Welcome to The Arts in New York City! The purpose of this class is for you to learn to appreciate many forms of art and create your own definition of art. New York City is chock full of amazing art forms that may be unbeknownst to you. In this class we will be exploring the opera, Broadway, visual art exhibitions, and other unconventional art forms in order to ultimately gain enough first hand experience for you to have a valid definition of what is art? Art has the ability to be interpreted in a million different ways and hopefully we can use these differing perspectives to engage in meaningful conversation about different aspects of art that you find to be the personable to you and how effective art can be in the city. Art is simply what you make of it and hopefully by the end of the semester you will make it something beautiful.
The Met Cloisters
Wednesday, February 7, 2018 during class time
Free
We will begin our semester by visiting the MET Cloisters, located at 9 Margaret Corbin Dr, New York, NY 10040. The MET Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and focuses on medieval European art. The definition of a cloister is a passageway that surrounds a to other monostatic buildings. The MET claims that the MET Cloisters provides a calming and relaxing environment with passage ways to different galleries. The MET Cloisters overlooks the Hudson River, lending to the relaxing, picturesque environment. As students walk around and explore the various galleries, I would like for them to focus on the architecture and overall layout of The MET Cloisters. How does this layout differ from any museum that you have been to before? Does this add to or take away from the art found in the museum? Students should think of how they feel would be the most effective way to design a museum. It is important that students understand the presentation of art is equally as important as the representation of art.
The Met Cloisters: An Overview
Epiphanies in a Medieval Courtyard
Museum of the Moving Image: The GIF Elevator
Wednesday, February 21, 2018 during class time
Free
The next museum that we will visit will be the Museum of the Moving Image. This museum is the only museum in the country that focuses on all aspects that go behind creating moving images. The exhibit that we will be focusing on is The GIF Elevator. As stated in the name, this exhibit is the museum’s visitors elevator that features 4 GIFs created by a particular artist. Students will be free to roam around the museum, however I would like them to focus on the placement of this exhibit. How does it make you feel? Do you feel part of the art? Is it effective on the museum’s part to immerse their visitor into this exhibit? Are GIFs even that important?
American Natural History Museum: Our Senses An Immersive Experience
Wednesday March 7, 2018 during class time
$19
The American Natural History Museum is known for its wonderful and intricate displays of all different scientific topics. One of the best aspects of the museum is that it encourages you to interact with the exhibit whether it be pressing buttons to hear dinosaur screams, looking at different monitors in mini screening rooms, or touching models of real dinosaur eggs. The Interactive nature of museums is a wonderful way for museums to allow people to become more interested in the art that they are witnessing. For this reason we will be focusing on the exhibit Our Senses An Immersive Experience. This exhibit features spaces that make you rely on your 5 senses to get the full effect of what the artist is trying to do. The way this exhibit is designed reflects a very childish style so hopefully students can become in touch with their playful side and have fun! The purpose of bringing students to this exhibit is make them think about art on different levels. Normally art is reliant on your ability to see and hear but with this exhibit you are able to see, smell, hear, and touch things that contribute to the overall experience. Students should also consider the fact that art is not only meant for adults to ponder upon but also for children to explore and find what they like as well.
Our Senses An Immersive Experience
NYT Our Senses An Immersive Experience
Once on This Island
Wednesday March 14, 2018
Meet in front of the Circle in the Square Theatre at 1:30pm to distribute tickets
$49. 50
The Broadway musical that we will be seeing is Once on This Island. This musical tells the story of a boy and girl who cannot be together due to class prejudice and colorism. I chose this musical because I liked that it incorporated Caribbean roots, which is rare on Broadway and it incorporated a great mix of black, Hispanic, and Asian cast members which is equally as rare. I would like my students to take in both the musical and the venue. How does the unique set up of the stage affect the overall effect of the musical? Did you find the musical aspect enjoyable or obnoxious? How does this musical differ from any musicals that you have watched or heard of? What various art forms are involved in a musical?
