On Sunday, September 7th, a group of friends and I took a trip to the Whitney Museum. We had gotten tickets beforehand, so we didn’t have to wait in line since the tickets were free for anyone 25 years old or younger. When we arrived, they had checked our bags and scanned our tickets, and then we were able to enjoy all the art. But before we did that, we had grabbed something from the cafe attached. I had gotten a mocha latte, and it was really good.
The first went to the 8th floor. This floor has lots of art related to hearing and the perspective of a deaf person. The artwork here inspired a wide range of emotions in me. They had a type of audio art that we could listen to through headphones. They had some audio pieces that were calming, like birds chirping, and some that were disturbing, like a man aggressively snoring. In addition, they had several pieces showing how it feels to be a deaf person and how rude hearing people can be just by the things they say.
The next floor we went to was the 7th floor. This floor was called “Untitled” (America). There were many pieces on this floor that caught my attention. I really enjoyed the pieces that had a lot going on, whether it was textured or had many things in the painting. I appreciated the pictures with many things in the painting because wherever I looked, I saw something new. I also enjoyed the textured photos because I really liked seeing the art come off the canvas.
The last floor we went to was the 6th floor, and it was my favorite. Many of the pieces were based on nature and were very colourful. They had one piece that reminded me of Te Fiti from Moana, another piece was just logs on the floor, and when I saw those, all I wanted to do was hop on them from log to log. They also had a piece of video art that was so mesmerizing, I would be able to sit in front of it all day if I could.
Right before we left, there was a small vending machine that dispensed mini drawings, so each one of us got one to remember the trip. I got an ice cream truck and a hot dog food truck. Before going home, we grabbed food from K-town, and I got a chicken teriyaki bowl. It was delicious. Also, thank you so much, Khadijah, for being our guide through it all, leading us from the ferry to the museum and from the museum to food.
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.
It was calm, drizzly Sunday day when our adventure to The Whitney began. Mehdina boarded the Sim1c. And as water dripped down from the emergency exit onto my ankle, I felt relaxed and ready to explore what the modern museum would have to offer.
Upon arrival we met the others who were venturing with us. A woman told me to come to her and I soon realized she wanted to check my bag. I asked if she wanted me to open it. She looked at me blankly and said, “uh, yeah.” Woopsies.
The first art we looked at was on the top floor. It was an exhibit by a deaf artist, Christine Sun Kim. Th exhibit was mostly black and white and looked to me as if it contained many doodles and words. The first thing we actually saw was a video that looked like one of those “not my arms” challenges, meaning a person standing behind another person put there arms through the other’s armpit crevices so that the person in front looked like their arms were the person in the backs. Not at all what I was expecting and I audibly laughed out loud, which was probably not well received by other people observing it. But I say oh well that was my authentic reaction.
I don’t go to the city a lot so seeing the cityscape was really cool. It’s a whole different way of life with playgrounds on roofs and apartments with peoples blinds wide open.
I wanted to play on that playground . . .
I really enjoyed when we got the opportunity to converse with James Michael B. ( I don’t remember his last name). We were inquiring about a sting of lights on the floor to one another and James jumped right in to clarify that the art came from an immigrant who was reminiscent about the lights and gave them to museum, allowing them to decide how to display them. very interesting to me. James seemed knowledgeable about the art here and it was nice to talk to a human we didn’t know about something we didn’t know.
James Michael B.
While there were some more abstract pieces at the Whitney, there was a lot of art that appealed more to my tastes. I really like this architectural/landscape/slice of life painting.
I also got to see one of Yuji Agematsu’s pieces which my sculpture teacher recently showed us. It was a cool coincidence because before i started taking that sculpting class I had no clue who that was.
This piece is like a colander. Agematsu makes one of these little sculptures every day.
On the way out we looked at souvenirs and got those little picture card things that come out of the machine when you insert four quarters. I even saw one of the artworks printed on to mugs which I know Lisa loves!
Overall I definitely enjoyed looking at the art within the Whitney. Some of it made me think, Why the hell is my art not in a museum? But a lot of it was really cool and made me think (about the art itself or about the artist). I don’t go to museums very often so it was a nice push to get out there, see the city, and see what people have made for us to see.
On the way back we stopped a K-Town where Khadijah led us to a lovely Korean cafeteria place in which I enjoyed 7 pork-fried dumplings. It even had little karaoke rooms which we partook in.
On the way back we started to wind down after a nice long day in the city, feeling a little closer and perhaps a little more artsy than before.
On Sunday, September 7th, I was able to finally escape Staten Island for a couple hours with a group of friends to see the amazing art at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Although I did have to miss the U.S Open men’s final AND the Polish national soccer team’s match against Finland, I was not disappointed with my experience at the museum!
