This page compiles your reflections on art, community, museums, and more, informed by your time at Night at the Museum.
To have your own reflection appear on this page, submit a reflection of your own.
Analog fan? You can also respond to these prompts on paper and peruse the responses of others. Come find our table on the third floor.
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Choose a piece of art you saw that invoked strong feelings for you. Describe the response you had and why. (Don’t forget to include the title and artist.)
A piece of art I saw that invoked strong feelings for me was the Thunderbird Transformation Mask by a ‘NAMGIS KWAKWAKA’WAKW artist. The art captured my attention because of the face in the middle. It looked creepy and gave an eerie feeling because of how lifelike and off putting it seemed at the same time. Looking at it from the side, I can see a resemblance to a bird which is what it’s meant to be when the mask is closed. Reading the short blurb under it, I thought it was interesting the way it was used for dancers who would wear it in a closed state and open it up using strings later on to show the face, snakes, and bird on the inside.
Joshua
Queens College
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Choose a piece of art you saw that invoked strong feelings for you. Describe the response you had and why. (Don’t forget to include the title and artist.)
As soon as I saw Iago’s Mirror by Fred Wilson, I was stunned by the beauty of it. It’s insanely intricate and ornate, and the layers jut out of the wall into your face. In the light, it shines silver and blue which heavily contrasts with the darkness around it. When you look into the mirror, you can’t see the details of your face, only a silhouette. I feel like it represents looking at the outward details of a person. You only see the shallow outline, not the true feautures.
Rafeea Rahman
City College
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Compare how this experience reinforced or challenged your previous ideas about museums. Would you encourage other Macaulay students to visit museums?
Throughout this event my idea of how museums were places that often brings to view the different perspectives of the past through an artists own expression was only reinforced more as I walked further around. The eclectic nature of its diverse selections, both in art form and in context of release really only added to my own view of how one is able to peak into the worlds of anyone through that of an artwork, with a museum being an extensive gallery of perspective.
Hunter College
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What would you add that is missing or what would you like to see in the American art exhibit in the future?
I would like to see more Asian-American art. While a significant part of the exhibit was historic, there was a more modern section immediately to the right of the floor’s entrance. There were a few diverse cultures represented, but some were still missing.
Baruch College
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How would you relate your current major or field of study to your experience at Night at the Museum? What connections can you see?
Because my major is security, seeing these pieces makes me reflect upon how some were protected more than others, and how there were people who were left vulnerable intentionally. Within my future career, I want to serve and protect everyone, no matter what.
Baruch College
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Choose a piece of art you saw that invoked strong feelings for you. Describe the response you had and why. (Don’t forget to include the title and artist.)
The art that I saw is called “Niagara” by Louis Remy Mignot . It made me feel like I was there and it made me feel calm and relaxed. I felt like I could hear the sound of the waterfall rushing down and the sound of the wind blowing. It’s also really beautiful to look at and it just really stood out to me. I’ve also painted a waterfall painting myself so looking at this one just made me remember my process of painting.
Madiha
Brooklyn College
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Where and how do you see yourself, your communities, and/or New Yorkers in this museum?
I see myself represented most clearly in the 5th floor lobby, as a lot of symbolism from Brooklyn, such as a flag representing the Brooklyn Dodgers, is shown. There is also a quintessential New York City bus sign accompanied by a sign with common street names in Brooklyn (Myrtle Ave, Rockaway/Eastern Pkwy, etc). This part of the museum reflects me and the communities of New York best, as it contains authentic parts of my daily life and that of many other New Yorkers.
Daniel B
College of Staten Island
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Compare how this experience reinforced or challenged your previous ideas about museums. Would you encourage other Macaulay students to visit museums?
This museum further reinforced my understandings and ideas about museums as I further saw how different cultures clash and there is inequality of the expression of certain cultures and backgrounds. Furthermore I also thought that it was interesting to see the way in which the different ways a culture was expressed through different mediums and styles.
Elif. B
Hunter College
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How would you relate your current major or field of study to your experience at Night at the Museum? What connections can you see?
As Film Production Major is it easy to see film a separate medium of art. However, my experience in at the Night at the Museum shows how art cannot be separated into one medium without a larger discussion. Art, in general, envokes feelings, reveals a point of view, and starts conversations, much like how film does the same.
Brooklyn College
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Compare how this experience reinforced or challenged your previous ideas about museums. Would you encourage other Macaulay students to visit museums?
i have never been a museum person—especially since i do not express heavy interest in historical artifacts. i usually end up skimming through the exhibits without much thought. however, this event today allowed me to focus on observing very closely and actually seeing the tiny details behind a specific artwork. it felt like i have made a connection with the artwork and admire the hidden beauty behind it. and i believe this doesn’t just apply to art museums. i strongly encourage every macaulay student visiting any kind of museum should have a mindset that would allow them to think beyond what they first see.
rachel sasao
City College
