New York City allows for a spectrum of lifestyles to dwell within its boundaries. It offers the startling life of wealth and luxury, as well as the horrendous life of poverty and struggle. In addition to its cultural and socioeconomic acceptance, the city is home to the finest of arts and creativity. An individual living in New York City without having acknowledged the city’s unique persona, or taken advantage of its rich cultural diversity and arts, is a man deprived indeed. I must confess that I walked into Arts of NYC as a partially deprived person. Although I understood that the city’s diverse ethnic nature allowed one to taste the world, I was completely ignorant towards the spectacular artworks and the numerous forms that the city takes. Had I not been given this class, specifically matched with this certain professor, I would’ve stayed oblivious to a world worth serious acknowledgement and appraisal.

From what I understood and took away from this course, I believe this class was designed to not only allow students to engage with the creative artworks of New York City, but to understand the exceptionality of the city through contrasting roles that it plays for its people. I’m reminded of an image of a keen eye looking at NYC through a magnifying class. This class resembles this image so well, in that we looked at NYC with a naked eye when we considered the city as an icon through the eyes of people, and then we took a magnifying look to get to the streets of the city and learn about its highs and lows.

            Uptown and Downtown was the first theme in this course. It touched the extremely important topic of socioeconomics in NYC, and portrayed societal classes in relationship to their moral values. This theme had so much to say about the character of NYC and its ability to house a wide range of people. As a student, I came to conscious realization of the opposite worlds that manage to make a living in this city. It is as if the city was constructed in a way to fit in every class, culture, and ethnicity. Woody Allen in Manhattan was a fairly wealthy man whose concerns were his delicate reputation or an under aged girlfriend. God of Carnage portrayed the questionable values of New Yorker parents who thoughtlessly argued about a minuscule issue. In extreme contrast, we meet with morality deprived characters in In Arabia We’d All Be Kings, where unemployment and poverty are the social norms and robbery and drugs are the alternatives. I stepped out of this section of the class realizing that NYC does “justice” to societal classes in providing space for all of them. Societal class and economy in return, drive the lifestyle and concerns of the individual. Accepting such a diverse range of people, it is no surprise that NYC breathes life into every kind of lifestyle.

City of Immigrants-by the title of the theme, this was just any other section that talked about the magnetic nature of NYC and its strong immigrant attraction. Not knowing the experience of an immigrant, this theme didn’t touch me deeply or grasp my interest. To my surprise, this section of the course was designed carefully and effectively that it managed to shift my world and change my viewpoint. Enjoying a class is one thing, but walking out of a class with a new perspective is astounding. I am only indebted to Professor Healey for using such wise judgment and selecting the artworks that she did. Maria Full of Grace gave me the chills and taught me the horrors of immigrants. Yellow Face and Asuncion gave me some laughs and left me wondering about the complications of races and ethnicities in NYC. In America took me from the eyes of a tourist and the beautiful views of Times Square to the eyes of an immigrant and a shabby conflict-infested building. Finally, Carlo’s story in Intringulis outright questioned by beliefs and opinions and forced me to see a viewpoint I never considered. I have always been a rule following nerd who couldn’t bear the thought of surpassing borders illegally. It is a crime, after all. Carlo opened me up to an illegal immigrant’s side of the story. Opportunities in America meant too much for illegal immigrants to let go of. The crime they committed by entering this country illegally was more than just compensated by the burden and pain they faced everyday. Had I considered that for a single minute before? I would still prefer that the rules be followed today, I can’t help it. However, I must agree that I understand an illegal immigrant’s drive to be here. The City of Immigrants just had to be my favorite theme. It seemed the most truthful as well, not because I haven’t faced the dreams/nightmares or wealth/poverty of the city, but because I’ve seen cultural diversity and the inability of immigrants to fit in. This theme related to students like myself in a more personal way because my parents too are immigrants.

