Seminar 1: The Arts in New York City, Spring 2018

INTRODUCTION:

Welcome to Seminar 1, the first of Macaulay’s 4-part seminar experience, the Arts in New York City! As the name entails, in this seminar you will be learning about the many different arts that New York City has to offer, as well as how to analyze art closely, support arguments with specific observations, and how to confront unfamiliar or challenging material with an open mind and critical eye. To me, anything can be considered art if you choose to look at it as such, and that is something I wish to teach all of you this semester. I have designed this course with the intention of broadening your minds when it comes to the arts, as “the arts” is a very broad term, while also introducing you to different cultures. My ultimate goal by the end of this course is for all of you to be able to come up with your own definition of “art” and be able to support your definition with what you saw and learned throughout the semester. The following list consists of the events/outings I have chosen for us to attend this semester, and they were chosen with great thought and attention.

EVENTS:

The High Line

Price: Free

Date and Time: Wednesday, February 14, 2018, during class time (1:40-4:20pm)

Reading Assignments:

I have chosen the High Line to be the first event of the semester because I believe it to be a good introduction to New York City as a whole. It is also relatively easy to get there in terms of transportation because the last stop on the 7 Train is 34th Street Hudson Yards, which is right where one end of the High Line begins. The High Line itself is a 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park, which is filled with art along the entire track. It is situated right in the heart of Chelsea and overlooks the city and the Hudson River. While walking along the track, I want the class to be able to appreciate the scenery and the art, but also take note of the architecture of the High Line and the buildings that surround the elevated park. I want them to be able to notice the gentrification that is occurring in Chelsea and how the High Line plays a role in that gentrification.

New York Hall of Science

Price: Free general admission on Sundays, 10-11am

Date and Time: Sunday, February 18, 2018, 10-11am

Reading Assignments:

For the second event, I have chosen to take the class to the New York Hall of Science in Corona. I chose this place because people typically do not associate science with the arts, and also because it will allow the students to have their inner-child come out. After this visit, I hope that the class will be able to see science as not just facts and numbers, but as art, as well. At the New York Hall of Science, we will be seeing how science can inspire art in the Science Inspires Art: OCEAN Exhibition, as well as view the winners of the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition, where “the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope” will be showcased.

El Museo del Barrio

Price: Free with CUNY ID

Date and Time: Wednesday, February 28, 2018, during class time (1:40-4:20pm)

Reading Assignments:

For the third event, I have chosen to take the class to El Museo del Barrio (EMDB) because it is dedicated in presenting and preserving the art and culture of Puerto Ricans and all Latin Americans in the United States. Founder of EMDB, Raphael Montaño Ortiz, along with a coalition of parents, educators, artists, and activists, noted that Latino artists are largely ignored by mainstream museums, thus, leading to the establishment of EMDB. Despite EMDB’s strong sense of Caribbean and Latin American pride, it still suffers from identity crisis, as discussed in one of the articles above. By visiting this museum, I want the class to be introduced to different cultures and learn how to appreciate the diversity of art, as art should be all-inclusive.

Broadway show: A Bronx Tale

Price: $39 per student

Date and Time: Tuesday, March 6, 2018, 7pm

Reading/Viewing Assignments:

  • PLAYBILL of ‘A Bronx Tale’
  • Watch Robert de Niro’s film version of A Bronx Tale (available on Netflix) before the night of the show. Be prepared to discuss differences between the film and the Broadway production for next class.

When in New York City, one must attend at least one Broadway show, and the Broadway show that I have chosen for this class to attend is A Bronx Tale. I chose this particular show because it is set in the Bronx— one of New York City’s five boroughs— during the 1960s and has been called “a combination of Jersey Boys and West Side Story,” by Matt Windman of AMNY. A Bronx Tale also has many adaptations. It was first a one-man show in the 1980s, then was adapted into a film released in 1993, then was performed on Broadway in 2007 as a one-man show, and then was finally adapted into a Broadway musical in 2017. Similar to how we compared the film and Broadway versions of The Band’s Visit, I want this class to view the film version of A Bronx Tale before we attend the Broadway version, and then be able to discuss the differences between the two versions.

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Price: Free for those 18 and under, $7 for students

Date and Time: Wednesday, March 21, 2018, during class time (1:40-4:20pm)

Reading Assignments:

For the next event, I have chosen the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum because like science, people tend to overlook design as an art. When people hear the word, “design,” most people think of fashion design, however, Cooper Hewitt is devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design. The exhibition that I plan on taking the students to see is the Access+Ability Exhibition, which explores how designers are designing items that will help build up the accessibility of homes, schools, workplaces, and the world at large. I want to connect this exhibition to the issue of accessibility in New York City, particularly with the subway system, which is discussed in the article linked above. My goal for this visit is for the students to see how design can play into the improvement of public accessibility in the city.

The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Price: Payment not required, but donations are appreciated – $1 per student

Date and Time: Wednesday, April 18, 2018, during class time (1:40-4:20pm)

Reading/Viewing Assignments:

For the sixth event, I have chosen the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art because fashion is also an art that seems to be overlooked by society. With the Costume Institute, I want to focus mainly on the Institute’s most anticipated event, the Met Gala. The Met Gala is the annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Costume Institute and it marks the grand opening of the Institute’s annual fashion exhibit. The exhibition also sets the tone for the formal dress of the night, as guests must dress themselves to fit the theme of the exhibit. There is a lot of work that goes into planning this large-scale event, and I want the class to be able to learn about the planning process. Therefore, the behind-the-scenes experience for this class would be a meeting/interview with Anna Wintour, benefit chair and fundraiser of the annual Met Gala. During this meeting, the class would be able to ask questions about the Met Gala and the fashion industry, in general.

Behind-the-scenes experience: Meeting with Anna Wintour

Date and Time: Wednesday, April 18, 2018 during class time (1:40-4:20pm)

Reading Assignments:

The Metropolitan Opera: Roméo et Juliette

Price: $30 per student (not included in class budget)

Date and Time: Monday, April 23, 2018, 7:30pm

Reading Assignments:

Seeing an opera at the Met is a required event for Macaulay, as it is not something college students would typically go see on their own. And so, the opera I have chosen for this class to see is Roméo and Juliette. I have chosen this specific opera because the story of Romeo and Juliet is one of the most classic love stories out there. Moreover, because it is such a classic tale, I am sure most of the students are familiar with the story, and therefore, would be able to watch and enjoy the performance without having to look back and forth between the stage and subtitles. In addition, I want them to be able to discuss their positions on the argument presented in the article above, which states that the story of Romeo and Juliet is not “childish,” but is “about childishness.”

Sakura Matsuri Festival (Brooklyn Botanic Gardens)

Price: $25 per student with ID

Date and Time: Sunday, April 29, 2018, 10am-6pm

Reading Assignments:

The last event I have chosen for this class is the annual Sakura Matsuri Festival held at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. I chose this event because I felt that it would be a nice way to end our outings before exams would start up and also because it would also expose the class to Japanese culture and arts. The festival lasts an entire weekend, with a variety of events and activities to attend and choose from, including The Art of Kendama (wooden toys set into motion), Taiko Drumming, KuroPOP (Japanese-pop dance party), Takarabune Dance, and a cosplay fashion show. From this event, I want the students to be able to have a good time, while also being open to trying new things from a different culture they may not have encountered before.

One thought on “Seminar 1: The Arts in New York City, Spring 2018”

  1. Kaylen, this looks great and very seasonally influenced (though it might be a little cold to walk the High Line in February!). I appreciate the arc you gave to the semester, the readings you chose, and especially your descriptions of what you hope students will take away from each event.

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