Surprisingly, the commute to the Whitney from the Staten Island Ferry was quick, as both the ferry and the 1 train took us to the museum in approximately an hour. This was my first time at an art museum, so I did not know what to truly expect. When we entered the lobby, my unknowledgeable and unartistic self was surprised to find that it was just a big empty space with lots of glass walls and a gift shop. It didn’t really introduce me to an expectation of the art I would see.
However, when the elevator doors released us to the top floor, I realized that it was going to be such a fun but also enlightening experience. The top floor featured an exhibition titled “Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night.” At first, I was confused on what the exhibit was portraying, as the walls were decorated with music notes while there were a variety of art pieces, like sculptures and drawings, mainly composed of words. However, it wasn’t until videos showed Kim using sign language that I realized it was a portrayal of sound art by a deaf artist. It was also very serene and quiet in the exhibition, which allowed the art to communicate much better to the viewer, which was the whole purpose behind the art. Kim communicates her experience as a deaf artist in many ways, as she communicates rage and misunderstanding through word art and sculptures.
After we viewed Christine Sun Kim’s exhibition, we went down to the seventh floor. I like to believe that we all separated to view the art works, but I think I actually got lost. However, I did wander around and manage to find a new piece of artwork that would become one of my favorites. The seventh floor of “the Whitney” portrayed two exhibitions — one named “Claes Oldenburg: Drawn from Life,” and a second being “Untitled” (America). The first exhibition , “Claes Oldenburg: Drawn from Life,” was not particularly of my favorite ones, however it was very cool to see some very fun drawings that had lots of simple inspirations behind them. Oldenburg reimagined objects of daily life and drew them into fun and child-like drawings. My favorite was the one of Mickey Mouse.
Study for Announcement for One-Man Show at Dwan Gallery—Mickey Mouse with Red Heart, 1963
On the contrary, the second exhibition, “Untitled” (America), was one of the best things I have laid my eyes on. There were so many cool paintings in this collection, which had so many different artists and so many different styles. Some of the paintings were more dramatic and depressing, and some were more fun and interesting in a playful way. What I found to be really cool was the portrait of the founder of the Whitney, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, which was made by realist painter Robert Henri. I honestly thought that the person in the portrait was Napoleon Bonaparte, so I was surprised to learn it the was the founder of the Whitney museum.
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, 1916
However, my favorite piece of artwork was one by Mark Rothko, entitled Four Darks in Red. At first glance, it didn’t really speak to me. However, I read the description and did what Rothko intended the viewer to do, which was to immerse themselves into the world that is created by looking at the painting up close and disregard everything around the canvas. The shades descend from darkest to lightest, representing a heavy weight to a lighter weight as a way to portray emotions and the effects it has on the mind and heart. As Rothko described it, it summons “the basic human emotions – tragedy, ecstasy, doom.” It really is a piece of contemplation, and I believe it became an instant favorite due to my connection with it, especially the feelings of an never ending impending doom and the feelings of tragedies and trauma playing in everyday life.
Four Darks in Red, 1958
Lastly, the group and I made our way down to the sixth floor, which showcased “Shifting Landscapes.” This was a very interesting exhibition, as each piece interprets a “shifting landscape” in many different ways, especially politically and socially. This exhibition had to be one of my favorites of the three, as there were so many different pieces that showcased a shifting landscape, especially with geopolitical issues and ecological issues. I really appreciated how this exhibition was much more history-centered but also had a great emotional value to it. I didn’t have a specific favorite, as each piece was so unique and different than the other.
Just before the group and I ended our trek around the Whitney, we wanted to have a little memory of one of our first memories after beginning college and being with each other outside of school… so we used up our quarters and bought these very fun picture cards from a vending machine. Somehow, I was the chosen one and got both of the secret pictures!!
I had such an amazing time at the Whitney Museum of AmericanArt. A part from the fact I was able to spend time with friends outside of school, the variety of artwork actually made amazing impressions on me, and had made me want to explore more art around New York and maybe even around the world! I would say it was worth missing out on watching the U.S Open final and the soccer match, but that’s just me 🤷♂️.
This Sunday, I went to the Metropolitan museum of art. The tickets are free for residents of New York, so I chose to donate 5 dollars, which I contemplated whether I should have done, as I only had 20 dollar bills left in my wallet.
This piece was memorable to me as I felt as though the left and right photo frames were painted as windows, and I was looking in on the lives of the caricatures. The people in the center seemed to live a very relaxed, eccentric lifestyle, while those on the right seemed strict, and classical. I wondered if these themes were inspired by an apartment complex, given the array of people in a condensed area. I further questioned whether the setting may have been inspired by New York, given that it is a culturally diverse place, and I was at the Metropolitan, located in Manhattan.
