Art is All Around Us
The purpose of this course is to give students the opportunity to explore the arts. In New York City, people don’t realize that they have so much diverse access to the arts that isn’t present elsewhere in the world. So the goal for this class is to make students go out into the real world, learn what art form(s) appeal to them and participate in these art forms(, even after the semester is over.) The most important aspect of this class is inclusiveness for all. Many people don’t enjoy certain art forms so the goal is to expose those people to art forms familiar to them that they may see in their studies or daily lives, but not go into too much depth. In doing so, a student wouldn’t be overwhelmed with a “boring” or “dull” art form for too long. On the contrary, the most likely scenario will be that the student would be enticed to learn more about that art form on their own, because of the psychological foot-in-the-door effect. By planting an array of seeds in somebody’s mind, we allow the student to choose which art form he or she would like to tend to so that a mighty tree may grow out from it. With so much diversity in New York, it is expected that every student would have their own tastes and pleasures, making the class a meaningful experience for all. Furthermore, this course will try to avoid the conventionality of modern art education, which only explores museum painting and sculptors. Instead the main focus would revolve around being in the outdoors, visiting stores, and other quirky places where the arts may exist. This would definitely make students ponder on how everything in the world is indirectly connected to art, which as a course planner, is my ultimate goal.
The class will explore the following:
theatrical performance art (the opera), the finances of art, fashion, culinary arts, performing arts (dancing), musical arts, scientific arts, literary arts, and floral design art.
Syllabus
Date and Time: 2/11 10 AM
Price: Free
Assigned Readings:
- The Enduring Relationship of Science and Art
- What is Scientific Art?
- Nikon Small World Exhibit
- Science Inspires Art: Ocean Exhibit
- Geometric Figurative Works Exhibit
Where: New York Hall of Science
Background:
Michaelangelo’s David masterpiece borrowed from much anatomical study to make the sculptor look almost life-like.
Science and art can coexist together. When coming into the arts seminar class, many of the students who are specifically interested in the scientific fields think of art as a substandard study that they will never relate to. The goal of visiting the New York Hall of Science’s art exhibitions is to try to relate the arts to the sciences. From the readings posted, students should look out for the exhibits that relate to the science of psychology, mathematics, and biology and the arts of photography and painting. Perhaps the students would be able to enjoy their scientific studies even more because of this visit so early on in the semester.
Puccini’s composition has survived for over a century!
Date and Time: 2/21 7:30PM
Price: Macaulay Funds
Assigned Readings:
Where: Metropolitan Opera
Background:
Puccini’s La Boheme is a drama that dwells into common emotional feelings like love and sorrow. The play puts the audience into the shoes of impoverished people who are simply trying to get by in life. When the students will watch this play, hopefully they wouldn’t relate too much to the performance, but rather appreciate all that they have. There is a saying, “too whom much is given, much is expected.” This should be what the students should take out from the play. They should learn a lesson that is conveyed to them through the art of music and theatrical performance. The lesson learned should give students the idea that they shouldn’t simply think that this would be an easy A art class, but rather a class that presents the opportunity for students to take advantage of everything that is given to them.
Date and Time: 3/7 2PM
Price: Free
Assigned Readings:
Where: Capacity Interactive
Background:
Anyone who hasn’t become in love with the arts yet can fall in love with the money that flows around the arts. In this event, students will learn how today’s businesses are leading the way in selling the arts. Students will meet with the top executives of Capacity Interactive and be taught exactly how their business is run and the culture that they employ to improve their efficiency and profits. The students who are particularly interested in business and finance cannot miss this event because they will miss an opportunity to learn the behind the scenes perspective on getting people to their venues or shows of choice. There are also internship opportunities available here as well.
Yes, cooking can be an art.
Date and Time: 3/14 1:30PM
Price: Free
Assigned Readings:
Where: Rachel Ray Show
Chelsea Television Studios
221 West 26th Street
(Between 7th and 8th Avenues)
New York, NY 10001
Background:
Cooking to many seems to be an odd thing to call an art. Is it because we do it so often that we just don’t see why it could be called art? Well this week’s event is a Rachel Ray show. The thing that people do every day could become an art if students could find the time for the finer details. There are so many sauces and colors in the world that can not only make a plate aesthetically pleasing, but can also satisfy one’s stomach. Perhaps the most important thing that I want students to take out of this is that they too can be artists in their own backyards (or in this case kitchen.) Cooking is a skill that anyone can learn and with the instructions of Rachel Ray, anyone can enjoy their cooking sessions.
This store not only caters to Halloween fanatics but also to people who celebrate Purim, Easter, Mardi Gras, and other celebrations.
