Another surprising favorite of mine was the new Hall of Human Origins. Having taken forensics biology in high school, I walked into the exhibit simply because I was interested in the subject. Lo and behold, there really seemed to be art in every corner of the museum as the Hall of Human Origins contained exhibits on facial reconstruction, a robot that created ‘art’ and a machine to mix instruments and create worldly music. My favorite was the facial reconstruction exhibit. I had studied the effectiveness of facial reconstruction to forensics before, but while watching the video of it actual being done, it occurred to me that this was art too. Maybe it was a stretch, but there was something uniquely artistic about the way the forensic artist created a mold of the skull, drew the striation marks of muscle tissue and attached hair to the figure. It felt as if the artist was making a piece of sculpture, freeing the face hidden in the bones similar to the way Michelangelo claims he freed David from within the block of marble.

While I had always been interested in science and art, I never really considered the two having anything in common. In my head, the two fields were completely different subjects and were impossible to relate and when I stepped into the Museum of Natural History, I really was not expecting to find anything that was ‘art’. In actuality, I should have learned my lesson beforehand. The Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, directly across from each other, make perfect partners in crime whether it be spreading science or art.

Right off the bat, I will say that I am a great admirer of modern art versus the seemingly more rigid forms of traditional art and as a friend dragged me along for a tour of what I knew to be “boring” Renaissance and Impressionist art, I will be entirely honest saying that I was far from excited. Obviously, I was proved wrong. Not only was the tour itself a relatively new and enjoyable experience, but the art as well had its own characteristics that seemed to capture even the most uninterested viewer. Gallery talks in the Met are given by volunteers and our guide for the day was an excited elderly woman named Phyllis who led us through the almost 800 piece collection of the Robert Lehman Collection. Unfortunately the upper levels of the gallery were closed until 2008 for renovation and we were unable to enjoy the pieces in the splendor the donator intended them to be – set against the backdrop of his country home. Nevertheless, the experience was altogether eye opening as the group perused several centuries worth of art in under an hour. My personal favorite, as well as the favorite of many others in the group, judging by their gasps of exclamation, was a large painting entitled the Princesse of Broglie by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. I may have a favor for art with a more simplistic feel, but nothing can deny the absolute stunning effect of this painting. The intricate detail paid to both the portrait and the still life, the usage of light so that the subject glows and stand illuminated and the skill that the artist must have possessed to create something that from far away seemed like a photograph.

Coincidentally, the gallery that I was most excited to view even before the Lehman tour, was entitled Depth of Field: Modern Photography at the Metropolitan. The irony was astounding. I was completely blown away by “traditional” art that I had never taken a liking too and was still feeling the effects of the aftershock as I walked into the much smaller collection of modern photographs. I’m pleased to say that both galleries were absolutely fantastic. Perhaps it is because I’ve always had an interest in photography and with my love for modern simplicity, the poignant nature of most of the photographs provided me one of the moments in movies between a viewer and a piece of art. While the talent and physical skill of the art in the Lehman collection blew me away, I was just as taken aback by the innovative thinking that was put into each of the photographs. My favorite piece was the large blown up photograph entitled, Untitled by Sharon Lockhart. While there were many more that came in a close second (and many more I simply wanted to take home), this one piece in particular reached out to me. For me, this piece represented the age-old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Although the subject in the photograph is a model and placed where the photographer asked, I can’t help but feel as if the photograph is a capture from a movie and both the subject’s expression and his environment seem to want to tell more and say more than what can be expressed. Added to this effect, the photograph itself is almost wall sized, overwhelming the viewer and immersing one inside the photograph itself. Truly, an amazing piece.

While I never intended it to be, my casual trip to the Met’s galleries ended up as juxtapositions and compliments to each other. The traditional paintings of classical art contain so much talent and skill that when compared modern art, completely overshadows it. Then again, actual photographs manage to hold their stand over paintings that simply look like photographs. Both, on seemingly opposite sides of the spectrum that is “visual art,” inspires in its own way and while I tended to favor one over the other at the beginning, both had an amazingly profound effect on me.

Princesse de Broglie; Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Untitled; Sharon Lockhart

The Big Draw, part of the River to River Festival, is a free annual art event in Lower Manhattan that is sure to interest both young and old. Spread out over several locations, all accessible by foot or provided bus, The Big Draw offers five unique artistic experiences ranging from traditional observational drawing to even laser tag. Although attending as many events as possible was on my agenda, I was only able to attend two of the five events, but had fantastic time nevertheless. Upon arriving at an event, stalls set up along the sides provide you with a sketchbook, which features the locations conveniently marked off on a map, a schedule of when they take place and descriptions of the activities.

My first event for the day was located at the South Street Seaport. There, thick poster boards had been set up along the boardwalk and visitors were provided with calligraphy brushes (re: hollow bamboo brushes with branches inserted to provide length) and sheets of Chinese calligraphy, which they could copy onto the boards in water. However, one could always opt for not following the sheets and simply doodle instead. While the decision to use water instead of ink was smart, it also had the negative effect of drying up before one could really take a look, much less take a picture, of their creation. On the other hand, the stalls also provided tracing paper and black and white historical images of New York’s waterside. Finished tracings could be put up on a clothesline to “flutter in the breeze like flags or keep as memorabilia,” remarked one staff member.

My second event was a few blocks away at the World Financial Center where two small buses had been anchored to the railing and by the time I arrived, were covered in yarn, shoelaces and unfinished knitting work. Along the sidelines, tables and chairs had been set up where adults and children alike were learning how to knit and crochet. The staff was friendly and more than willing to provide visitors with yarn to throw around the buses. However, the real fun came when you had the chance to climb through existing weave work and thread your choice of yarn through whatever nooks and crannies were left.

All in all, the experience at the two events was fantastic although the artist featured at the first event seemed reluctant to interact with the visitors. Rather, he simply looked over people’s shoulder and spent most of the time making his own drawings. However, drawing alongside the impressive ships at the seaport is an amazing experience that is really worth experiencing. I had a lot of fun at the second event and was only slightly disappointed that because a lot of the events were scheduled at the same time, after fully enjoying one event, grabbing lunch and making your way to the next – it was really all you had time for in one day. There was also strangely, a lack of signs noting an event or arrows to point out where the actual location was. Yet, the event was really fantastic and enjoyable. I’m actually looking forward to attending again next year and squeezing in some of the other activities.