Blog Posts – Page 18 – The Arts in New York City (Fall 2017)

NAWA Blog

My trip to the NAWA exhibit was unlike any other museum exhibit I have previously attended. I was taken aback by the exterior and interior appearance of the building the NAWA exhibit was held in. All of the exhibits I have attended in the past were modernized, well-painted, and displayed in a spacious room. The NAWA exhibit, however, was in a small, cramped, one floor room. Another difference between the NAWA and many other exhibits I noticed was the popularity of the exhibit. Many times in the past I would experience having to get in between a large crowd of people to view a work of art. At the NAWA I was the only one in the exhibit and to my surprise the individual working at the NAWA stated she was shocked someone actually came to the exhibit since not many do.

Despite all this, as I walking around the exhibit I found the works of art displayed interesting. Each work of art stood out in its own way whether it was an oil painting, photograph, random objects put together, or pencil. The first work of art that drew my attention was What is Seeing by Jill L. Kline, a wall mounted sculpture consisting of buttons differing in size, shape, design, and color to form the design of an eye. I found the use of buttons an interesting object to use for the piece and felt it worked for the artist. As my eyes went further up the wall I noticed the piece right above also used a three-dimensional object for the collage displayed. Puzzled While Flying High by Toby Klein consisted of a puzzle almost put entirely together with the exception of a few missing throughout the puzzle board and scattered around the puzzle board or on white background behind the puzzle board. As mentioned in class prior in regards to why certain things like a white canvas is considered art came to my mind while viewing this piece. In my mind this was just an uncompleted puzzle board. I would never consider it art yet it was in this exhibit and priced for $1,600. The same thought came to mind when viewing Hybrid Harmony by Claudia Flynn which was an assemblage of a toy doll’s head put on the body of fake deer. As I was almost done going through the exhibit I noticed on the wall many of the paintings were of still objects, such as flowers in a vase (Mother’s Favorites by Barbara Kitty Williams). Although aesthetically painted my mind again went to the class discussion of whether exactly painting something like a bowl of fruit or flowers in front of you is considered art. In this case I do consider it art based on the artist’s specifics to detail within the piece and use of contrast with the colors.

My trip to the NAWA wasn’t exciting, but I would describe it as more relaxed. In my opinion I felt I wasn’t in an exhibit at all, but instead viewing un-famous street art that you see people selling on the streets for some quick cash. Overall, the majority of the works of art displayed were interesting to view as well as try to comprehend the reasoning behind the use of specific three-dimensional objects for the work of art created.

Nawa Blog

The experience to the NAWA exhibit was a particularly interesting one. Walking into an apartment like building was only the beginning of it all. When I got to the art exhibit i was greeted by a woman who asked why I was at the museum and who sent me. After a short conversation between the two of us, I proceeded on walking down the single hallway to the other paintings and sculptures presented. Although many of the art pieces did not strike me with much interest there were two paintings that I appreciated fondly.

One of the art pieces that struck me with interest was the piece called Central Park. It clearly portrayed the natural environment of the park which consisted of tunnels and an abundance of trees. Within the green trees and the gray cobbled structures drawn was a vibrant object that stood out, the yellow taxi. The painting clearly shows the main aspects in central park ranging from the lampposts to the taxis. It struck me with importance because not only did I recently go there but I aways attended this park when I was a child.

Another art piece that stood out to me was the piece called Sit and Wait. Although a fairly simple one, this piece, if looked at closely, was carved with lasers into ant and bee shapes. The detail on the bee and the ant took me away because It closely represented what bees and ants realistically look like. As stated in the title of the piece, I found it very true that as you sit and wait in an area, you will experience the full force of nature and what it consists of, in this case, bees and ants.

Overall, NAWA was a one of a kind museum not only because it was recognizing women artists specifically but also because of its ambiance and its works. Usually when the word museum is discussed I picture a large area filled with different kinds of art besides paintings and sculptures and featuring not only women artists but artists of all gender and kinds. I would recommend others to attend such a museum if they don’t mind the small gallery space and seeing the expensive price tags on really simple paintings.

Independent Museum Journey: Cooper Hewitt Museum

For this assignment, I decided to go to the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum for three reasons: it was free for me, I have never been there before, and my free admission was not going to last since I will be turning 19 soon. So it was check off on my bucket list for free things I can do while I am 18.

My first thought about the museum when I approached was it was so beautiful! The architecture of the inside and outside of the museum and the garden was spectacular. After I got my ticket, I amazed even more because of the technology I was given to enhance my experience at the museum. They gave a pen that you would use when you wanted to learn more about the artwork. You would press the tip of the pen against a symbol on the description tag of the art work and it would save to a website created by the museum that is personalized to you! Instead of taking pictures of the art, I was able to login to my personalized webpage and see all the art pieces I collected.