Date and Time: 3/21 2PM
Price: Free (unless students want to buy somethings)
Assigned Readings:
Where:
New York Costumes
104 4th Ave
New York, NY 10003
Background:
It is weird that the class is visiting a shady costume shop in the middle of New York, but I view this shop as only a fashion museum that has a large souvenir store. Fashion has a high place in the New York art scheme, as the clothing that each person wears is a representation, an impression, of the person. It is the first noticeable trait that a person carries when he or she walks into a room. Visiting this costume shop should show students the amount of detail that could go into clothing or accessories. The store, even though it isn’t a museum, holds a large quantity of garments, masks, and wigs that show their differences and unique qualities. If I took the students to the fashion exhibit in the MoMa, I know that they would feel like those clothing would be more relatable to them, but I feel like they wouldn’t see the different variations that the same garments could have. In addition, the store owner Toni Bianchi can give the class a small tour of his store and explain the knots and bolts of the arts in the costume world.
Don’t be surprised that it takes a lot of time to set everything up!
Date and Time: 3/28 2PM
Price: Free
Assigned Readings:
- Macy’s Flower Show Website
- Prelude to Flower Art
- Creativity with Flowers (explore how floral design can really make a 2D picture jump out of a page
- What You Didn’t Know About the Show
Where:
Macy’s
151 W 34th St,
New York, NY 10001
Background:
Floral design is considered an art for the innate beauty that flowers carry with them. Flowers could be arranged in a way that can inspire certain emotions similar to how musical tones can set the mood of a play. In this event, students will visit one of America’s most famous store, Macy’s to not only find the dress of their dreams, but to also see how something as simple as flowers could influence our moods and ideas. Here students should focus on what type of flowers are presented at each display and whether there exists an underlying motive for the floral arrangement. Students should consider whether the flowers are arranged in certain ways for empathy, business motives, or to bring out the beauty of New York City.
Date and Time: 4/22 6PM
Price: $10 per student (students need to provide $5)
Assigned Readings:
- Page Meets Stage
- Bowery Poetry Club- Shaina Lynn ” I Know Why” (video)
- Trevor William Viloria “SIMILE” (video)
Where:
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
Background:
For those students that like language arts and literature, the bowery poetry club will be their favorite performance of the semester. Poetry has come a long way stemming from the original Ancient Greek dramas and tragedies. Today, anyone can write poetry making it an accessible mode of expressing oneself. Modern day poetry captures the cultural norms and values that could inspire any student to become more curious and pursue other poetry venues. A suggested next step for those students that really enjoyed this performance is to go and visit the Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe. The goal of the class is to make students curious and with the comedy club atmosphere that is present in these poetry slams, students should feel excited about doing this type of thing again and learning more about it.
This is the highlight of the semester!
Date and Time: 5/3 8PM
Price: $65 per student
Assigned Readings:
- History of the Beatles
- How the Beatles Changed Music
- Another Long and Winding Detour
- Trailer (video)
Where: Madison Square Garden
Background:
How could a seminar class not go to the most famous arena in the world? Madison Square Garden hosts the world’s brightest stars on it dazzling monumental stage. The students will listen to the concert Rain, which is a tribute to the Beatles. Although the original Beatles band had disbanded a number of years ago, the Beatles still hold a lasting impact in America’s pop culture. Through their creativity and songwriting, the Beatles were the most famous celebrities of their time. Students will get to enjoy the concert, which they could sing along to and create lasting friendships with their fellow Macaulay peers. Most students in Macaulay never experienced a concert so this would expose them to that type of environment, and those who have been to a concert before could further develop their tastes in music. It is an event that is designed to give everyone a lasting impact on their own level of musical knowledge.
Date and Time: 5/6 1PM
Price: Free
Assigned Readings:
Where:
Riverside Park South
Pier I at W 68th Street
New York, NY 10023
Background:
This week the class will visit the 17th Annual NYC Irish Dance Festival. The purpose of this visit is to explore the historical culture group, the Irish, and experience one of the most iconic type of dances, the step dance. This visit is supposed to be outdoors and, in the May weather, it is designed to give the class an energizing feeling unlike any of the other events the class had visited prior to this one. The experience would help the students who are interested in history identify with cultural art forms and experience what they would see only in their boring textbooks. Perhaps these students would be inspired to view other types of cultural art forms after the spring semester class ends. Additionally, the students who enjoy dance may be inspired to view other types of dances like salsa, waltz, tango, or even kpanlogo.
David, you’ve found such a wide array of events and somehow made them all fit in the budget by being very creative. I appreciate how you are aiming to stretch the definition of the arts in this sequence of events and how you also implicitly challenge preconceived notions of where the arts happen. I like the way you’ve framed the first event as away of bridging the arts/sciences interest gap that students may enter the seminar with. Good work!