City of Dreams or Urban Nightmare-NYC is still the city of my dreams. I can walk the streets of Manhattan everyday and still dream of going there like I’ve never gone before. It might be the lights, the beauty, or the atmosphere that draws me in. I honestly can’t even tell. Our neighborhood blog only proved my love the city. I mean come on, name one other city that has Little Italy, Chinatown, a Lower East Side, Greenwich Village, and SoHo in it! E.B. White is so true in saying that each NYC neighborhood is so complete and has its own life. The artworks, foods, and atmosphere of each neighborhood was extremely different and pleasing than the other. In my bubble of NYC dreams and wonders, I never even thought this place could be a nightmare for many. It was obviously a nightmare for the struggling immigrants, but artworks such as Kindness, inhabited, and The Mercy Seat showed me other horrors of NYC too. 9/11 was the greatest horrors to have struck New York City. Surprisingly, the city still flourished and maintained its dreamy image. Why then wouldn’t NYC be the topic of a conversation, the title of an artwork, or the focus of a college course? The city has so much to learn and experience from.

I leave this course with a sincere gratitude towards Macaulay Honors College for giving me the opportunity to view my city with a different lens, and Professor Healey for helping me construct the lens through which I saw NYC and its artworks. It might just be a couple of months and a single semester, but this course has changed me. My opinions and critical analyses of ideas and artworks are more thoughtful and confident. I don’t change my mind about disliking an artwork because someone famous finds it valuable and beautiful. I don’t judge books and movies solely on the story they’re portraying. I judge art with a heavier consideration on its theme, message, colors, costumes, set design, and historical context. Had I been assigned a different Professor for this course, I would’ve continued to ignore the costumes and sets of movies and performances. Today however, it has become second nature for me to not only notice those things, but to question the symbolism behind every action of the character. Just yesterday I was watching an Indian movie where a heart broken girl walks away from his beloved’s girlfriend by giving her a red scarf. I was completely confused by this move, and didn’t understand why she would care to give away her red scarf when she was busy crying over the one she loved. Normally I wouldn’t care and would consider this move to be happening “just because”, but because Professor Healey would pinpoint things and question them, and so, it became habit for me to do it too. It was only later in the movie did I learn that although the girl was heartbroken herself, she gave away the red scarf to congratulate her beloved’s girlfriend on starting a new married life. The girl’s move did have a point! This is only one example of many that I come across now that I have completed the Art in NYC course. I look deeper into the different images and portrayals of NYC too, and try to figure out whether a certain neighborhood has been gentrified. Overall, whether it’s for NYC or its arts, the most valuable thing I have gotten from this course is a keen eye. With this eye I can see, think, judge and analyze so much more than I ever used to.

For all of this, thank you Professor Healey. Your class did make a difference.

I was looking forward to this class because everybody said it was the best seminar of the four that we have to take. I had certain expectations going into this class and I can honestly say that they were surpassed. I’ve really enjoyed myself throughout my first semester of college because of this seminar…it really gave me an opportunity to experience the New York I knew existed but was apathetic about exploring. I’ve been exposed to a very different New York because of this class, one that I would not have explored on my own. I’ve read plays I would not have read, seen movies I would not have seen and watched performances I would not have watched. But I’m glad I got to read, see and watch every play, movie and performance we did because even thought I didn’t enjoy each and every one, I learned something different. There were some pieces of art that I did not enjoy or understand such as Anthony Caro or The Bald Soprano but even then, they offer a unique perspective to art and speak to a different audience and I recognize them as art.

The immigration aspect of New York is the one that affected me the most and was my favorite. I’ve always known immigrants play a huge role in this city but I never could relate. I always heard their stories but there was never a face to them. Intringulis, is one of my most favorite ways in which New York City was portrayed. I realized how hard it is for some people to make it in this city and I began to appreciate my life here, something I took for granted before. For me, this was the most powerful depiction of the city I live in because I’m most familiar with it. After seeing this one-man show, I really felt for the illegal immigrants in this city hoping for success. I truly connected with Intringulis but at the same time, I truly enjoyed Supernatural Wife. I absolutely loved this performance because it was so fun to watch and I was amazed at how talented each and every one of the performers is. I loved the singing because the harmony was so pleasant to listen to. The dancing was unique and a little different, but I loved how they choreographed the dance to music that didn’t exactly go well together. It made it more interesting and unusual. I liked how the performance was based on an old tragicomedy but it was a very unique and moving adaptation. I really enjoyed this piece for its uniqueness and combination of dancing, singing, and acting.

