The Politics of Art & Authenticity

I wasn’t able to go to the Katherine Vaz reading. I really can’t remember why I didn’t go… oh yes, I had to work. I read Lisbon Story and I was able to find a recording of Vaz reading parts of another story. I feel that I went in with a bit of a prejudice towards her voice. I mean I hadn’t listened to this woman speak ever, and I was thinking of her as a chronic smoker. Ha.

Lisbon Story is a good piece. It is very detailed and the style makes it flow. The descriptions of the surroundings are quite vivid. When Cat first gets to the flat and upon seing Mateus, she describes him. “Ishrieked, one of thosegirlish but full, rending affairs.Inside the V where he clutched the bed sheet, his chest revealed enough of his ribs to suggest the inner planks of a one-man fishing boat. His eyes were clouded but bright, beaming a child’s buoyancy toward sickness”(Vaz 8).  The imagery that Vaz uses is extraordinary. As the reader, it transports me to the place she is describing.

As a child, my parents didn’t really read to me. I think that in a way, all of my successes were due to the fact that since I was lonely child, I was able to find comfort in reading and transporting myself to another world.  Books are not meant to be read aloud. It just makes the reader lose that connection with the text.

I first listened to Vaz read s short story, I can’t recall exactly which one it was. But she killed it. Vaz is a great writer. But her speaking skills are far below par.  She has this monotone voice that makes everything boring. After listening to her speak for what seemed like an eternity[in reality it was only like 5 minutes] I started reading Lisbon Story. And as I was reading instead of following the vivid descriptions she had, I found myself thinking about this lady I met a couple weeks ago. she just wouldn’t put the cigarrete down. It was cigarette after cigarette. I thought Cat must look like that even though Vaz clearly describes her as a beautiful woman.

I have to agree with many of my peers and say that the presentation was not as boring because she didn’t really talk about her dance company. But even so, it was boring. I got there on time… haha surprise… and I had no idea what she was taling about half the time. She began by talking about Loie Fuller and her influence on modern dance. And I mean, the first five minutes were interesting, but after that. It was boring.  I think that instead of talking about skirt dancing, there should have been a live performance

I am pretty open to most things. I believe that one has the right to be expressive in whatever way he/she wants. But just because you find yourself to be expressive doesn’t mean it’s art.

The New Photography 2012 exhibit at MoMA was disappointing. I mean, I’ve come to understand that there are many forms of art, but you cannot scrapbook and call it photography. It just doesn’t happen.  A collage is a collage, a photograph is a photograph. You don’t mix both and still call it a photograph.

As always, I was late to the museum. I swear, I cannot be on time to anything… yes, I know it has to change. So I didn’t get a chance to see The Scream that day. The following Monday, I told my dear boyfriend to go with me to MoMA. He was kind of reluctant, saying that he would rather sleep… but he went. He paid for his ticket and I got my free one, and up we went. I was aware that painting was on the fifth floor, so to the fifth floor we headed. Ahhh, the line. I hate lines. But we finally made it.  I guess I was expecting something more… mmmm WOW? I just didn’t see the point behind it. The figure itself looks like it was drawn with Crayola and by a six-year old. I didn’t find it impressive at all. And my boyfriend was like.. ‘I paid twenty-five dollars to see this?’

Ha. Yes you did.

But after that I guess it’s not the actual art, rather the feelings it evokes. I just seems like the figure is experiencing this very alarming degree of surprise, which I guess, is human in itself, because event though we are creatures of habit, there is always that one moment where we find ourselves scared or surprised.

The Waiting Room is a film about everything that is wrong with our healthcare system. It follows a couple of doctors in a lapse of twenty-four hours, as well as some patients and how they struggle with receiving healthcare. I think that in the 21^st century and being in a first world country, the healthcare system should be more advanced and of better quality.

In the film we see how doctors are stuck between deciding to send a patient out into the cold or opening up the bed to someone who has a live bullet moving inside his body. The decisions that these doctors have to make can sometimes cost lives. But it comes down to making the decisions that will affect the most people in the most positive way.

I find it kind of ironic, being Mexican and all, coming from a country that is considered third world by many, that healthcare in Mexico, is cheaper, more widely available, and sometimes better.

Programs like the infamous Seguro Popular, which is available if you have no insurance, cover major surgeries and such. I mean it’s free and sometimes it will take some time, but it beats going into debt because of health problems.

One of the things that is so reassuring is that sometimes, cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean less quality.