The main theme of the museum was designs that explore other methods of creation. The first exhibit I saw was the Making | Breaking: New Arrivals. This exhibit showcased artworks that incorporated technology into its development. The first piece that caught my eye was the Sidewall, Aurora Ray by Calico Wallpaper because it reminded of sunsets. The ombre of colors in the wallpaper reminded of all the similar posts on Instagram or Snapchat. Sidewall

The second artwork that caught my eye was the Fractal.MGX Table by Gernot Oberfell, because of its fascinating geometry. Apparently, the table was designed using 3D printing techniques and mathematical algorithms. It would not be possible to reproduce this table without using this technology. Table

In the other exhibit, Esperanza Spalding Selects, the only piece that really caught my attention was the Piano Parts, Evolving Perspectives. Unfortunately, the museum has either yet to upload an image of the piece or due to legal issues cannot post it. So you will have to imagine it based on my description. The piece showed the devolution of the piano or the breakdown of the creation of a piano at the end to the beginning. Instead of having a whole keyboard, the board progressed into its more simpler components. I thought it was cool because we never get to see the process behind making a piano or what’s under the keyboard. We only get to see the finished masterpiece.

There was an interactive table on each floor where you can create your own architectural design and save it using the pen! For example, you can design a chair, a hat, a building or anything you want out of different materials provided. After you are done with your design, you can save it to your website.

Overall, the museum was not that exciting because of the limited number of exhibits to see and it was not the kind of art I would appreciate. I believe engineers or fashion designers would find the museum more appealing. However, I am glad I went before I had to start paying for admission!

If you would like to see some other pieces that I tagged onto my personalized page, please click the link below:

https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/visits/3rrs/

Sidewall, Aurora Ray, 2014; Designed by Calico Wallpaper ; digital print on linen-textured vinyl; L x W: 243.8 × 132.1 cm (8 ft. × 52 in.); Gift of Calico Wallpaper; 2015-24-2
Fractal.MGX Table, 2009; Designed by Gernot Oberfell, Jan Wertel and Matthias Bär; stereolithography-formed and pigment-infused epoxy resin with polyurethane (pu) filling; H x W x D: 41.9 × 72.4 × 57.8 cm (16 1/2 × 28 1/2 × 22 3/4 in.); Gift of George Azar; 2016-22-1

NAWA Journey

The journey to the Sylvia and Pho Gallery exhibit of the National Association of Women Artists didn’t start out that well. It was still summer, but the weather was at its lowest peak that week. It was cold and raining, yet the train was humid. As I made my way into Manhattan, I made the mistake of getting off at Times Square where the headquarters of NAWA was instead of getting off at E 8th street for the actual exhibit.

The day finally got better when I finally arrived at the right location. At first, I was hesitating if I was actually at the right location because small lobby and unstable elevator. My confusion was cleared up once I reached the 4th floor where the exhibit was. I was immediately introduced by one of the fellow artists, Sue Kutosh. She directed me to her graphite drawing of woman who looked very similar to the artist herself. It was an interesting art piece because it looked as though she carved out a sheet of metal for the background. After examining her work, she helped me around the museum because I was so confused on where the descriptions were! Usually the descriptions tags or the information about the artist is right next to the artwork, but at this exhibit, if you wanted to know more about the artwork there was a binder near the entrance.

The Zelda Fitzgerald’s Tumultuous Journey by Barbara Fontaine-White painting was actually the first piece that caught my eye because I understood the background of this painting. I learned about Zelda Fitzgerald from a show called Z: The Beginning of Everything and how she had a tough life. Apparently, Zelda was behind a lot of her husband’s famous work, but she never received any credit nor was asked for permission by her husband to use her words. She began to feel as though her husband’s career was always more important than her own. Her marriage was a chaos of alcoholism, affairs, and emotional abuse to the point that she was sent to a psychiatric facility. Zelda Fitzgerald became a forgotten significant woman in history that needs to be remembered and praised. This is why the artist decided to create this art piece.

The next artwork that caught my eyes was a drawing called Sandy by Janet Tsakis. It was so relatable because when I looked at it, I could exactly recall the many times I was in the same position as the subject! Based on my experience it seemed to me that the subject was young and stressed. I was fascinated about the realness of the the image especially since it was drawn by colored pencils! You can see the shine in the hair!

In the next image, I didn’t really understand the it, but it did remind me of Frida Kahlo’s piece, The Two Hearts, because of the technique of how the heart was drawn in this image and how it’s connected to the theme. Also, the use of nature (the implied position of the flowers) in an unnatural way also reminds of Frida Kahlo’s techniques.

