The Arts of New York City : Spring 2018 Semester
Professor Mirna Nashed
Macaulay Honors College @ Queens College
Honors Hall 12: Wednesdays 1:40 PM – 4:20 PM
Introducing the Course:
Seminar 1, the Arts of New York City, is the first of Macaulay’s four interdisciplinary undergraduate courses. Meant to expose Macaulay students to the cultural centers within our melting pot of a city, this course will challenge, and dare I say completely change the way you view the arts. Throughout the semester you will experience and be completely immersed in various forms of the arts: dance, poetry, visual painting, musicals and so much more. Through our weeks together, we will attend these events and interpret them according to our own understandings. There will be a focus on comparing different mediums of art. I have designed this course to challenge your perspectives, so I dare you to be open-minded, and willing to go on this journey with me. You will not enjoy every piece, or even understand some of them, but one time or another you will be blown away.
Events:
1. An Evening of Poetry
Price: This is a free event.
Prospective Date: Tuesday, February 6, 2018 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Location: America Media
Directions: From Queens College to America Media
Before Class:
- Read Liz’s Bio– Familiarize yourself with her background to understand how it has influenced her writing. (To be discussed in class.)
To expose you the artistic components of spoken word, as opposed to the visual arts, I have decided to take the class to “An Evening of Poetry” at America Media. Acclaimed poet and National Slam Champion. Elizabeth Acevedo will read her poetry collections from “Beastgirl” and excerpts from her unreleased novel The Poet X. A native of New York City, Acevedo infuses her words with the culture of the city. She is unabashed and unapologetic in the things she chooses to write, the more difficult topics. She has challenged rape culture, racism, sexism, beauty standards, and a plethora of others. I also really want to see her speak in person. I have come across her work on the internet and it has always left me astounded. For your blog assignment, I want you to bring a small notebook or use your Notes app or even just your memory. Take down a sentence or fragment or a word that resonated with you. Write 100-150 word response on what stood out to you. How did it make you feel? If it’s from your favorite piece explain why that is.
2. New York City Fashion Week 2018
Price: VIP tickets were won in a Giveaway
Prospective Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2018 from 1:30 PM- 6:00 PM
Location: New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania
Directions:This will be during our class time, and a bit after, so we will be traveling together From Queens College to New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania
Before Class:
- Read Is Fashion an Art?
In a giveaway, the class won twenty VIP backstage passes to New York City Fashion Week 2018. We will be going behind the scenes to see how a show of this magnitude is put on, what work goes into it, and meet the designers curators. You will be able to ask questions, so come prepared for this. The idea of fashion as art has been controversial, which is the reason why will be experiencing one of the world’s most prominent fashion shows. Come with an open mind, and a little curiosity. I want you to focus on where the artistic aspects may lie. Are they in the elaborate clothing, the hair, the make up? Your blog assignment for the week will be to pick one of the quotes in the reading from the various fashion designers and reflect on how that quote was portrayed in the show and/or backstage.
3. Broadway- A Bronx Tale
Price: $46 per student
Prospective Date: Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at 7:00 PM
Location: Longacre Theatre
Directions: From Queens College to Longacre Theatre
Before Event:
Watch the 1993 movie by the same name: A Bronx Tale
“A Piece of Italian American History on Stage” by Francesca Bezzone
Before Event:
- Watch the 1993 movie by the same name: A Bronx Tale
- “A Piece of Italian American History on Stage” by Francesca Bezzone
- Explore the show’s website
This musical is based on the 1993 crime drama of the same name. Taking place in the Bronx in the 1960’s, A Bronx Tale tells the story of a New York much different from today. The music is catchy and the sets are beautiful and elaborate. I personally really want to see this musical, directed by Academy Award Winner Robert de Niro. It will be our first in a series of comparisons between the various art forms. For your blog assignment, compare the movie to the Broadway show. Note which things were kept the same, and why that may be. Note the things that changed, and why perhaps they were changed. Practicality? The transition to a stage? The addition of music?
4. New-York Historical Society
Price: Free- covered by the Cultural Passport.
Prospective Date: Wednesday , February 28, 2018 from 1:40 PM- 4:00 PM
Location: New-York Historical Society
Directions: This will be during our class time so we will be traveling together From Queens College to Longacre Theatre
Before Class:
- Explore the N-YHS Website
As one of this city’s most eclectic and prominent cultural-institutions, the New-York Historical Society has dedicated itself to fostering research, presenting history and art exhibitions, and public programs that express the fluidity of history. It reintroduces aspects of our history and emphasizes their importance to our current world through interactive and currently relatable ways. We will explore the whole museum, however, the focus of our trip will be the “Birds of America” exhibit of the 435 hand-colored, life-size prints by naturalist with paintings by John James Audubon, published in sectioned series between 1827 and 1838. These birds will relate to another one of our events.For your blog assignment I would like for you to take a picture of something you enjoyed. In a short explanation, discuss why.
5. Photographer’s Studio Visit: Jill Greenberg
Price: Free event, the photographer is a friend of mine (in another lifetime)
Prospective Date: Wednesday, March 7, 2018 from 1:40 PM to 4:20 PM
Location: Chelsea
Directions: This will be during our class time so we will be traveling together From Queens College to Chelsea.
