Group Members: Jake Pechter, Gurjot Bains, Kiera Cassidy, Nicole Mormile, Mark Erlenwein

An Exploration of the Human Emotion is an exhibit that fully encapsulates the emotions that humans experience on a daily basis. Visual art has always been one of the primary ways humans express emotion, stretching from ancient times to the world we live in today. It’s what allows viewers like us to connect and relate to artwork, while also serving a therapeutic purpose for the artist. However, these emotions aren’t just being displayed in a general way. Emotions stem from all different events and situations that occur in our lives, whether it’s daily or a once in a lifetime moment, forcing us to expand our horizons of how emotions could be shown through art. The exhibit consists of five different rooms that each portray a specific emotion. The artworks are created by artists from all different periods of time and walks of life, spanning multiple forms such as paintings, photography, sculptures and more, creating a strong sense of variety in the overall exhibit. Upon entering, the opening puts you into a heavy weight of sadness, presenting stages of grief, hurt and despair, evoking empathy in viewers. On it’s right, radiates an essence of happiness, where you’ll be brought to a space of pure joy and comfort to start off your experience. Moving on, you’ll be immersed in the dread of boredom, depicting quietness, stillness and a sense of absence from the world around you. This is followed by the unwelcoming presence of fear and anxiety, capturing an atmosphere of distress and disturbance, leaving you with an unsettling impression. Lastly, you’ll encounter the burning passion of anger, portraying rising tension and an eruption of fury, concluding your experience with a powerful impact. Whether you choose to follow the curated path or enter rooms on your own accord, you will be taken on a roller coaster of emotions. Stepping away from the exhibit as you finish, you will feel a new appreciation for human expression through art, taking with you an in depth understanding of the emotions that influence our lives.

How did completing your project help you explore the role of arts in the lives of New Yorkers and their communities?While this project did not directly help us explore the role of arts in the lives of New Yorkers and their communities, other projects such as our Public Art Report, Museum Viewing Report, and reading of “The Age of Innocence” did help us explore this.