I think that the demands that it takes to receive a medical degree here in the U.S. are too many. I mean if we look at doctors from Cuba who have only received six years of schooling, they aren’t better or worse doctors. The plating field is equal.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Poster_for_The_Waiting_Room_Documentary.jpg

I can’t believe I’m at the end of my first semester of college. Time flew. I know I have grown a lot as a person. Better yet I’ve matured. When I first looked at my schedule, I was a bit unhappy with the classes I had gotten stuck with. But I guess in the end it was worth it. I know that I’ve created some lasting relationships and I am content with that.
Moving on with IDC, what can I say?
I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed it or how it was fundamental to me becoming more aware of my surroundings.
But I think I would rather begin with the latter. Moving to NYC was a big shock to my suburban self. I mean there wasn’t a big shock to living on my own but rather the shock of being in this metropolis so unlike what I was used to. In the first weeks I visited all the touristy places. Fifth Avenue, Times Square, Central Park.

I feel that for many of you guys, college hasn’t really changed your way of life that much. I mean there’s the class twice a week, the papers and all of that.

For me it was different. I mean I moved here from Denver, it’s not the same. Living on my own wasn’t really an issue, but rather finding the motivation to continue on with each craptastic day.

IDC was my favorite class.  I got to explore the city and become more cultured.

In the process of doing so, I think I learned a bit about myself.

I mean, it’s not the typical oh yes, I found myself. But more of a ‘I’m a bit more grown up.’

This is probably the most sentimental post I’ve had to write yet. So here goes.

Arts Seminar 1 has been the best class of my entire college career so far. I know that’s not saying much because I’ve only had six classes.. but I do believe that when it’s time to graduate, I’ll look back on Professor Davis’s class and remember so many things because it was just that impressionable.

I was exposed to many mediums and styles of art that I never would have even given a shot if it weren’t for the curriculum of this class (Ahem, “Swim.”). Thanks to Macaulay, it didn’t even cost me that much. We frequented the MoMa, the film festival, the Metropolita Opera, and so many other events. It’s hard to even recall the first one. I was given the opportunity to visit the Public Theater, BAM, and even our own Baruch Theater that I would probably never have tried exploring. Arts Seminar 1 put my foot in the door in many different ways. I am proud to say that I am going to have a cultured life.

The class itself always  fostered a positive environment. As you all know, I love to talk in class. I don’t think I have ever held back on anything and that was due to two things: our great class dynamic and Professor Davis. I believe that everyone’s opinion counted and listened to and I think that was what reinforced the attention and interest that we had in the art that we were seeing at the time.

Stevie and I in a library study room attempting to do the Spike Jonze project. As you can see, we were very productive.

Aside from the obvious (Oh boy, here comes the cheesy parts..) like the curriculum and how much I enjoyed class, I am happy to say that being in Arts Seminar helped me grow in relationships and friendships with people, in independence in exploring new things, and in creativity. I cannot even lie, I loved making that last project. “The Secret” was my baby, my shining moment. Even though I know I started a bit late (as always…ugh) I think that even the rush of it all contributed to how proud I am to have accomplished it.

It surprised me to find out how easily people would open up to if prodded just a tiny bit. (Not everyone, of course, I was shut down and rejected A Lot). But honestly, I am proud to have met the people who did. First came Alan. He was the hipster photographer in his 40’s to 50’s who only agreed to the interview in exchange for a portrait shot of me with  his incredibly large Nikon. He has been married twice and had a lot to say. He was the best motivator. I hadn’t had the best of luck before I talked to him but he said that I could do it. I had a, “friendly face,” he assured me.

I visited more tourist spots thinking that people would be relaxed and on vacation. Everywhere else people were always rushing to work. And in Bryant Park, I found the best vacationing couple. I first saw Mack and Sandy (53 years married) comparing and examining little gift trinkets from some shelf. I hurried over to the store since they had not gone in all the way yet and quickly asked them if they could answer a question for a school project. (Saying “hello, how are you’s, and are you busy’s” led to my demise earlier so I changed my strategies so that people would not have time to brush me off). Anyway, back to Mack and Sandy. They just finished watching the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (which they thought was fantastic) and were just shopping around before they headed back on a bus to good l’ Pennsylvania. When Mack told me how much his marriage, family, and wife meant to him he began to tear up. For some reason I wanted to as well. (hehe cheeseball.) The two were eager to ask about who I was and where I went to school and what the project was all about. Then they urged me to go to Rockefeller Center because they saw many old couples getting off of buses from elsewhere like themselves who would be in a great mood after watching that show. Later on in the day, they saw me again on the other side and hurried to check up on me. Was I alright, they asked. Did I get any more interviews? Right after that I laughed when I found the local park cops, Elijah and Raj, and how all the answers of the young ones were so much different than the honest ones of the older people. H.K.’s answers (62 years married) were funny and long. He seemed at ease with me because I reminded him of his granddaughter. He thought I went to Stuyvesant High School with the granddaughter too.