New York City, for me is one full of the haves and have nots, immigrants, and dreams and nightmares. New York’s diversity has allowed this city to be home for all kinds of people and ideas. This city is so diverse because it is home to immigrants from all over the world who have dreamt of a better life full of opportunities. Their desire for a better life is not enough to survive in this city; it’s hard work. It requires luck and connections and that’s why some people have everything and others have nothing. Some people are living out their dreams while others are living in their worst nightmares. These three themes of NYC that we’ve explored throughout the semester describe the whole city and the people living in it. I think that this city has bits and pieces of all three views but if I truly had to pick just one view that defines New York City, I would choose the immigration unit because it plays the largest role in making this city what it is.

Throughout this semester, I’ve had the opportunity to explore a side of New York that I was not familiar with. I’m very grateful for this seminar for exposing so many different art forms to me and showing me that art is not only what’s in museums. Having been to an opera, exhibits, plays, seen movies, and read plays, I’ve had a larger appreciation for art and I hope I continue to explore Art in NYC.

So here I am, tapping away on my keyboard telling you all about my thoughts and feelings again. I’ve been doing this for a really long time now, you know? Three months is a long time right? Right? Anyway, I’ve reviewed plays, pieces of art, researched New York City, and told you my inner thoughts on trending topics. I did this willingly and semi-happily.

My only goal here was to please.

Like really please.

Textually.

However, I must note that I only received one comment on any of my blogs. It was about Jesse Eisenberg being Jewish. I don’t know if the commenter was mad or happy, but I was just glad to get any attention. Also, Professor Healey’s critique on my writing gave me a nice smile. I like feedback, negative or positive. Oh, and I received no hearts, which explains my semi-happy writing.

Nevertheless, I have here my final stand. Like it or hate it, I care not, unless of course you are my professor. So here we go.

I’ve read God of Carnage, In Arabia We’d All Be Kings, Yellowface, The Matchmaker, A View From the Bridge, Kindness, and The Mercy Seat. These scripts were all a great read and they provided good insight on different points of views of New York; there’s the issue of immigrants and how they’re treated within Yellowface; the life of the lower class in In Arabia We’d All Be Kings; a different take on the events of September 11th in The Mercy Seat; and just many other peculiar situations that take place in New York City. Of all the books that I’ve read, Yellowface, which was written by David Henry Hwang, stuck to me the most. It could have been the dried up juice on the cover that bound us together for a few minutes, or perhaps the material of the cover. Alas, I jest. Seriously though, the book, of all the other interesting ones, did well in capturing my attention. Yellowface featured the issues of Asian immigrants in New York City. I am an Asian American whose family is full of Asian immigrants. Get what I mean? I connected with the character, and I was quite pleased once my professor made the class present a part of the play. I mean there isn’t much scrutiny for Asians nowadays, but there was definitely quite a lot of teasing when I was a kid. The connection is sorta there. Anyway, let’s get on with the show shall we?

Professor Healey did great in varying our exposure to the arts in New York. Aside from books, we watched some good plays, an opera, a dance, and observed some… interesting art pieces. The plays were all amazing in my opinion.

The Bald Soprano, perhaps the one play that didn’t get many good raves from my peers, was actually quite enjoyable to me and quite representative of the wealthy upper class of the New York Elite.

Intringulis was amazing, and it was a very unique performance. I didn’t know what to expect from a solo performance, but Carlo did a hell of a job. He exposed the real life of an illegal immigrant coming to New York with rock music, a paintball gun, writing, and a lot of shouting. He corrected a lot of misunderstanding and unknown facts about illegal immigrants. I’d say the whole thing was quite touching.

Asuncion was just freaking hilarious. That’s right, freaking. Boy did I get my laughs. First of all, they featured a Filipino woman. I am Filipino. Oh the joyous connections. Not to mention they had Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha on the set. WHAT?! Yeah. Although this was the one play that didn’t have the greatest connection to New York City, it was my favorite. If you want to stretch and connect it to New York, you can relate it to the ethnocentrism of New Yorkers, or something right? Of course.

Well anyway, the opera of Don Giovanni was boring. Opera is not my thing. The music, as well as the singing, was magnifico! However, the pace was insane. Not a good insane obviously. The opera is a part of the fantasy of New York that many of my peers and I don’t appeal to. The upper class sure enjoyed the heck out of it; mostly the break though, as we all did.