This piece was interesting to me as I liked the composition of it. The woman is in a drab room, but gazes at a colorful picture. Furthermore, I think her outfit is very pretty and I like how it matches the tiles in the floor and the flower in her hand. I find her posture and gloved hand very elegant, and I like how the whites of her eyes are much brighter compared to all other whites used in the painting.
This piece captured my attention for some of the same reasons as the previous piece. Her dress is very lovely, and I liked the ruffles and color. I thought her seemingly annoyed expression contrasted with her otherwise elegant appearance. This piece made me consider the irony that artists put painstaking effort into creating elaborate scenes, often involving beautiful people in luxurious garments, to be looked upon by average people who come into the museum wearing whatever they please. I believe this shows that art is for all to enjoy, and should not be restricted to any social class.
Ultimately, I found the MET to be a very enjoyable experience! I was more interested in historical pieces than artwork, but found the art worth seeing. In the end, I no longer considered my previous contemplation of my 5 dollar donation, and wholeheartedly felt it was a worthwhile expenditure.
I commemorated the experience by purchasing a magnet for my collection.
For the trip, a group of us decided to go to the Whitney together. Thank goodness for Khadijah; without her, we would not have made it there. It was raining a little, but my rain jacket could have doubled as a trench coat, so I was fine. Once we got there, I bought an overpriced cinnamon bun. So not worth it. On the other hand, the art was amazing.
I was able to see some of Edward Hooper’s paintings in person! It was so cool, since his work is an inspiration for my own. They also featured pieces by other famous artists, such as Keith Haring and Basquiat. Those paintings were alright, nothing too crazy.
My favorite paintings displayed were actually from artists whose names I can’t remember. I have them attached below. I loved how visually overstimulating these artworks are. They also transported me into the world of the painter. In my opinion, fame doesn’t make an art piece great. Rather, it is the authenticity of a painter and connection to their work, that makes a painting unforgettable.
We all got tiny art prints from a vending machine on the first floor when we were done looking around. After that, we got Korean food, which was absolutely worth it. I got the teriyaki chicken bowl, and it was bomb.
On Sunday 9/7/2025 I went to the Whitney Museum of American Art. I went with some of my classmates and we took the ferry + train to get there. It was really nice to be back in Manhattan because Staten Island does feel kind of uncanny valley sometimes. I didn’t really know what to expect from the museum but I really enjoyed my experiences at various art galleries in Manhattan and I love the MET so I was excited.
Upon walking in we walked into an amazing elevator. It felt like being in the ocean. After getting out we arrived at Christine Sun Kim’s exhibit: All Day All Night. It was about the artist’s lived experiences as a deaf person. I thought it was really funny and enjoyable to read and understand. It was cool to see that someone can vent out their frustration about underqualified interpreters and hearing-people being ignorant and it still qualifying as art. It did make me ask the question of “Does it make it art just because it is hung in a museum?”. I also found it to be especially nice because I have family members with hearing loss and I thought it was wonderful to have this space as representation. Overall though it was enjoyable I was still looking for something that spoke to me.
We moved to floor 7 called “Untitled” (America). As soon as we got off the elevator I saw the painting that spoke to me. A painting of a man and his mother. In a floor named after America, I looked for myself in the art and I was entirely captivated by the eyes in the painting. The artist Arshile Gorky painted the image based on his deeply personal experiences of him as a child with his mother in Armenia. Though their eyes felt sad they felt filled with uncertainty more than anything. I think that mixed with the fact that they were Muslim presenting really felt relatable. I stood in front of it for a solid 5 minutes looking at all the little details.
I found a lot of the art on this floor to be really cool and relatable honestly. There was so much to absorb and even though they weren’t all necessarily part of my personal culture or background it felt like there was a certain sense of experimental self expression that connected them. I think that’s what made me feel like this last art piece that I saw before we left the floor, was that much more outstanding.
The last floor I really was mentally there for was floor 6: Shifting Landscapes. I walked around but honestly I was just looking for a bench to sit in front of. Ironically I found the most amazing art piece to disassociate in front of. The art piece was called BugSim (Pheromone Spa) by the Greek artist Theo Trianatfyllids. This was a digital art piece that slowly moved and depicted bugs moving around rocks with nature sounds in the background. I genuinely could have sat in front of it all day. It was so randomly captivating. It wasn’t just me who thought this though. We all kind of came and sat in front of it for at least like 5 minutes. It was so relaxing.
After this floor we basically started heading down and at the entrance floor there was a mini print vending machine and we all had a go and bought little mini prints of art. I thought it was really cute and a fun keepsake and bonding moment! We got food after in Korea-town and went home. All in all it was a really nice change of pace and I would totally do it again!