The Oculus
Week of March 19, 2018 Independent Visit
Free
Students are responsible for visiting and exploring the Oculus on their own. The Oculus is a grand train station attached to the Fulton street train station. It was built to serve as a transportation hub and serve multiple commuter lines. In addition to a transportation hub, it is attached to Westfield Mall, which allow commuters to shop around prior or after their travels. One of the most striking aspects of the Oculus is the architecture. Students should focus on the various architectural choice made and the overall design of the station. Is this design suitable for the station’s purpose? Is the design suitable for New York City? What do you like/dislike about the artistic choices made? Students should take notes on what they saw and bring them to class the following week.
World Trade Center Transportation Hub
Grand Central Station
Week of March 26, 2018 Independent Visit
Free
Students are also responsible for visiting and exploring Grand Central Station. Grand Central Station serves the same purpose of The Oculus: it is a transportation hub for multiple commuter lines. While Oculus is stark white and had clean lines, Grand Central has a Beaux-Arts style. This style is known for being very intricate and ornate. While visiting Grand Central Station they should compare and contrast the art style of Grand Central and the Oculus. Which art style do you prefer? How are the art styles similar and different? Which style is best suited for the aesthetics of New York City? Which style do you think better preferred by commuters? Does the style affect the effectiveness of the train station? Students are expected to take notes and bring them to class the following week.
Explore Grand Central Station’s Website
Skype call with the architect of the Oculus, Santiago Calatrava
Wednesday April 4, 2018 during class time
Many people scrutinized Santiago Calatrava for his design of the Oculus. Some said that his designs would not be welcomed by New Yorkers due to the fact that since we already have a major transportation hub (Grand Central station) with an ornate design, having another transportation hub with a completely different art style would be against New York City values and aesthetics. Having explored both transportation hubs, this will be a great chance for students to ask questions about how Calatrava made decisions in regards to the Oculus’ design as well as how he dealt with all the commentary that he received in the process. One thing that people should be aware of is that ultimately art is an expression of personal thoughts and ideas and once art is made public, people are constantly criticizing an comparing an artist’s personal ideas that they put towards an art piece. Hopefully with this Skype call the students will gain a better understanding of the process of designing a major piece of art in one of the most major cities in the world.
Interview with Santiago Calatrava
Luisa Miller
Wednesday April 18, 2018
Meet in front of the fountain at Lincoln Center at 7pm to distribute tickets
Luisa Miller is an opera that tells a love story between a young woman and a powerful, deceitful man. The opera explores various aspects of power, love, and romance. Students should read the synopsis of the opera prior to attending so that they know what to look out for. Once students are knowledgeable of the storyline, they should compare it to stories that they are already familiar with. How does this story line reflect those of Shakespeare? Does this art form and it’s message remain relevant in today’s society?
Demise of the Metropolitan Opera
Central Park
Wednesday May 8, 2018
Meet at Columbus Circle during class time
Free
One of the most well known tourist attractions in New York City is Central Park. Many people enjoy it for it’s serene beauty year round and relaxing atmosphere. One of the hidden gems of Central Park is the multiple street performers that are there on a daily basis performing for the public in hope of receiving donations. As a class we Bethesda Fountain/Terrace where street performers are constantly drawing huge crowds. Students should analyze how the environment of the performance affects the overall nature of the performance. Having been to a variety of venues up until this point, how does this venue compare? Would you consider performing in the street a sustainable art style? After we watch a performance as a class, students should disperse around Central Park and record part of another street performance that they find.
15 Best Places for Street Performances in Central Park
Reshmi, this is an eclectic sequence you’ve assembled. I like the focus on various neighborhoods in the city and the fact that you’ve highlighted many low-cost or free options for students to experience the arts in NYC. Another prominent theme seems to be your focus on architecture as public art, which would be a good starting point for some semester-long projects! How might you expand this theme to encompass all of the events?
(Note: “Luisa Miller” is inspired by a play by Schiller, not Shakespeare. Although Schiller did notable translate some of Shakespeare’s plays into German)