Finally, we have Supernatural Wife which was a dance. This dance had nothing to do about New York, so there’s not much to say in terms of portrayal and whatnot however, it was just really awesome. The funny looking dancing to heavy industrial music left me in a weird state of enjoyment. The Greek Chorus they had was absolutely brilliant too, with their smooth harmonies and comedic lyrics. Oh yeah, and we sat front row +. That’s in front of the front row. Being so close to the dancers was definitely a great experience. Speaking of experiences, I’d just like to thank my professor for the amazing opportunities in this course. Thank you very much!

Oh wait, who said I was done? Not me. Who could forget the movies? There was a lot of movies we watched this term. They all represented a good portion of New York in their own special way, such as Manhattan with its upper class, ridiculous issues (Oh, Woody Allen…); and Do the Right Thing with its representation of exaggerated racial tensions in New York. These movies were all amazing… except for the 9/11 documentary that I just didn’t like. I saw a great deal of classics that I had never seen before the course. So for that too, I give my thanks.

My favorite work? It has to be Asuncion. I just can’t get over the stun I got when I realized I was watching famous people in a play. Also, I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard during a play before. Everything appealed so well to me. I talked to Jesse FREAKIN Eisenberg! Alright, I don’t worship the man, but I get antsy when I meet famous people. Like when I met Snooky at the gym. Thats another story for another time.

The most truthful work? Intringulis. Illegal immigration is a serious topic in New York that I’ve actually taken the time to think about. There are people walking along the streets around us that have stories which would put us to our knees in tears. Illegal immigrants go through so many hardships, even if they’re famous like Carlo. New York City is a hub for these immigrants as it is the city of opportunity. Many people believe the New York opportunity has faded, but I don’t think so. I think it is still very much alive.

So here I am, tapping away on my keyboard telling you about my thoughts. (I apologize if I wrote too much. My mind has diarrhea.) This is the last time I’ll ever be here… My stage is finally taking a close. So I bid thee adieu. Farewell my faithful audience. Farewell my beautiful peers. Farewell awesome professor. The Arts in New York City course was definitely a blessing this semester. I am much more educated about New York now than before I walked into the course. So I am entirely grateful.

Much Love,

Reinard Bukalan

Thank you for listening.

Of all the sections we went through this semester I enjoyed the Immigrants section unit the best. It contained my favorite play and one of my favorite films, Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang, and In America. Yellow Face portrayed a New York full of political corruption, and toyed with the notion of race. The play was both hilarious and well written. In America was a film that portrayed New York as a place to start over, a place to move past the hardship and suffering you endured in the past.

A documentary we watched this semester was Fahrenheit 9/11, like Yellow Face its aim was to show the political corruption in our country. It was incredibly comedic, but obviously biased. Maria Full of Grace is another film that can be thought as controversial, as it tells the story of a young girl who becomes a drug mule. It’s a powerful film that portrays America as a place of opportunity, though are hardships are bound to happen. Do the Right Thing was a movie that I’d always heard about but never thought to watch. Though the comedy didn’t reach out the entire class, the themes of racism and social supremacy in New York was obviously present through out the entire film. Taxi Driver portrayed a New York full of prostitutes, dealers, and drug addicts; a New York full of corruption. And while all of these movies concentrated on immigrants and middle class New Yorkers, Manhattan was a film about the upper class of Manhattan, and how fickle, superficial, and self-absorbed the wealthy could be.

The plays we saw for the seminar were for the most part enjoyable. And the works I did not find entertaining still left some sort of impression on me. I actually thoroughly enjoyed all the plays except Don Giovonni, with Supernatural Wife being my absolute favorite. Intringulus, written and starred by Carlo Alban (sup Carlos?), contained themes like immigration, sacrifice, and alienation. Asuncion (Jesse Eisenberg!!!) was a play that showed the quick assumptions that we as humans make. The Bald Soprano portrayed a New York filled with citizens who heard, but never listened, a New York full of people who spoke dribble, and excelled in drabble.

