Upon hearing that the third day of Macaulay Honors College orientation, Arts Day, would be an evening with Jonathan Safran Foer, I was excited. I never had the chance to meet with an author, especially one whose book I really enjoyed. I had high expectations but I was disappointed with the way Arts Day turned out. I found it pointless. I was expecting Foer to talk more about his novel rather than about New York City. I wanted him to discuss his characters, their relationships, the plot, the different literary techniques, etc. Though, I did enjoy what he had to say about New York especially about missing the subways and no one actually going to the cultural events. I felt pride in being a New Yorker. I realized I should appreciate living in such a lively city and be grateful for the opportunities that I have to experience culture, but that was not the point of the theater day performance. The point of Arts Day was to expose the class of 2015 to different mediums of art so we could learn to appreciate it; that did not happen for me.
When Foer began his reading, I was eager to listen. The story of the Sixth Borough was my favorite part of the novel. As I read and listened to the passage, I could not stop myself from visualizing the story. I was drawn in but I wish that he had read it with a little more passion and feeling. While he was reading, I felt disconnected. There was no attempt on his part to engage his audience. He seemed as if he were apathetic about reading. After the reading, there was the interview. The interview seemed superficial. The interviewer, Tim Caron, was trying to get Foer to talk about his book in a way that relates to the arts, in an attempt to bring together the third day of orientation and Foer’s novel. His questions were directed towards Foer’s opinion about the arts rather than his novel. Tim Caron kept trying to direct the conversation toward the arts and what constitutes it. Foer had strong opinions and he insisted on them, which obviously threw Tim Caron off-guard a little. I will commend Foer for being honest throughout the evening. He said that he does not enjoy the process of writing but rather what books do for him. I found that to be interesting because it was unexpected. Overall, I did not enjoy Arts Day. It felt as if there was too much of an effort involved in connecting Arts Day and Foer’s novel.
Art, in my eyes, is anything that conveys a message, sparks an emotion, initiates intellect, or just brings back memories. It is necessary for the artwork, a sculpture, painting, novel, film, photo, etc., to connect with the audience. For something to qualify as art, it should have a deeper meaning than what’s on the surface. Art is subjective; the same piece of artwork will have a different impact on everybody who sees it. It’s a way for the artist to convey a message and to express their ideas and beliefs. I do qualify the performance as art because I did learn something. Foer did convey some messages. The one that stuck with me was to appreciate the city you live in for all that it has to offer. I did feel proud of being a New Yorker; his talk sparked an emotion within me by the end of the evening. However, I did not feel curious; my intellect was not challenged. I’m glad that Macaulay Honors College provided us with the opportunity of meeting with Jonathan Safran Foer and reading his novel. I did not take anything major away from the evening but there are certain aspects of the night that I will remember.
