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On Tuesday, October 21, 2025, us Macaulay students spent the night at the Brooklyn Museum. This was an amazing opportunity for us CSI students to see the friends with made with students from the other campuses but to also see such a large variety of artistry.

We began by heading to the Macaulay lounge so we can all bready to head off. While we waited for the bus, we were able to grab a slice of pizza and also played the game Chameleon to pass time. When everyone was ready, we all headed off to the bus and sat down for a loud (but relaxing) bus ride. On the bus, we played games and talked about so many things non-school related, so it was amazing to have the chance to have time outside of school and with each other.

I had no idea on how the Brooklyn Museum even looked like, so when we arrived I was amazed at our grand and elegant the architecture was. The architecture, in general, of the area surrounding the museum is beautiful, and it felt like as if I were in some big city in Europe. However, I was very confused when we walked inside to the museum, as the design was completely different from what I had seen outside.

I put my backpack in one of the bins, which I was so scared about as all my belongings were in this bag and feared someone would mistakenly take it. But nevertheless, we were instructed to move along and go to the elevators to the auditorium where all the Macaulay students sat together and listened to a very insightful but entertaining speech about how we should be hopeful of the future ahead of us and what we should expect and think about during our time at the museum. When this session was finished, we all headed off to the exhibit we were going to spend the night at. After we took the long way with a very crowded stairwell, we entered a green room that I, to be honestly, had no idea was about.

I tagged along a couple groups but also found myself looking at some artworks by myself. A lot of the artwork in this exhibit was beautiful and detailed. We were also able to see the descriptions of each artwork on screens and had the ease of being able to see each description around in the section without spending so much time at each one. These descriptions also had an image of the artwork next to it, so that was also great.

We then found one piece of artwork that became the topic of our reflection, which was the artwork of the most talked about person in our Arts of New York City lecture — Robert Mapplethorpe’s. We found one of his beautiful photographs of a flower, which was on a black plate which contrasted the white flower image. We thought about it for a while, and decided that this image was a display of how life can bloom in the dark, or a sad and melancholic time. We found that this was a possibility as Mapplethorpe’s life contained lots of darkness and tragedy, especially with his long winded journey of becoming a well-known artist and how he finally was able to bloom some time before his death.

We then walked around some more and found lots of interesting pieces of artwork, especially in a nude section and a room filled with random objects like bikes and chairs. However, I thought this was very repetitive, so it started getting a little bit confusing. Somehow after this, we all decided to stop walking around and just settle together in one section with benches.

Around 8:30, we began our way down to the lobby of the museum. We waited a while for the bus to return, but it’s okay because we spent our time well with lots of conversation. On the bus ride back to campus, it was a much different feel than on the way to the museum, most likely because everyone was tired and in fear of the exams that were happening the next day…

We retuned back to campus around 9:30, and the campus at the night time was pretty cool at night, especially since all the street lights were on and it was very empty. I ended my day by going home and studying for the math lab exam we had the next day, and by 12 AM, my mind decided to shut down and fall asleep.

The Night at the Museum was such a great opportunity, especially as all the Macaulay kids were able to interact with each other in person and we were able to see our friends again after being separated by long distances between campuses.

On Tuesday, October 22nd, I went to the Brooklyn Museum with the rest of the Macaulay class. We went to the museum on a coach bus and it was really nice. The seats were really comfortable, and we played scribbl.io to pass the time. When we got there, we sat in a very nice theater and listened to the dean speak about what the night was going to bring.

After all the announcements, we were off to look at the art. We were the only ones in the museum, and we were only able to look at the art on the fifth floor. I thought we were going to be able to explore and look at more, but there was a lot on that one floor. Each room had its own theme, and they were filled with incredible art. I really like looking at the paintings in the first room and the landscape art in the third room. I thought it was really cool to see a piece of artwork from Robert on display. It was two of his flower photographs on ceramic plates.

We were also able to go into a storage room where they hold lots of pieces of art, from sculptures and paintings in, to random objects from everyday life, like a toaster and a hairbrush from 2007, that one day will probably be on display to show what we would use in everyday life, the same way we look at objects from the past to see how they would’ve lived.

Besides looking at the art, I really enjoyed being able to spend time with my friends and meeting other Macaulay students from other campuses.

The night started off with us all meeting up in the macaulay lounge at around 4:40. I realized that I didn’t have my phone with me and was panicking for 30 minutes while I frantically called my mom from other peoples phone. We ate pizza which was really good then around 5:15 we boarded the shuttle bus. The bus was nicer than I imagined it would be and I was so comfortable that I fell asleep the whole ride there. Once we got there I was pleasantly surprised by how the museum looked. The entire macaulay class was in this theater where the dean and professor spoke to us to tell us what to expect for the evening. We were able to explore the fifth floor of the museum which was filled with many different art styles. I was not expecting to only be able to explore one floor but the floor was filled with plenty of art to keep us busy. We got back on the shuttle bus around 8:30 and got to campus around 9:10. Overall I would say I enjoyed the trip as it was nice to see all of macaulay under one roof and be able to bond as a class amidst the art.