Now onto the plays we read. The Matchmaker was definitely a good runner up to Yellow Face. It was just a funny (when read aloud), and portrayed the sunny upper-class side of New York. Like the characters of Manhattan, these people have essentially got it all, and their biggest problems involved the matters of love. A View From the Bridge was actually another favorite of mine. Though the patriarch, Eddie had me seething it showed the hard-knock life of New York. Starting in a new life in another country is not easy. And in New York not everyone is always no happy to lend a hand, this play demonstrates how selfish and stubborn New Yorkers can be. God of Carnage involves characters just as single minded and stubborn, while In Arabia We’d All Be Kings, is a tale of lower class individuals who wish for lives they cannot make themselves work towards. In Mercy Seat and Kindness, again we are shown the selfish side of New York. As shown in these works of art, at times bad situations can bring out the worst in individuals.

Out of all of these plays the most truthful have got to be Do The Right Thing, Intringulus, and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings were definitely the most effective in describing the true New York. Though these pieces are full of color and laughs, underneath the comedy of Do the Right Thing we see the racism that happens in the streets everyday. We see what separates the different racial classes, and plays with the ties of society. Intringulus lays out first hand experience of Carlo Alban, and through his acting and rhyme, we witness firsthand the insecurities, responsibilities, and worries of a teenage illegal immigrant. And In Arabia We’d All Be Kings reveals the depressing truth about human nature, sometimes instead of reaching for better lives, we sit back and wish for them, we talk about them. And while everything else is improving and evolving we stay the same, as our very environment outgrows us.

You guys should know by now that I basically procrastinate on well just about everything. Instead of writing this blog Friday, I baked a cake and then went to sleep. Instead of writing this blog on Saturday, I went to my brother’s birthday party and then got into a car accident. Instead of writing this blog this morning, I..well…i slept. So, now I sit here at 11PM, an hour before this blog is due watching Zombieland with our beloved Jesse Eisenberg and still avoiding writing about the actual subject of this blog. Deep Breath. Here we go:

I’m going to be honest, I hated this course for the first few weeks into the semester. Who blogs every week and then takes random pictures of landscape and abstract objects? Weird. I had a rough start too. Looking back now, my first blog was literally about 5 sentences. I just laughed out loud at myself. I was quite pathetic and not willing to try. Once I met Healey though, not trying clearly wasn’t an option. You win, Healey, you actually got me work at 9AM on Monday morning.

Now to the actual course itself. I loved every single topic we learned about in this seminar. I do admit that going to the plays and finding my way through the city was the most fun. Unfortunately, before this class I never really explored the city. I stuck to Times Square, Soho and Astor Place. Lame, right? Before Anthony Caro on the roof, I hadn’t been to the Metropolitan. I’m a horrible New Yorker, I know. I was also ridiculously handicapped when it came to using the subways. I could function perfectly anywhere in Queens with public transportation, but Manhattan was like a completely different world. I gained so much perspective about the what streets connect to others and even he subway system.

When I stop and think about this course, the one thing that comes to mind is In America. The story told through this movie was such a touching sad one that I can’t help but always relate it to this course. The message was so strong. Every single immigrant has a back story. It doesn’t matter if it is or isn’t wrong that they’re here illegally, the point is that they are human beings too. Human beings with possibly dark pasts and hopeful futures. In America was seriously one of the most touching things I’ve ever seen. I think that it is quite possibly the movie with the clearest message we saw all semester. Clear doesn’t make it any less meaningful though. I took the most from this movie than I did anything else. While it was a clear message of immigration, it was also about a racial tension between Ariel and Johnny, the relationship between a husband and wife after a serious loss, and even about growing up after a family tragedy. It was clear that every character in this film has a distinct part that was necessary to its story. I seriously couldn’t get enough from the movie, I absolutely loved it.

That being said, my least favorite thing from this semester was (dundundun) Do the Right Thing. I feel like Spike Lee could have delivered his message in a less…how can I word this without being rude?…ridiculing manner. I mean, maybe that was the point. Make every character as obnoxious as you can, hit the climax, and then end a movie with someone doing the wrong thing? Cool, iI guess, if you’re into that sort of thing…

So this is it. Good bye Arts in New York City, I will probably never be this cultured again. It’s been real.

I felt that that the display of concrete and steel structures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Anthony Caro was best art I’ve seen over the duration of the art seminar…NOT!

