Author: Vincent Moccio

I chose to theme my identity mask around my love for theater. I included six of my favorite musicals on the mask.Three of the shows, Mamma Mia, Little Shop of Horrors, and Grease, were performed at my high school. These productions are especially meaningful to me because I worked on the tech crew and became close with everyone in the theater company. All six of the shows are Broadway musicals. I did not see all of them in person, but they all moved me. The shows I saw in person are Wicked and Mamma Mia. Wicked is my favorite musical because it explores the complex themes of friendship. All of the musicals have phenomenal music and iconic storylines, which are a great way of promoting art in New York City.

I was inspired by the Comedy and Tragedy masks, which are two masks with frowning and smiling faces. There are many modern interpretations of those masks, so I designed my mask off of the blue and red version. I painted one side of the mask blue and the other side red, which is separated by a yellow strip of paper that says “Playbill.” The “Playbill” represents the program a person receives when they attend a Broadway show.

On the blue side of the mask, which would be the smiling face, I placed the Broadway shows with more uplifting themes, which are Grease, Wicked, and Mamma Mia. This contrasts with the red side, which would be the frowning face, where I put shows that involve death or violence. These shows are Little Shop of Horrors, Hamilton, and Rent. Together, these shows represent my love for theater and their influence on my life.

On November 8th, our class traveled to the city to see La Bohème at the MET Opera. I didn’t know what to expect as I only read a few chapters from Henri Murger’s book. It was difficult to understand the opera as it was sung in Italian, but I was able to pick up on the characters and certain plot points.

A few days later, I watched the movie, Rent. I enjoyed Rent a lot more than La Bohème because it was easier to understand. In Rent, I really liked the film the character Mark created because it captured the life of the artists and the poverty in New York City. It was slightly emotional when Mark showed the film as he reunited with his artist friends after they resuscitated their friend Mimi, who was unconscious. Additionally, I liked the music in Rent, especially “Seasons of Love.”

While I was watching Rent, I noticed it was inspired by La Bohème. For example, both take place in major cities. La Bohème is set in Paris and Rent is set in New York City. Additionally, both La Bohème and Rent depict the state of poverty, the lives of artists, and themes of love. 

The character names were similar for the most part. Mimì from La Bohème was Mimi in Rent. Her love interest was Rodolfo, a poet in La Bohème, who is Roger, a songwriter in Rent. They met in a similar way, as she asked them both to light her candle.

Both La Bohème and Rent depict illness, but there were noticeable differences in who died. In La Bohème, Mimì died, but in Rent, Angel died. Another notable difference is that Rent highlights the fight against HIV and AIDS, as both Mimi and Roger have HIV.

While I did not enjoy La Bohème as much as Rent, it was still a worthwhile experience to see an opera. I find it unlikely that I would go to an opera in the future, so now I can say I have seen an opera before.

The week before the Zoom call with Rich Stremme, we were given the option to hear him talk about graffiti, rock music, or tattoos. I was most interested in tattoos because many people have them, and I was curious about the history and art behind them.

During the week of the Zoom call, we worked on our graffiti projects while also listening to Rich via Zoom. He gave a presentation on the history of tattoos, and talked about his personal experience. I learned that tattoos have a long history to them as they have evolved over time. I found it interesting that Rich still incorporates many of the old tattoo styles in his work.

I was most intrigued by Rich’s experience with Pat. She served as a role model for him and taught him a lot about the industry. I found it interesting when Pat denied 5 sorority girls who wanted to get identical dolphin tattoos. She would only give the girls tattoos if each dolphin was different. 

Through the Zoom call, I realized that tattooing is an artistic field. If I ever decide to get a tattoo (which is very unlikely), I would want it to have a personal meaning.

The Night at the Museum is an iconic tradition for first-year Macaulay students. This common event was extremely memorable because it offered a once in a lifetime  experience where we had the Brooklyn museum all to ourselves. 

Our Macaulay CSI cohort had our own bus to and from the museum. I appreciate that we were all able to travel together, so we did not have to stress about commuting on our own.  

When we arrived, we were escorted to an auditorium where the Macaulay dean welcomed us, and then the Macaulay provost gave a brief presentation. It was nice to see them again, as the last time we saw them was during orientation. I felt bad for the provost because he encountered technology issues where his slides were being skipped. However, we laughed it off and still enjoyed the presentation. 

After the presentation, we were free to explore the fifth-floor gallery, which was the only floor we were allowed to access. Various pieces of American art were featured such as oil paintings, sculptures, film, and most strikingly, chairs. At first, these chairs seemed ordinary, and I questioned whether they could be considered art. Some were made out of wood, others of plastic, and the most comfortable were made of fabric. However, I think the museum assigns a new artistic value to the chairs because they reflect the culture of their time period.

One specific piece that stood out to me was Bound by Kehinde Wiley. It was a structure that consisted of three women’s heads arranged in a triangle. Their braided hair was connected, which tributes Black femininity. I also admired a film called Doors. It continuously transitioned clips from different movies each time a character opened a door. I did not recognize any of the movies, but it was a cool reflection of the evolution of film throughout the years. 

