The Arts in New York City

For the creative art project, does it have to be on something relating to the city or can we choose a subject?

It is worthwhile to spend time at the Paley Museum because visitors could experience how American culture has changed over the last four decades. Those television shows and programs and radio programs mirror the culture of a specific period of time.

There’s a free show this Sunday at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Though it is free, tickets are required, and are distributed on the day of the show. Click this link for info on the performers, tickets, & venue.

An article by Grayson Perry, a British sculptor, on his recent travels through the Chelsea (NYC) galleries, might provide an interesting perspective on what we saw. He visited much of the same work as we did. Check out the article here: New York is Sleekly Corporate Like Selling Cars

These varied events all cost $10 for students. They are neat events because you get to see and hear performances and also there is a presentation by someone closely associated with the performance so you find out lots of good info. And, they are in the Guggenheim Museum’s Rotunda, which is a completely unique place in NYC. Tickets sell out quickly so make plans now if you’re interested. (more…)

Here are some free events that might interest you, starting on Friday… (more…)

My trip to the Mythic Creatures exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History was quite an experience. There was great anticipation due to the mass advertising for the exhibit via the MTA and other sources. It was amazing to see the videos in particular because most exhibits are nothing but statues and lack an interactive component. Creating a dragon was definitely one of the highlights of my day. Choosing the wings and tail and watching my creation come to life was something I had never experienced at a museum before. Furthermore, they explored the cultural aspect of the various creatures creating a historical background (hence the name of the museum I would assume).

I was walking out of the Long Island Railroad station at 34 street after listening to an underground musician playing his windpipes and I started to wonder. Why are people from all over the world attracted to the city of New York? Is it because of the tall buildings or because of the shiny lights. Maybe it’s the shopping and the landmarks. Or perhaps the reason lies within the infatuation people have with museums. Museums appeal to a persons ambitions as well as his/her curiosities. As a result, people from all over the globe visit NYC, since it’s the biggest museum in the world. Whether it be the famous sites like the Empire State building and the MET or the art found in everyday places like Madison Square Park (with it’s metal trees) and the subway (with the break dancers). NYC is in itself a museum. Next time out, don’t just take public transportation rather, walk around and discover the street performer in Penn station or the unique displays in SOHO or Chinatown. Even check out the local scene in Grand Central or 42nd street for talented street performers, because talent isn’t only present in famous people. So enjoy the world’s art show before you start having to pay for it.

QUEENS CENTRAL LIBRARY- The exhibit titled “Preserving Our Cultural Heritage: Newly Conserved Work from the Queens Library’s Holdings in the Index of American Design” featured watercolor depictions of dresses and house ware from the American colonial period to the 19th c. The watercolor paintings featured in the exhibit were part of the Federal Art Project (FAP) of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of the Great Depression. The project employed 1000 artists over a span of 6 years who created over 18,000 watercolor paintings. The project was started to create much needed jobs and also to serve the growing public need for information on American design at the time. The exhibit displayed watercolor paintings of rather mundane and ordinary objects of pre-19th century life- quilt spreads, napkins, dresses, and chairs. Expecting an artistic experience, coming to this exhibit was a waste of time. If the government was really concerned about preserving the ways of American pre-19th c. life, they should have preserved the actual quilt spreads, napkins, dresses, and chairs of the time, not produce watercolor paintings of them. I don’t have a problem with the government trying to boost the economy with jobs through the FAP but I don’t think ordinary watercolor paintings like these can be considered art. These paintings cannot be appreciated for their aesthetics (almost anyone could have painted these). Rather, these paintings can only be appreciated for their historical significance.

One day when I was taking a brisk walk under the blaring sun along the streets of Union Square when my eyes caught sight upon a large crowd surrounding a street performance. With my inquisitive mind, I decided to go and take a gander at what was happening. I saw a small circus tent on stage with a banner across it saying, “Circus Amok” and was bedazzled. Ironically, the show was called “Bee-Dazzled”. Just a small pun I don’t think anybody other than myself will find funny. Anyway, I didn’t understand much of what was going on since I started watching it mid-way. I saw a man in drag come out in a queen bee costume. Soon after, other people came out in worker bee costumes and danced around the drag queen. There were crazy acrobats cart-wheeling around the stage and enormous stilt-walkers. After watching the rest of it, I didn’t really understand the message that was trying to be sent. I just knew that it was about the disappearance of honeybees. To find out more, when I got home I looked up more about this particular performance and discovered that the disappearance of honeybees is supposed to resemble the war in Iraq. Circus Amok is a circus-theater company whose performances usually address issues about social justice. After learning more about the company, I only wished to have arrived at Union Square a little bit earlier to catch the entire performance and fully grasp the performance’s significance. Overall, it was a pretty weird show but at the same time captivating to the audience.