Before class:
- Read this article about Jill’s work
They say a picture is worth 1000 thousand words. With today’s technology, smart phones are equipped with top-of-the-line cameras. Everyone’s a “photographer”. Detailed , beautiful pictures can be taken by the click of a button on your screen. But the art of this particular photographer is unlike any other. Jill Greenberg is known for bending light and distorting the way it hit the paint on glass countertops to create beautiful geode like images. Her work is full of often accidentally created stars and lightning bolts. The images are beautiful to look at. We will be touring her personal studio in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, and you will have the opportunity to ask her any questions. Your blog assignment for the week will be to describe one piece that stood out to you. Why did it stand out? How did mixing these two art forms, photography and painting, compare to some of the other events we have attended and things we have seen? Was it better? Worse?
6. The Audubon Mural Project
Price: Free, this is public art.
Prospective Date: Week of March 19.
Location: Harlem
Directions: Find online for directions to your preferred mural.
Before Event: Just explore these websites
- Audubon’s “Birds of America”
- Audubon’s Birds and Climate Change Report
This event is to be done your own. During the week go alone or with some friends to visit one of the many locations on The Audubon Mural Project website. The Audubon Mural Project is a collaboration between the National Audubon Society and Gitler &_____ Gallery to create murals of the endangered and climate-threatened birds throughout Harlem in New York City. The project commissions artists to paint murals of each of the 314 species in Audubon’s Birds and Climate Change Report, most of whom are now endangered. Some have even gone extinct since the original paintings were published in the 1830s. I picked this because I would like you to compare and contrast elements of the original paintings by Audubon, to the more modernized graffiti-like street murals of today. Your blog assignment is to go to the art piece you chose, take a picture. Compare the museum pieces to the mural pieces. Which resonated with you more? Did you prefer one over the other? Why?
7. Roméo et Juliette – Met Opera
Price: $25, but that is covered by Macaulay.
Prospective Date: Monday, April 23, 2018 at 7:30 PM
Location: The Metropolitan Opera House
Directions: From Queens College to the Metropolitan Opera House
Before Event:
- Watch the 1968 movie Romeo and Juliet
- In class we will read The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Purchase here for under $3
Deemed by the Met Opera itself as one of the most enduring and successful operatic masterpieces, this piece of sensuality and grace will explore various aspects of the French Romanticism. This five act opera based on Shakespeare’s original drama, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, is set in the ancient and beautiful city of Venice, Italy. I chose this timeless tale, that has admittedly been overdone, so as a class we can discuss how the way a story is presented can alter our perception and understanding of it. After we read the original play in class, and watch the 1968 movie by the same name, I want you to compare all three. Your blog assignment for the week will be to compare and contrast the different mediums through which the same story was told. How did seeing the same story told in three different ways, text, film, and opera, affect your interpretation of it? Which did you like best? Why do think that is?
8. The High Line
Price: Free, this is public space.
Prospective Date: Week of May 7.
Location: The High Line (no particular event just explore)
Directions: From Queens College to the High Line
Before Event:
- Read “Parks for Profit: The High Line, Growth Machines, and the Uneven Development of Urban Public Spaces,” by Kevin Loughran. Pages 49 – 68.
- Read “Disney World on the Hudson” by Jeremiah Moss.
The High Line Is the 1.5 mile long elevated linear park built on an abandoned railroad. It drew aspects of architecture, urban design, colleges, and contemporary landscaping when it was first built in 2009. This park is home to naturalized plantings, cultural attractions, artwork, and even dance performances. It has been deemed New York’s up-and-coming tourist destination. Paintings have been hung there, dances have been performed, music has been played. But there is a dark side to building such a massive park. With the addition of the High Line, came a burst of real estate development in the neighborhoods that lay along the track, and a skyrocketing of real estate values. This has gentrified the neighborhood, and left many without affordable housing, and some without homes at all. Even well-established businesses have closed down due to rent increases, and loss of neighborhood customers. This has had an overwhelmingly negative impact on the minority communities living there. Some have even said that the High Line has “failed” the community because it has not fulfilled its purpose of serving the surrounding neighborhood, as its mission claims. Your blog assignment for the week will be to read the articles attached, and after visiting the highlight explain your stance on the issue in a 250-300 words response. Has the High Line failed its mission? How has it succeeded? Do you think it is justified? You can be as political or a political as you wish.
9. BRIC House Cafe- Brooklyn
Price: Free, this is a public venue.
Prospective Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2018 from 1:40 PM to 3:30 PM
Location: BRIC House, Brooklyn
Directions: This will be during our class time so we will be traveling together From Queens College to BRIC House.
The BRIC House Cafe and its contemporary art programs focus on emerging artists whose works capture the rich history and diversity of the borough of Brooklyn. It is also home to a flexible performance space, a 3000-square-foot gallery, a state-of-the-art public access television center, and “The Stoop” which is a public cultural gathering space. BRIC House is open every day and admission to the facility is absolutely free to the public. Attending a school in Brooklyn just down the block, my friends and I would go here after school every day to see what new art was presented, as it often changed from week to week. I can vividly recall the conversations I have had at BRIC with strangers over the featured artworks, or the ones started because we sat near each other on “The Stoop.” I wish to share that wholesome experience with you. Finally, your last blog assignment for the week will simply be to take a picture of something that you liked.