*Flowers from my Heart* by Tokoha Matsuda

Sadly, I had to rush the experience because I had to go all the way back to Staten Island to class, but it was interesting experience to go see art in a untraditional place instead of a museum.

Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Every artist was first an amateur” – 128th NAWA Exhibit

NAWA was a great experience overall. My brother and I really enjoyed the variety of artwork on display. There were some pieces that truly amazed me, but others that were extremely unusual. My brother, Sam, perceived most of the pieces much differently than I did and that was usually the case whenever we compared our responses. This relates to a point that John Berger made in “Ways of Seeing,” when he discusses how every human perceives art differently. Our perception of what an artist is trying to evoke (or convey) is shaped by our emotions, experiences and how we react to the atmosphere. Something even like music playing in the background or someone describing what the piece really means can change how you see art entirely -although thankfully the exhibit had nothing of the sort.-

My personal favorite was Flowers from my Heart, by Tokoha Matsuda. Take a second to breathe it in.

I wrote an interpretation of what I believed was the message on Instagram.

This is the interpretation I had: The subject is a naked woman. Her beautiful pure heart is manifested by fading red flowers that stem from her core. What was once a source of life has begun to wilt away. Was she foolish? Her back is exposed, her head cupped in her hand. Perhaps the images of the man she trusted flood her mind. Perhaps he only used her. Like a bee who thieves nectar from a flower, he too stole something valuable from her… without any care for her desires (and he’s already on his way to the next delicate flower). Helpless and confused, she becomes stagnant. Can you relate to her anguish? Only time can mend her heart. Even then, she will never be the same.

Of course another persons interpretation could be entirely different, that is why I saved my own interpretation until after the artwork was presented.

I took several more pictures of works that were appealing to me. The first picture is by Merrill S. French, W 47th Street.

The last two pictures are of a ceramic sculpture by Natalie Koren Kropf, Together. The two pieces are holding each other up, if one is removed, they will fall and break without each other. They hold each other up, much like a couple or family members.

NAWA Gallery

The NAWA Gallery featured a variety of different artworks from female artists, ranging from sculpture to oil painting and collage to photography.

One piece that I remember quite well was one called “W 47th Street” by Merrill French. It captures a scene of the busy New York street for which the piece is named, depicting the diverse array of storefronts and of people that fill W 47th on a daily basis. This piece gives the viewer a sense of the life of the average New Yorker as well as a glimpse into the beauty and diversity the city holds amidst the business of every day life.

Another piece that I found interesting was a fired clay sculpture called “The Jungle Story”. It seems to depict the various scenes found in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book in a three dimensional form, bringing this ever-famous story to life in a new way.

All in all, the NAWA exhibit was intriguing, seeing such a diverse collection of art of various mediums in one collection.

NAWA Exhibit

Going to the NAWA Exhibit was very interesting. This was my first exhibit I’ve been to, and this experience varies from going to any museum. One of the first things was that it was a lot smaller, probably because its not meant to appeal to a large crowd and make money. Besides that it was very different in the sense that there was not massive crowds or anyone to really stop you from getting close to the art. I was able to walk up and touch it if I wanted to. So I would consider this very different from a normal museum experience. Furthermore the works themselves were distinct. The first piece I noticed was in the back, it was some sort of bulls head with what seemed to be the robes that looked like they came out of a church’s stained glass windows. To be honest it kind of creeped me out I felt as if it would follow me around, even though it was not life like or life size. Another piece that was very interesting was the deer with the dolls head. I tried to think about what it could possibly mean but had absolutely no idea after looking at it for a good 15 minutes. What was even crazier about these two pieces were the prices, which were steep to say the least. Also while having a quick glance I thought that all the pictures were paintings however, some where actually pictures like the one of the Ringling Bro’s train crossing a bridge. This made me think how a picture cost 300 plus dollars because they are so easy to replicate in the exact same way, like finding it online and putting it in a frame. So that aspect of it made me wonder a little how does one keep and prove they have the original. Another painting that caught my eye was “The Night the Moon Ate the Stars” It looked very dark the moons face and the girls looked so similar to each other. Not only that but the material used to paint on was not a normal canvas which I liked getting so close to the painting because I was able to notice that. Finally my favorite piece in the museum was a painting titled “W 47th Street” painted my Merrill S.French which was an Oil on linen. To me when I first saw it from a distance I thought it was a picture but after looking at it I realized it was a painting. It just looked so lifelike, the people especially the man on the phone and the buildings and the color it just looked so real and so amazing. It just baffles me how someone could painting something like that. Definitely my favorite piece in the whole exhibit. Overall I really enjoyed my experience at the NAWA exhibit. It was very different then any museum I have ever visited.