Over the past semester, I saw New York City in all shades of gray. I was taken everywhere from New York City’s brightest aspects to its darkest corners. New York City is one of the largest cities in the world, which means the range of human interpretations is boundless. Some people see New York as a means of fulfilling their dreams, a sort of sanctuary, and a place filled with hope; others perceive New York to be an urban nightmare, with hellish features, and filled with nothing but despair. So over the past couple of months I felt that I got a good taste of the various views New Yorkers have to offer.

Despite all of the point of views I witnessed, the rich, the poor, the hopeless, the racist, the selfish, the selfless, the immoral, the ethical, and even the crazy, there was one point of view that seemed to stand out among the rest… the world through the eyes of an immigrant. Now I know a majority of students loved the immigrant unit, but it’s for a good reason! Unless you were an actual immigrant who traveled long distances to live in New York City, you probably never took the time to stick yourself in their shoes and try to understand the lives they live everyday. Not all immigrants come to America poverty stricken—some are actually very well off before they come to New York City—but let’s just focus on those who migrate to New York for a better life for themselves. Carlo Alban, for example, delves into his life as an illegal alien living the false identity of an American citizen. Never in my life, have I thought about the physical, emotional, and psychological hardships that someone like Carlo goes through as they try to make a life for themselves in America. Not to mention that immigrants like Carlo work at least twice as hard as any other person born with the right to be an American citizen. If anyone deserves citizenship, it’s these men and women who work day and night for a citizenship that countless people take for granted. Intríngulis was, without a doubt, the most influential performance I’ve seen this year. However A View from the Bridge, Maria Full of Grace, and even In America, all also conveyed a perspective that brought out a feeling of sympathy and, more importantly, an understanding of what it’s like to be a foreigner in a big city.

Although my favorite unit was the immigrant unit, and the most influential piece I saw was Intríngulis with Carlo Alban, it doesn’t mean that it was my favorite work. In fact, my favorite work was Asuncíon. Why? Simply, because I found it the most entertaining. Now I know this sounds shallow and juvenile, but among all the art works out there, I am one who finds the most entertaining to be the most enjoyable. Honestly, who doesn’t like to sit down to a performance with some friends and have a good laugh? Yes, the message might have been lost among all the comedy, but it doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it. Asuncíon was the funniest performance I have ever seen and I had the most fun watching it out of all the performances. Not to mention that I got to meet not only one, but two famous celebrities in one night. I mean come on, who else can say that they met Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha on the same night and got autographs and pictures to prove it. To take it all in at once, the feeling was surreal. This will be a memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

So as you can see, I learned a lot about New York City over time we spent together as an arts seminar class. I learned that I could go to the rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum of Art to be surrounded by pompous jerks (to put it lightly) and dull sculptures, the opera to put myself through three hours of torture, the Brooklyn Academy of Music to watch a terrifying yet interesting performance to say the least, where to find the world’s greatest cannoli, and to never watch the Bald Soprano again. But in all honesty I had a lot fun. I was happy to be exposed to the vast world of art found within the streets of New York City that I didn’t even know existed. From now on I will appreciate the value the art brings to this city. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll take a risk and try to watch a performance outside of my comfort zone just because I can. It’s just one more reason why I love being a New Yorker.

Thanks everyone for a great semester and enjoy winter break! 😀

New York City wouldn't be the city it is today without the Twin Towers.

Coming into this class, I didn’t know what to expect. At first I just knew it was the seminar class we all had to take as freshman Macaulay students. Arts in New York City sounded like something I already knew about, but never really experienced. Living in Queens my whole life, I knew that the city was inhabited by a variety of artists such as singers, dancers, painters, and costume designers. This class forced me to look deeper into the city from a new perspective. I liked the way Professor Healey separated our discussion into distinct units: Uptown and Downtown, City of Immigrants, City of Dreams or Urban Nightmare, and New York after 9/11. I felt that each one of these units told a specific story of New York through the different art works presented.