Rockefeller Center lead me to Jodie and Steve, the enthusiastic couple from Jersey. I hooked those two because I approached them asking if they wanted me to take a picture of the both of them together since I observed them taking each other’s. When I was giving back the camera, I asked them The Question. And I think I basically pinned them to doing it since I did them a favor. (hehe, slick.)  Those two ended up being so accommodating and they took so much time out of their schedule to talk to me about their blended family. They even elaborated on problems like how Jodie’s biological son Todd is seven years older than her step-daughter Molly and so she gives Todd more lenience and independence. Molly thought this as ridiculous and blamed it on the fact that she was the step-daughter. “You treat your son differently.” They then proceeded to talk to me for a good twenty-minutes about their marriage. I raised the camera three times because they had so much to say. “Turn the camera here because the sun’s facing this way. It’s better exposure.” Hah, Steve was very funny. They each hugged me saying that I was the highlight of their visit when I had to leave.

Doing that last project pushed me into doing things I normally would not have. I have Arts Seminar 1 to thank for that and everything else I’ve previously mentioned.

I’d take this class again in a heartbeat.

For some New York may be the center for finance or cultural diversity. But for me, it is ART. It is the first image I would think of and the whole reason why I chose Macaulay Honors College. In that sense, IDC : Arts in New York City has been such a precious and wonderful opportunity to take a first step towards further appreciating art and even getting to take a sneak peak of the details of the world I had never known prior to this semester.

Thanks to Professor Davis’s carefully set out guideline within the curriculum : from films to opera to theatre to modern art and photography, I was able to experience various aspects of art industry and performances. They were indeed very enriching and thought provoking in so many ways. I cannot think of a better way to have set foot in the world of Arts in New York City if it weren’t for this opportunity and professor Davis’s guide.

Having a very low self-esteem in writing, I was reluctant to blog posting at first. However, thanks to everyone’s understanding and patience (I do understand it would have been painful to read through my awkward phrases, I apologize.) I was able to gradually express my ideas with more ease and excitement. I’ve always had difficulty portraying my thoughts so even though I would have a presumably original idea or a valid point, I would shrink due to the fright of misdelivering my ideas and wasting other’s time and energy to endure through my filtering process. As I continued to write more about the experiences and my thoughts, I gained confidence in expressing my ideas. I also loved the commenting process and really appreciated others comments. It would have been good if the whole feedback and discussion process was able without making it a requirement. But so far, I think a little push did no harm yet it improved the process of sharing ideas in a more balanced way.

Arts Seminar not only allowed me to open up but it also allowed me to discover more about myself especially in terms of using different technology to create my own art piece and my thought process in approaching art. I have met such unique personalities and overall, it was a treasurable experience to get to know each other especially through art.

Though the idea of not being able to meet each other in this class saddens me, I would like to think of this as a beginning. The first step towards a broader experience to what New York has to offer and what I can contribute to the world.

“THIS is how you APPRECIATE ART”
I’m sorry for stalking, but I had to take this picture. It was too awe-inspiring to overlook. 🙂

I’m always hesitant about things that I’m forced to do. I dislike feeling like I have to do something. So of course, finding out that I had to take this class because it was a Macaulay requirement made me walk into the class with a negative attitude. I thought, “Well, I’m not an artist. And now they’re going to make me go to crazy events and make me draw things and grade me on it. Spectacular. This is going to be a fantastic semester.” Little did I know that this would turn out to my favorite class of the semester. Most of you can tell by the majority of my posts that I was always skeptical about these cultural events. Some of them were things that I would never have attended on my own. In fact, I probably never would have visited any of these places on my own. Although my experiences weren’t always positive, and sometimes I didn’t enjoy myself, I’m glad that I was forcibly put out of my comfort zone to try something new. I found myself talking about attending this opera, and that museum to my friends. I felt like a cultured member of society. These are all places that as New Yorkers, we should all visit at least once in our lifetimes. I can’t reiterate the fact that I probably wouldn’t have had these experiences without the existence of this class.

Although I had my fair share of freak-outs throughout the semester with the all the multimedia projects, again, I learned to enjoy something I was absolutely unfamiliar with before this class. I’ve always considered myself technologically handicapped. And as many of you know, that final multimedia presentation was one of the scariest assignments I’ve ever faced. But that feeling after I finalized my project on iMovie and played it to see the final outcome, was one of the greatest feelings ever. It took me days to write up my script, way too many YouTube tutorials to learn how to work iMovie, and a lot of effort to put together what I presented. What I did wasn’t much, but knowing that I did it on my own and that I was so nervous to do it in the fist place, made the feeling of accomplishment feel that much better. Now that the semester has come to a close, not only do I feel like a real New Yorker, but I also learned that if I can use iMovie, anyone can.

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