Below you will find a word cloud, composed of highlights from each student’s “Best of” blog post. The largest words are those most recurring throughout the responses and therefore are indicative of what the class as a whole enjoyed most from this semester. Enjoy!

“In short, the best for me was you.”   – Professor Drabik  

** For the highest quality image, please click on the word cloud below, and the photo will open separately from the text.

 Here are the highlights, from each post, used to create the diagram:

“We dressed classy, we thought classy, we were classy.”  – Manjekar

“The opera itself exceeded all my expectations; I didn’t think it would be so funny and engaging!”

– Nabila

“On top of the wonderful forms of art we had the chance to experience, the opportunity to go in search of art on our own was amazing.”   – Sophia

“I loved how we, as a class, was given so many possibilities to experience the different types of art. Going to such places such as the Metropolitan Opera and seeing such documentaries like Waste Land by Vik Muniz gave the class different perspectives on art. I feel that because of these opportunities, we now look at art in a new and brighter light.”   – Tony

“The documentary The Wasteland showed me an environment completely different from the one I am in, where workers don’t have many options, most either becoming physically degraded through their work as a prostitute or enduring the odors of a landfill as they recover recyclables.
After watching this documentary, I understand the wonderful position I am in with a myriad of opportunities everywhere I look.” – Joshua

“Vik Muniz’s story had been inspirational and he made his art in a way that benefitted many people.” – Kevin

“I felt that the variety of art that we experienced (Opera, Dance, Play, Concert) was definitely the best part of this class. We got to experience a little bit of everything and figure out what appealed to us. We found our artsy sides.”  – Sharouk

“However, the “Best” thing that happened to me in this class was my gradual change in the perception of art. This internal change was the best thing that happened in this class and it would have an everlasting effect on me.” – Daniel

“I really enjoyed my first time watching an opera and now I no longer have misconceptions about what watching an opera is like.”   – Erica

“Overall, I really enjoyed reading the poems; I feel like they helped us to view each of the performances and exhibits from different perspectives and with a deeper understanding as we applied the same critical analysis skills to everything that we took part in this semester.” – Jillian

“What was most memorable about this performance were the dances by the Alvin Ailey Am. Dance Co. Their fun interactive dances with grooving music, contrasted with their darker dances and made it the most diverse performance of that night.”  – Chloe

“I think for me, attending this performance with the class was by far my favorite, not only because of how great the play and the production itself was, but also how in many ways I walked out of the BAM Harvey Theater COMPLETELY CONFUSED and with a new perspective on art.   – Chris Pun (regarding Six Characters in Search of an Author)

“The Best of Arts in NYC was the opportunity to join the art world of New York at least at several occasions, such as Fall of Dance. I am sure that this course will further stimulate us to involve ourselves in the world of creative expression more.”  – Angelika

“The music made for a very relaxing experience, in which it felt like I could just sit back and ponder the world’s problems and, of course, their solutions. Unfortunately, once the music ended, I forgot all my revelations, so we are stuck with the world as it is.”    – Anthony (regarding Carnegie Hall)

“This image, created by Dos Santos on a whim and immortalized in Muniz’s final product, was incredibly powerful to me because of what it said about Dos Santos and the catadores he fought for. They were bright, intelligent people with aspirations and potential–but too many of them were martyred for an industry of excess and waste.” – Sam

“Fictional or real, it does not matter. The best part about New York is the people. . . In this manner, they are New York: a gigantic mosaic of different people–many peoples becoming one and one people becoming many.”   – Lucius

“Watching the documentary about Philippe Petit made me aware of such a crazy, unique, and incredible event. I can hardly believe that someone would have the courage to walk on a tightrope so high in the air, while knowing the police will arrest him.”   – Adrian