We began and ended our first unit on two very opposite ends. We started with Woody Allen’s “Manhattan” that portrayed the life of rich white New Yorkers that spend their nights partying at the museum. We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see Anthony Caro’s exhibit, but became more amazed to see rich snobby people on the roof of the museum. These two experiences tied in very well as they both expressed the epitome of wealthy New York. Then we delved into more middle class affairs through the work of Yasmina Reza’s “God of Carnage” and “The Bald Soprano” performance. We still saw the minimal quarrels and convulted conversations of upper-middle class adults. It was only until we saw “Taxi Driver” and “Do the Right Thing” did we see stories of the have nots in New York. We read “In Arabia We’d All Be Kings” which featured characters that would not mix well with those of “God of Carnage.” The New York portrayed through these artworks expressed the economic divide of the city and how art of this genre must illuminate one of these divisions.

After experiencing art through an economic lens we began to view the immigrant culture of New York and its impact on the artwork of New York. This was my favorite unit because I feel deeply about the immigrant culture of the city in that it makes the city unique from any other place in the world. Carlo Albán told us his immigration story and put a face to a group that is openly discriminated against. I thought it was an especially important piece because it discussed the important issue of illegal immigration from a side not portrayed in the news. The similar theme of illegal immigration was portrayed in the film “Maria Full of Grace.” I thought the film had the strongest message out of all the other pieces we experienced. “Maria Full of Grace” is my personal favorite artwork because it educated and evoked emotion within me to the struggle that some people must endure to fight for a life worth living. Although I enjoyed “Asuncíon,” “A View from the Bridge,” and “In America,” they did not top the message of either “Intringulus” or “Maria Full of Grace.”

We began to discuss whether New York was more of a dream or a nightmare from the very first day of class. I felt that Adam Rapp’s play fit well into this unit because of Dennis’ mother’s last wish to experience New York as she continued her decline into the worst stage of terminal cancer. The dream of Dennis’ mother was the nightmare for Dennis himself, as he couldn’t stand to see his mother suffer. We experienced the dreamy Metropolitan opera in all its wonder to the highest seats in the theater. It was the dream experience that the wealth of New York can offer and even though I particularly didn’t like “Don Giovanni” itself, the opera itself was something I only saw portrayed in movies.

I felt like the last unit about 9/11 was something important to the current culture of New York City because of the shift of history since that day. I didn’t think I was going to learn much from this unit, but Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” got me thinking again about how 9/11 is still a relevant topic. The shift of recent history is important to that day and New York was the iconic city that was impacted most. I felt that “The Mercy Seat” and the Peace Quilt did not boast a strong enough message to a still current issue.

The artworks we viewed and discussed all evoked messages about New York through different media and genre. I found the films to be the most effective of these pieces because I felt it to be easily accessible compared to plays, performances, and fine art. I also thought film was straightforward and I was able to understand it better because I grew up watching movies. The plays, performances, and fine art were also expressive in their messages, but it was more work for me to uncover the message behind some of these works.

I’m glad that I was forced to take this class because it opened me to a new side of the New York City that I hadn’t experienced before. The photojournal forced me to look at my everyday life through a different lens and I still end up taking pictures even though it’s over. Thanks Professor Healey for taking us on these performances and exposing us to different artworks in the distinct units.

I will be honest and admit that coming into this class, I wasn’t all that enthusiastic since I never really was a fan of opera, theatre, or pretty much any type of aesthetic art of performance. This might be because I have had little to almost zero amount of exposure to this type of art but that is beside the point. Although I did not absolutely love anything in particular that we watched in this course, the experience and cultural awareness that this course has brought me is very valuable to me. I had the opportunity to experience the high side of New York, which I had never experienced by going on the rooftop of “The Met”(which I have newly incorporated into my vocabulary) while seeing all of these fancy people with their drinks. I had the opportunity to go to the Metropolitan Opera House and view my first Opera, and the opportunity to explore one of the many cultural epicenters of New York, Chinatown. Having said this, I think it is finally time to reflect on the works we have experience in the class, individually and collectively.

In our first unit, we went through the “Haves and the have nots” of New York City and my favorite piece from all the works we discussed in that unit would have to be In Arabia We’d All be Kings Stephen Adley Gurgis. This piece appealed to me more than the other’s because I thought that it was one of the more truthful depictions of New York, and one that I could relate to more than the others (definitely not to that extreme but you get what I mean). To me, the characters were very realistic, and you couldn’t help but feel bad for them, because they were trapped in their world of poverty which is very hard to break free from if everybody around you is the same way. Do The Right Thing by Spike Lee also had a parallel affect on me. Reflecting back on the film now, I realize that in the movie there were many racial subtleties that I had not noticed before. I adore Spike Lee (other than the fact that he is a die-hard Knicks fan) because I think he accurately depicts the racial tensions in a specific part New York during a specific time (sorry but I can’t leave this out since the season is finally starting, GO KNICKS!!!).

