces came from the ancient Assyrians, Mesopotamians and other cultures that no longer exists, except through their relics. [Read more →]

The Urban Bush Women dance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music was a unique and interesting interpretation of a traditional dance performance. The show combined traditional African dance with modern technique and contemporary themes. The themes however, were not portrayed that clearly and while the dance was superb and quite intricate and impressive the story line was not. [Read more →]

When I first started reading Samuel Freedman’s “Who She Was” I was hoping for a compelling story of a man in search of his mother’s past. However, within the first few pages of reading, I was extremely angered by his indifference and general attitude towards his mother. I could not believe that his mother’s passing was so meaningless to him. It took decades and the death of an aunt to compel him to even visit her grave. [Read more →]

Street photography was a realm of art in which I had never entered. It was completely foreign to me, I was aware of its existence, and that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge on the subject. So, any type of exposure to the subject of seeing any examples of it from any artist would have been an enriching experience. When I was told the prolific street photographer Jeff Mermelstein would be coming into our class to personally show us some of his work I figured it would be something I had never really seen before and it would be intriguing to hear about the photos from the person who actually took them. [Read more →]

It is strange for me to think of my father as anyone other than the person I knew him as.  It is even stranger to think of him with any other woman than my mother but once upon a time this was true. My father had been married once before and I had no knowledge of this and never imagined or thought that it was even a possibility. [Read more →]

street-photography3

(Link to Movie)

I thought that this project was going to defeat me. I had no idea what to take pictures of. The only things that I had ever taken pictures of were people or major landmarks while on vacation. I had never taken pictures spontaneously or for the sake of making art. I had only had experience taking tacky, postcard-like photos of the Eiffel Tower, or the Coliseum. What did I know about being a “street photographer”? [Read more →]

The International Center of Photography’s recent exhibit on Susan Meiselas was both riveting and inspirational. The haunting photos were visually engaging but disturbing at the same time. As a viewer, the gruesome, raw, grittiness of her images really evoked the horrors that she was trying to portray. The series set in Nicaragua was especially striking. [Read more →]

Frances Richey’s collection of poems “The Warrior” reflected the feelings about her son and the difficulties they faced. Their clash of ideas and her concerns for him are very vividly talked about in the poems. The reality that he may not return from his chosen path is a strong theme. She described the book as her “attempt to talk to him”. [Read more →]

When one thinks of the word “musical” they probably don’t think of rap music. Actually, it’s probably the farthest thing from the typical musical. When I heard that it was a one-man show I was interested and skeptical that it would actually work. As it turns out, it was more than successful.

If there had been many other performers with him on stage I think he would have overs [Read more →]