With this project I was able to reflect on who I am as a person. I am honestly a pretty simple person, so I created my mask without too much clutter. On the forehead I put my favorite Bible verse which says, “For we walk by Faith not by sight.” I really enjoy this verse because it means to live by trusting yourself and by believing that there is a reason for the path you are taking. Next to the verse I added a cross and a cowboy boot to emphasize the meaning of this verse. I added the cross because, for me, faith is a huge part of my life. The reason why I added the cowboy boot is because I love country music and western styles, so when I walk, I am “walking” in a cowboy boot. This is why I added the music notes and the title of one of my favorite songs, ‘Til You Can’t, which is about living your life to the fullest while you can. Then, I added a football and dance shoes to portray my passions. Lastly, I added the Italian flag over my mouth to not only show Italian heritage, but to poke fun at the Italian accent many of my peers have pointed out.
After watching both the opera and the movie, I can say that I enjoyed the movie better. This is partially due to the fact that the opera was a little hard to understand. It was honestly hard to follow, especially because it was in Italian. However, the scenery was incredible. I really enjoyed watching the movie Rent. I liked that it was, in a way, more relatable because it took place in NYC in the 80s. I was grateful that the movie was in English and that I could actually understand what the characters were saying. Overall, I liked the movie better than the opera.
I definitely saw some similarities between the movie and the opera. For starters, Mimi went to the man’s room with a candle in both the opera and the movie. The candle blew out and she “lost her key” in both, allowing her to create a relationship with the man who owned the apartment. In both, everyone was poor and connected to each other because they were “bohemians.” Furthermore, in both the movie and the opera, Mimi and her lover fought before her “death.” The difference was that Mimi didn’t actually die in the movie. The ending of the movie caused me to be conflicted. I liked that the ending offered hope, but it was a bit unrealistic.
Overall, I would rather see the movie again than the opera. I didn’t hate the opera, but I feel like the movie had a more developed plot. The movie was easier to follow and I was able to actually understand the true meaning of the story.
The zoom call with Rich Stremme was very interesting. It was cool to learn about the art of tattooing. I never really thought that tattooing was an art form, but after hearing his story my viewpoints have changed. I loved learning about his journey with tattooing, especially his work with Pat. His work underground is super interesting, and I overall really enjoyed learning about his story.
On Tuesday we were able to take a trip to Brooklyn Museum to experience night at the museum. The art in the museum was very interesting, and I liked how each room had a different theme. Personally, my favorite was the black and white room with Robert’s artwork solely because his art was shown here.
My favorite part of this trip was hanging out with my peers and meeting new macaulay students. By the end I was a little bored because there was only floor open, so we decided to watch dancing with the stars. Overall, I really liked going on this trip, even though getting approved by my professor was not fun.
On Sunday, we were able to see a dance performance at the Joyce Theater in Manhattan. Thankfully, the weather was not bad when we were traveling to the theater. Most of us took the ferry and the train together, allowing us to arrive at the same time.
I was lucky to have a good seat in the second row. I was towards the center and I could really see the entire stage. Going into this show, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was a dancer growing up, so I knew I would enjoy the dancing itself but I wasn’t sure of the stories. Personally, I loved the stories portrayed in the performance. Each performance, in my opinion, got better and better. I was a bit confused with the first one, but the story telling got better with each performance.
I enjoyed the second performance because it definitely made me laugh. However, I felt like an outsider laughing in the theater because everyone was so serious. I was even more impressed with the third performance. The dancers had such amazing control over their bodies and they were able to truly show off their talents. The male dancer was super strong, and the female dancer had amazing lines. When watching the performance, I envisioned the dancers as mermaids because of the fact that their movements were so enchanting. I also loved that the female dancer in the third performance was super humble. We were able to speak to her at the end, and she was so appreciative of our complements. Overall, these two performances were great.
My favorite was definitely the last one. Based on their technique, I think that those dancers were more advanced and had more experience. The lead female was incredibly talented. She had amazing lines, she was flexible, and she was incredibly strong. I loved how a big portion of the dance showcased her because she was truly talented. I also really enjoyed seeing all of the solo parts of this dance, including the first male soloist. This dancer was able to go from a jazz turn to a lyrical turn without bobbling which is really impressive. Whether it was in the group or as a soloist, I loved how each dancer was able to move to the beats of the amazing music. It is really hard to work in a group, especially on timing, and I think these dancers nailed it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this performance and I might even see it again in the future.
This art work is more of a graffiti/mural style piece. The phrase plays on the words “make love not war” that was a very popular slogan in the 1960s. The protest itself is against the Vietnam War. The artist is trying to portray the soldier, who is usually a symbol of war and aggression, as someone who can use his “weapon” as a tool for positive creation. The paintbrush, which used to be a rocket launcher, painted the word “war” in red to show urgency, while painting “make art” in black to make it calmer. The artist did this because counterculture at the time believed in carrying guitars, paintbrushes, and spray cans rather than guns. This protest art sent a powerful message of investing time into beauty and imagination rather than death and destruction.
I believe that this protest art can still be relevant today. Whether you are talking about a physical war between countries, or an internal war within our own country, many believe that we should focus on peace. Today, it can be used to show that we could fight battles with expression and creativity rather than with violence and death. The world today continues to face violent conflict and political unrest just like it did during the Vietnam War. Artists today use their art to protest the detestation costs of militarism in the Middle East and Ukraine.
On Saturday September 13th, I visited Snug Harbor for the Art Lab open house. Luckily, I was not alone on my adventure, but I was able to meet up with many of my friends. It took me a while to figure out where to go, and the service was not my friend. Finally, I found building 1000 where the open house was taking place. After signing in, many of us started by taking a ceramics class. The instructor was really nice and helpful, but I was definitely still lost. I learned in that moment that I’m not really good at sculpting. My bowl went through many different phases and ended up being destroyed.
Although I did not really enjoy taking the classes, mainly because I am not good at art, I loved watching my friends. Jenna was really good at sculpting and painting, and Sofia is just amazing at oil painting. Watching them take the classes really allowed me to appreciate art. It is really difficult to create beautiful art, and they made it look effortless.
I ended my day at Snug Harbor by walking around and looking at the shops. The art displayed was truly amazing, and I even bought a really pretty handmade necklace. The environment was beautiful and I am really happy that I went.
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.
