Author: Wenika Wu

 On 12/05/2025 Friday afternoon dressed up cozily in my favorite orange scarf and beige coat, I wandered into the Louis Armstrong exhibit around twenty minutes before my house tour began. After our class’s virtual meeting with Ricky Riccardi, I was nothing less than absolutely excited to learn more about this brilliant artist that has absolutely reshaped the landscape of jazz.

Walking around the exhibit, I read up a bit about Louis’s background and saw a few of the memorabilia of his life – including his famous headstone trumpet. It was fascinating seeing the original bronze instrument in person, something that the musician adored so much. It seemed to be in great condition despite it being so many decades, and it was actually originally part of his headstone. Being just inches away from such an amazing artifact that has performed groundbreaking music around the world was almost unbelievable to me. Another thing that the exhibit made me realize was just how much of an amazing man Louis was. He was such a massive community man, living right here in Corona and interacting with his neighbors constantly. “Satchmo,” was more than just a nickname, it was part of his identity. His infectious smile and vibrant energy brightened up the entire neighborhood– that was the man Louis Armstrong was. Not only a trailblazer and groundbreaker in terms of music and Black representation, but a family/community man through and through.

Starting the tour through his actual house, I was immediately blown away by how amazing the interior of the house was. Most things were untouched, the interior and decorations as authentic as it can be. It was extremely cozy inside, and I learnt so much about Armstrong from the tour. His house was filled with souvenirs he acquired around the world such as South Africa and Japan. Apparently Louis and his wife Lucille loved their Christmas tree so much, they brought it around to all his tours until it fell apart. Every single room inhabited a completely unique style, such as his dining room filled with East Asian decor, and his kitchen with modern bright turquoise cabinets. All the walls were covered with gorgeous paintings of different artists he likes, portraits of himself and his wife, still-lifes and more. You can tell how much Louis absolutely adored art from his house, which continues upstairs in his den. In my opinion, it was the most amazing and cozy room in the house with rich brown oak walls and floors, shelves filled with old novels, gorgeous record players and more. It was an other-worldlike experience, and it felt so at peace here. We ended off the tour by listening to a few of his songs and his style was so distinct.

From his peaceful gorgeous melody in What a Wonderful World, to his upbeat dramatic take on Zat You Santa Claus, Louis Armstrong is the epitome of loving art and community. He represents so many ideas that we explore in Arts in NYC, from incorporating identity into art and creating as well as spreading diversity through pieces. I think this tour truly encapsulated the idea that, “Art is an experience,” and his legacy certainly passed this idea on. It was an amazing tour and I can definitely see myself going back again in the future!

Sitting down on my living room couch on 12/06/2025  – I huddled up in my warm blankets with a steaming cup of hot chocolate in my hand as I pressed the start button on my TV remote to begin my first virtual event of the semester – Hamilton on Broadway. Bundled up and cozy, my experience rewatching this cinematic masterpiece could only be one word – stellar. Simply put, there were countless parts of the magnificent Broadway that I was absolutely enraptured with.

The greatest song in the entirety of the musical has to be Alexander Hamilton, the very beginning, introducing Hamilton as a man that has been long overshadowed by other founding fathers despite his immense impact on America’s beginning. It brilliantly tells his story through his lens, despite some things behind being historically inaccurate, every single song was catchy and mesmerizing. Another favorite song of mine was Non-Stop, highlighting how Hamilton was a massive influence in the ratification of the U.S Constitution, fighting tooth and nail with the Federalist Papers. Not only that, the ending is nothing less than spectacular, and I was extremely emotional watching it. It’s absolutely heart wrenching and awe-inspiring watching Eliza Hamilton live to 99 years old, working hard to preserve her husband’s legacy – preserving old letters and papers of his, defending his reputation, advocating for the Washington monument and building the first orphanage in NYC that was inspired by his memory. I was extremely immersed in the musical from beginning to the end, barely moving in my seat. When I was finally done watching the musical, I was in shambles – tearing up and numb from the absolute spectacular sensation that was Hamilton.

Since reflecting, it becomes clear how much of a genius Lin-Manuel Miranda was. This musical is the pinnacle of the very things that we want to explore in Arts in NYC: Identity, community, diversity and the power in storytelling. It reimagined and retold a crucial moment in American history in a format that has been able to reach a massive audience globally, educating and entertaining people at the same time. Through captivating music and acting, Hamilton can be seen as an epitome of how art influences modern views, highlighting corruption, political power, compromise and individualism in America. Identity is explored in countless ways in Hamilton and I think it was extremely impactful how Lin used POC actors to depict different important American figures such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, which subtly reinforced the idea that Black, Latinx, Asian and marginalized groups have a place in theatre and American history. This is only heightened by how it managed to incorporate music types such as hip-hop, rap and R&B into its shows, genres that have been shunned for not being “sophisticated” enough for Broadway.  All in all, Hamilton has absolutely shifted the public’s view on theatre, making it mainstream once more and sparking massive cultural conversations about its deeper meanings.

I had an absolute blast watching Hamilton, and I absolutely would watch it again. It reignited my love for Broadway, theater and American history and made me think about how I can incorporate art in my future. This event was absolutely worth attending!