On Sunday September 7th, many of us ventured to the Whitney Museum. Many of us traveled together, taking the Ferry to the train and walking 12 minutes to the museum. The travel time alone was a great experience, as I was able to connect with the people around me on a deeper level. After arriving at the museum, many of us enjoyed some snacks while waiting for the rest of the group to join us. Once everyone arrived, our journey in the Whitney Museum began.
We started on the 8th floor of the museum. This floor was based around how art is interpreted by deaf people. To be honest, this floor didn’t really speak to me. Although the artwork was interesting and clever, I didn’t really connect with it. However, I did enjoy learning some phrases and words in sign language, including the word “future” through pieces similar to this one.
As we traveled down the floors, I began to connect more to the work. I really enjoyed exploring the pieces on floor 7 including this piece of a skull which I purchased in the form of a postcard. Now the question is, is this art? To me yes, to Lisa no.
The main thing I was interested in learning about was this string of lights that were randomly hanging from the ceiling. At first, Jenna and I were trying to figure out if they were there as art, or if it was another shoe in the middle of the floor situation. James Michael Brandes (who asked me to shout him out) saw our confusion and explained the lights to us. The explanation was very interesting. Mr. Brandes explained that some man gave them a string of lights to hang because they reminded him of the American dream. As an immigrant, the man always saw the city as a place of bright lights and dreams, similar to a circus. This explanation really moved me, and I ended up really loving the idea and the piece.
At the end of our experience, we each bought mini paintings from a machine. Once again, I found this to be art, but I think Lisa would disagree. We wrapped up the day by following khadijah to K Town to get some food (thank God for her, we were starving). I’ve never tried food like this before so it was definitely interesting, but definitely very good. In the food market we also sang karaoke which was a bonding experience, although Nick wouldn’t sing with us.
The journey back to Staten Island was definitely a long one, but it was also a time of bonding and getting to know each other. Overall, this was a great experience.
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