The only thing I wish had been different was how our time was spent. We had 2 hours to explore the entire fifth floor, but the time passed slowly. I admired most of the artwork within about a half an hour, and then spent the remaining time circling the gallery with little new to see. I wish we could’ve explored more of the museum to see other exhibits. Perhaps we could’ve spent one hour on the fifth floor and another hour on a different floor. To make that possible, the museum could have provided additional security or volunteers to help escort and monitor us.

Overall, I am thankful to the Brooklyn Museum for allowing Macaulay to continue the Night at the Museum tradition. I had a fun time exploring the art, and I enjoyed spending the evening with both the Macaulay CSI cohort and the other Macaulay schools. 

The question on everyone’s mind was, “How is the weather going to be?” The forecast had called for strong storms, which was worrisome. Fortunately, the weather turned out to be mostly manageable.

Going into the Arpino Theater, I did not know what to expect. I’ve seen musicals and plays before, but never a ballet. However, I was still interested, and I ended up enjoying the ballet more than I expected. 

The Arpino Dance Festival opened with Confetti, showcasing the talent of the dancers in a lighthearted way. The dancers wore candy-like colors, and they were all cheerful, smiling at all times. This contrasted with the next performance, Valentine, which was more humorous. It depicted the battle of the sexes through a man and a woman who were playfully fighting in a boxing arena. Their exaggerated expressions, in addition to a musician on stage, added to the comedy.

A brief intermission occurred before the third performance, Sea Shadow. The lost at sea theme was my favorite theme out of all the performances. The scenery, wardrobe, and orchestra all came together. However, the best performance was saved for last, which was Light Rain. I liked the change from only a few dancers on stage to multiple. Additionally, the raindrop choreography was well thought out and visually stunning. In a way, it reminded me of A Chorus Line. It was the perfect way to close the show.

Thank you to Macaulay for sponsoring the tickets. The seats were perfect. Since the first three rows were booked for us (with some strangers), we were able to see the performances from up close. I was truly impressed with the talent and effort of the performances.

Overall, I am glad I went on the trip. This was my first exposure to ballet, and I left the theater with a new appreciation for ballet and dance. I am now completely open to seeing more ballets if the opportunity arises in the future.

Josh MacPhee’s “Daddy, what did YOU do in the Climate War” was an art poster made to protest the way President Trump in 2017 was handling environmental issues. The poster is modeled off the WW1 recruitment poster, “Daddy, What Did You Do in the Great War,” except it depicts modern day threats of climate change by adding the masks and pollution filter. This piece of art is still relevant today because climate change continues to be an issue that is ignored by our government. We see the rise in natural disasters and habitat loss, but not enough is done to help mitigate those effects of climate change. 

I arrived at Snug Harbor about 15 minutes early, before the Art Lab classes opened at 11 a.m. While I waited, I spent some time with other students from our class, and we checked out the nearby vendors. 

When the Art Lab classes opened, I visited the ceramics class first. Although I had no experience with making ceramics, it seemed like a fun, hands-on activity to try. The instructor was welcoming to everyone. While the process took a while, leaving my hands covered in clay, I was able to create a simple bowl, which I was proud of. 

After washing up from the ceramics class, I moved on to a darkroom photography class. The space was tight and dimly lit by an amber light, but the instructor ensured there was room for everyone. The class was very technical, with many terms and equipment I did not understand. However, I was able to follow along visually, fascinated by the image printing process.

Lastly, I visited the collage class. Like the other instructors, he was very friendly. He provided us with a wide variety of materials for us to get creative with. Ultimately, I created an animal-themed collage.

Overall, my day at Snug Harbor was very enjoyable and meaningful. I’m glad I got to share the experience with my Macaulay classmates and  immerse myself in artistic activities I haven’t tried before.

No one could notice you in the Museum of Modern Art. It was crowded and noisy, filled mostly with tourists. Be prepared to look online for a map because there are five floors of art with endless rooms. It was a shame there were no physical maps. 

Like a tourist, I was most excited to take a picture next to Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night. I have always connected with Vincent van Gogh because I enjoyed learning about his paintings in elementary school. To my surprise, Starry Night was much smaller than I imagined, yet seeing it in person was still meaningful. I can finally check seeing it off my bucket list.

Furthermore, it was interesting to see how “basic” some art pieces could be. For instance, Mark Rothko’s paintings often consisted of stacked rectangles of colors. In his painting, No. 10, there is a small rectangle of blue on the top, a large rectangle of yellow in the middle, and a large grey on the bottom. I didn’t really understand it, but I was drawn by its simplicity. In another untitled painting of his, the top half was black, and the bottom was grey. Looking at this painting, I felt cold and dark vibes. After reading a biography of the painting, the dark emotion made more sense because Rothko painted this piece a year before his death by suicide. 

The most shocking part of the museum were the modern objects presented. For instance, a pair of post-it notes, Bic Cristal ballpoint pens, and a monobloc chair were on display. I felt it was silly, but I recognize that their impact is timeless.

Overall, I am glad I made the trip to the city and spent the day at the MoMA. I was immersed by the iconic paintings of Vincent van Gogh, Picasso, and Claude Monet, but I was also inspired by the creativity of lesser known artists. Everything in the museum is art and I can’t deny I felt at least something toward every piece, including the monobloc chair.