Museums and Culture

You’re so narcissistic! What’s your name, Jeff Koons?

For its closing exhibition, the Whitney Museum of American Art has dedicated almost its entire space to feature the work of Jeff Koons, an artist who has been called “one of the most important, influential, popular, and controversial artists of the postwar era” (Whitney Museum).  Though I have never studied him previously, I did have some prior knowledge about Koons from visiting a gallery in Chelsea back during my History of Western Art II course in freshman year.  I remember not being impressed by much with the exception of his large, modern take on the pre-historic Venus of Willendorf.  This piece had caught my attention because I had learned about the original stone sculpture in AP Art History, and I didn’t realize it still had such an impact in the art world.

Hey all!  I thought it would be a nice idea, as the semester has come to a close and I am beginning to enjoy my summer months, to fill you all in on what I have been up to during the past semester.  Visit my Academics page to see a bulleted list of my classes, assignments, awards, and activities!

First, note the awesome alliteration of my blog post.  Before publishing each blog, I always like to think of a catchy alliteration, but not every time can I concoct one.  Luckily, this time it worked!

It may appear, due to the scarcity of postings in the past six months that I haven’t been up to much.  I would like to object to this notion in stating that lack of content does not mean lack of activities.  But, I do admit that my calendar hasn’t been as jam-packed and full of events as last year.  This blog will be dedicated to two things:

1. What I have been up to this past semester
2. How I feel being a sophomore

Far Out Isn’t Far Enough was recommended to me by my mother who thought I would enjoy a documentary about the life of an artist, illustrator, and a forward thinker.  I am grateful for the suggestion, as I have become intrigued by Tomi Ungerer, a man now in his 80’s who has devoted his life to drawing.  After watching the film, I rushed to my library to see if they had any of his children’s books – they did, but none in English – and I checked out a copy of The Underground Sketchbook and Fornicon, both of which I will talk about later on in this post. 

It was to be a classy night out in the city.  Two young ladies (me and my mother) making their way to 88th Street and 5th, the National Academy Museum, for a VIP opening night event.  Not too shabby, eh?  I’ve never been to an opening of an art exhibit, let alone been invited to one by the art patron, in this case, Henry Justin!  I was quite honored to be among those in attendance, all fancily dressed, nibbling on finger food and sipping on champagne.  Some of the artists were even in attendance!  See It Loud, the exhibition, features seven post-war American painters, who all brought something different to the art world of the time.  I was pleasantly surprised that I liked most of the work, since I still claim I’m not a fan of modern art – when will I stop saying this and acknowledge the fact that I enjoy too many modern exhibits for this to be true?  There were two artists in particular, though, that caught my eye: Stanley Lewis (1941- ) and Neil Welliver (1929-2005).

It’s been a long summer and a long time since I’ve last posted any content on my blog.  I’m so glad that school is starting, because I really become a lot more motivated under a strict and busy schedule.  This specific post is long overdue, as I visited the Morgan Library back on August 15th (the same day I went to see The Human Fruit Bowl).  I will be focusing on the Library’s current exhibit entitled Illuminating Faith: The Eucharist in Medieval Life and Art.

Having lived close to New York City my entire life, I’ve never ventured past 112th Street (the Church of St. John the Divine).  To be honest, there are still more places in the city that I haven’t visited than those that I have.  Recently, I made my way all the way up to the 190’s to Fort Tryon Park and The Cloisters – a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to reliquary and medieval art.  The museum is located in the New York City neighborhood of Inwood.  The walk from the 181st Street subway (I got off at the wrong stop) up to the park was gorgeous, with tons of trees, greenery, and beautiful Tudor style apartment buildings.  The park, overlooking the Hudson River and the Palisades in New Jersey, contained a myriad of pathways, outlooks, art installations, and open expanses of grass.  There could have been better signage, though, because it took a while to find the Cloisters, and everyone else in the park seemed to be searching for the museum as well.

I broke all of my norms the other day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I hardly ever venture into any modern art exhibits, as I much prefer the classics, and I never go to museums with people I don’t really know (I usually go with my mother or grandparents).  Sometimes, I think it’s good to step away from your comfort zone and experience something different.  Just like when I went to the Brooklyn Museum and visited the El Anatsui exhibit, Ken Price really surprised me and had me second guessing my dislike for all modern art.  And going with a new acquaintance and art friend, Adam Kuhn, really opened my eyes to a lot more in the art world, as he is studying Fine Art and has a different perspective than a mere appreciator of art.

Every year the Metropolitan Museum of Art has a special gala to which celebrities of all types are invited.  This year was a memorable year, as its theme was Punk Couture.  Fabulous dresses and faux pas messes rocked the runway all in honor of the Met’s most recent exhibition: Punk – Chaos to Couture.  I was unfortunately not one of the famous who got to celebrate this annual GALA, but I did have the amazing opportunity to go and visit the exhibit which features original punk creations and punk inspired fashion.

More than being a blog about theatre, music, art, museums, and miscellaneous cultural endeavors, Marina Nebro: Arts and Culture is a blog about a college student, making the most of her education and the opportunities given to her.  At the end of last semester, I posted about what I had accomplished in a mere 16 weeks – from academics to extracurriculars.  If you can believe it, I’ve accomplished a whole lot more since then, and I would love to share all my experiences with you!