On Saturday I had went to a satellite fair of The Armory Show at Zürcher Gallery. There I saw a very random array of art pieces. Some were very, very simple, like rectangles with a few colors placed upon them. Or a piece of wood painted fully blue. Those didn’t speak to at all, and as the temperature within the building was extremely hot, I was looking around very quickly, therefore limiting my extra time to deeply dissect those particular pieces.
I did find more of a mental connection towards the nature pieces. I find that to be a similar theme with the art pieces that I usually enjoy. One piece of the trees, had a 3D portion that really brought the project to life and made it stick out (no pun intended) amongst the other pieces during my quick walkthrough. I also enjoyed another art piece, one of a leaf, that was 4D (I believe…). During the short moment I saw it, to me it was already interesting just based on it’s presentation, but after further inspecting the photo I took of it, there are amazingly intricate details within it. The shadow work and overall design is just amazing and although I don’t understand the process of completing it, I know that artist did whatever techniques they used very well. Overall, I would say that it was a good visit, and for the smallness of it, it was a quite calm trip.
Today, I visited the Whitney Museum of American Art with a group of classmates. What was great was that the tickets were free for people 25 years and younger! When I first arrived, I dropped off my bag at a locker because I brought my computer and iPad to study beforehand.
We began on the top floor, which included art from ‘Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night’ and ‘Dyani White Kawk: Nourish Nancy Baker Cahill: Cento’. Personally, the eighth floor was my least favorite because it included art that I didn’t really understand or resonate with. However, we went out on the terrace and looked out at a lovely view.
As for the seventh floor, it featured art on ‘“Untitled” (America)‘ and “Claes Oldenburg: Drawn from Life“. This floor was nice because the art was based on life in America from different time periods. For example, I really liked this piece because it looks lifelike. The dark, navy filter that resembled the early evening, the illumination from the street lamp, the shadows, and even the liveliness of the crowd.
This piece is based on Chicago in the 1930s, specifically, neighborhoods that were culturally thriving due to the influx of African Americans. Additionally, we met a guy named James who explained a piece of art on the floor. At first, I thought these string lights were just decoration; however, James kindly clarified that the artist intended it to resemble the American dream. He really made my experience because he was kind, funny, and he kept insisting to spread his Instagram profile…
Lastly, the sixth floor was the last open floor called ‘Shifting Landscapes‘. This floor featured art that focused on various scenes. When we first walked in, we saw this beautiful structure that reminded me of Moana:
This floor featured numerous projector screens that displayed short films and videos with accompanying background sound and music. One of my favorite rooms included a short film shot in 1950s Los Angeles, California of this woman who kept talking about rain. She kept repeating how she will face the rain; in my opinion, I thought it symbolized life in a way, how she will face obstacles with a smile.
After the museum, there weren’t any more floors that featured art pieces. So, we went to the gift shop and we saw this vending machine type thing that is viral on TikTok. This was probably my favorite part of the museum as well because we were all very excited and happy to see what we received. Basically, you insert four quarters and a small piece of art is dispensed.
After that, the rest of the group went out to eat; however, I had to go home due to a meeting that evening.
In conclusion, the Whitney Museum was a great experience, and the people that I met/went with made it amazing!
I went to The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Saturday. Walking up to the museum, it was very pretty and aesthetic, setting a fancy tone as there were fountains going. It was a tad bit chaotic entering the museum though. It was a little busy, which was understandable and purchasing my ticket was awkward. I didn’t know the zip code for Staten Island and I didn’t understand what he was asking when he wanted me to pick how much I paid. With that I get that it’s the donation aspect of it, but I hate making decisions, especially one of that, so he just put my total at $1. Going through the museum, it was extremely vast, with pieces of art at every corner. It was extremely hot in there, especially since it was raining that morning and we had dressed to accommodate that. It was definitely not as quiet as the other art museum I had been to (Nelson Atkins in KC), it was a lot more comfortable of an atmosphere. As one who never fully understood the love of art entirely, I did get a tad bored. But there were still pieces of art that struck my interest. Mostly due to my lack of an attention span, I didn’t care to look as deeply into the art pieces as others may do.
I loved this piece. I’m a sucker for anything floral and with that gold frame it was just chef’s kiss. With that I noticed that I felt more enjoyment or desire to take a picture when the painting’s main idea was focused on nature, flowers, or landscapes, rather than one’s depicting figures or people.
Overall, the trip was good. But for me, I don’t feel the need to go again nor the hype of the MET. It definitely was a cool experience to say I’ve gone, however, my viewpoint on art still hasn’t changed.