I really enjoyed the night at the museum trip. I found it really interesting to view a bunch of different art works from various different genres and seeing how different people view them as well. I enjoy going to museums typically, but this one was one I never seen or been to before. So this was a really interesting trip overall for me. The bus ride was not that bad overall. Im glad we were able to all travel together rather than us having to individually go and leave since that would have been a hassle to do. Getting there, I was able to see some old friends that I went to high school with since this was an event for all of the Macaulay ’29 class from all the CUNY’s which was nice. They had a nice beginning presentation describing the purpose of this trip that didn’t go well due to some technical difficulties but it was still funny. Then the trip really began.

With the amount of time that we had I was able to go through all of the different exhibits on the 5th floor at least 3 times so I got a good look of what was around. I was not disappointed in the slightest. I liked how they incorporated a lot of different styles of art with also different time periods of art as well. I really liked the addition of the newer art that is added since it talked a lot about modern topics. In fact, one of my favorite pieces was a piece from 2017.

This was one of my favorite pieces from the exhibit titled Shifting The Gaze by Titus Kaphar. This piece was made as a way to battle the other old paintings that had slaves blocked out and only shined light on the slave owners/royalty in the painting. It was a really powerful piece for me since I took an AP African American Studies class in high school so I was able to understand the history behind the art pieces that blocked out/redacted slaves so to finally see one that challenges that idea in such a way is really touching. Especially for it to be displayed in a museum at that. That alone speaks volumes in many different ways that shows how the professional art scene is accepting art that can be deemed controversial to emphasize a message that isn’t deemed good enough.

Night at the museum is a beautiful tradition that Macaulay has for freshman in the Macaulay Honors College. I was actually really excited for this event ever since I heard about it during Macaulay orientation. To be honest, I expected the night to be night at the museum themed. Like the movie. Something like watching the movie and eating popcorn while sitting in the museum. I think I would’ve enjoyed that a lot, but this night was nice as well.

I love that we got transportation and pizza. Definitely made a big difference for me. Additionally, I thought the museum was absolutely beautiful. I honestly thought it was the white house at first from the outside! I actually thought that the library we passed on the way there was the museum itself.

The museum exhibit was definitely carefully curated. Every room had its own theme: the marine room, landscapes, portraits, etc. I especially enjoyed the marine room. There was a painting of Niagara Falls and I thought it was beautiful. I used to visit Niagara Falls all the time when I was a kid so this painting was especially nostalgic for me. I also really liked the visual storage room. The way I would describe it is it was a blast from the past. It was a collection of a variety of objects from different points in time. It ranged anywhere from plates to chairs. I thought it was really interesting.

I also really enjoyed the film they had playing called “Doors”. I believe that it was a film pieced together by snippets of other films where they open and close doors. Not only that, but also looking through key holes, turning knobs, closing doors behind them, etc. The transitions between scenes were very smooth. It was also a lot more engaging than I thought it would be. I think it was because there were so many different stories that I never got bored.

Overall, this was a nice night. It was nice to come together as the class of 2029 to become a part of the Macaulay tradition of night at the museum.

The shuttle to the Brooklyn Museum was really fun it definitely added to the experience and it was nice to travel as a whole class like back in grade school.

As we got into museum I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I was looking forward to seeing my high school friends but honestly I found that hanging around our CSI Macaulay group was way more enjoyable. We were sat for the provost’s talk and then we were released into the museum. To be honest I was expected the MET style art work but it was more of a diverse art experience. Even though it was only 1 floor it was really cool. The walls were all different colors and it was interesting to see what all the rooms were designated for, like there was one dedicated to the nudeness of butts which was definitely something.

We took so many photos it felt almost distracting from the art at times but I loved getting to have all these memories of the night with my friends and so i definitely don’t regret it.

It was really nice to see all the different faces of Macaulay and see new people. All in all it was a really nice change of pace and gave me some thinking time which was greatly needed during midterms.

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. 

On Tuesday we went to N@tM at the Brooklyn Museum. I was very happy to know we would be provided with transportation.

When we arrived we had the option to have them hold our bags, which I did but forgot to take my glasses. I could barely see the presentation but it wasn’t really working anyway.

Once they let us walk around my “group” was me, Jenna, Lexie, Kiera, Kodi, and Nick, but we split up here and there to look around. It was a lot smaller than I expected because I didn’t know we had access to just one floor. But the floor was beautiful and I thought the pieces were well curated and added to the feel of the whole room. The highlights for me were the rooms with the furniture, clocks, and lamps behind glass, and the one with books. I was very happy to see Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer among those books because it’s one of my favorites. I have my own copy in my room!

It was also great to see some faces from high school that I haven’t seen since orientation since they go to Hunter.

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 October 21st, the Brooklyn Museum was opened for Macaulay students. CSI students took a shuttle bus. The seats were very comfortable, and I sat next to my friend Vicky, who attends Brooklyn College. We played Scribbl.io on the way there and Uno on the way back on our phones.

We all sat in the big theater room and listened to the Dean speak; the seats were strangely fuzzy. I had a really good time walking around with my friends. There were so many rooms and they all had different themes which I thought was cool. However, the staff did yell at me twice for being too close to the paintings and using my flash on my camera :(. Thats okay though because we found Robert Mapplethroppe’s art work! Which was so cool since I read about his whole life story.

I had a lot of fun with my digital camera and took a bunch of close-up pictures of everyone’s faces.