A few weeks ago, while attempting to see the Tim Burton exhibit, I discovered that the MOMA is closed on Tuesdays. While this was a tragic event, it opened my eyes to a whole other museum entirely. Next to the MOMA, in the shadows, lies The American Folk Art Museum. I had never heard of it before this day, but was pleasantly surprised by the new discovery.

The art in this museum wasn't like anything I had seen in IDC class. All the items were very simple and realistic. The first piece of art I saw was a huge wall size piece. In it were various structures and people that represented New York at a particular time, such as Yankee Stadium and details about the Watergate Scandal. I was surprised most obviously by the size, but also by the artists attention to detail. Every section of the piece was fully developed and detailed. It must have taken forever.

The next item that I noticed was a bike. It was an old style bike that was hanging off the ceiling. I liked this piece a lot because it gave me a sense of nostalgia. It was the kind of bike that you would see an old man riding in a black and white movie.

Upon exploring the other floors, I found other art that also held my interest. In a corner somewhere, there were three saws. The top saw was the least modern, the middle was a little newer, and the last one looked like a saw that would be used today. Similarly, on each saw, was a painting of the time period the saw represented. This one was a challenge. The chronology was obvious, but the motivation for the artist to use saws as his or her canvas wasn't as clear. We had a hard time trying to make sense of it, and eventually gave up altogether. On the same floor, there were other strange mediums used. One artist used a chair and another used the thing that you use to blow air on a fire in a fireplace that I can't remember the name of right now. Either way, the utilization of these items was an effective way of generating interest and promoting thought about the work.