Although I did some-what like the first unit, I liked the immigration unit more than any of the others because after all, New York is the city of immigrants. Immigrants make up a large population of New York and I think that they are the one’s who give New York a lot of its unique culture. The heartfelt stories of the characters in Maria Full of Grace and In America, are what New York is made up of. New York can be both, a “City of Dreams or Urban Nightmare,” it depends all on what you make of it. In both of these movies, the main characters have to make the decision to move to New York in order to provide for a better life for themselves and their sons/daughters. On their journey’s to create a better life, they must endeavor through a myriad of obstacles, which is the reality for many New Yorkers.

My favorite piece of work this semester would have to be Asuncion, but I don’t really want to count that because I don’t think that it was really truthful to New York, all it did was make me laugh as there wasn’t too much meaning to the play. Discounting I would say that my favorite works for the semester would be those that I have already mentioned above. They are the views of New York which I find the most truthful.

All in all, I would again like to repeat myself saying that I really did appreciate this class for all of the art that it has exposed me to, and the opportunities that it has provided me with. Now I most definitely won’t say that I will be ritually attending the Opera, going to the museum, or attending a performance just for fun, I might actually think twice next time if an auspicious opportunity does present itself, which I believe is a big step for me.

Before I even started this class, upperclassmen left and right were telling me “You’re going to have so much fun in this seminar. It was my favorite one!” Indeed, they were all correct. This seminar was by far one of the best classes I’ve ever been in. We’ve been exposed to so many different kinds of great shows, plays and movies that I never would have given a second thought. I really gained a new perspective and learned a lot about New York from this seminar. Out of all of the units we’ve discussed, the Immigration unit had the most effect on me. Although I can’t relate to most of the characters we were introduced to, they taught me the importance of pursuing one’s dreams, no matter how difficult the journey can be.

My two favorite pieces of the semester were definitely Maria Full of Grace and Intringuilis. Maria Full of Grace, besides being a very entertaining movie, taught viewers that many people, especially immigrants, deal with great burdens everyday. The film was very realistic in showing that many teenagers in many countries go through extremes in order to survive. It also showed a darker side of New York, one that isn’t always optimistic, lively and fun. It gave me a better-rounded perspective on the city. More importantly, this movie gave me a new respect for immigrants. Intringuilis is similar to Maria Full of Grace in that the main characters are both immigrants coping with daily struggles when in New York. I was actually quite surprised with Carlo’s touching performance. I really wasn’t expecting much from this show, but I was extremely impressed by how he was able to pull off such a phenomenal show by himself. Carlo put the audience on an emotional roller coaster, with heartwarming scenes when he sings “Los Hermanos” (I hope that’s the name of the song!) to more carefree, relaxing scenes when he just casually drinks and plays cards. I admired how strong he was when arriving to America. As a teenager, he fought through loneliness and discrimination and still managed to make it as a successful actor, influencing people all around the country. Maria and Carlo were the two people who really intrigued and affected me throughout the semester.

Oh wow, I just realized, these two pieces also answer the second question to this blog. “Which view of New York City is the one you find most truthful?” I think they perfectly portray a very “truthful” side of New York. Unlike God of Carnage and The Matchmaker (these two plays both show a very trivial part of New York), these two pieces show that this city, as prosperous and glamorous as it may seem to many, it is also a place where people struggle and strive to fit in and live a normal life. It also shows that New York is a place that opens many new doors for people and allows them to start fresh. New York is a symbolism of hope and ambition for many.

On a final note, I’m really glad Macaulay offered this class to us. I really learned a LOT from this seminar, beyond the arts in this city. I’m going to miss attending all these amazing shows and performances (for free!!). I don’t think I’m ever going to come across an opportunity to see an opera such as Don Giovanni free of charge again. Although I didn’t exactly enjoy the performance, I still really appreciate the new experience. I doubt our next seminar will be nearly half as fun as this one, but who knows? I might be pleasantly surprised, just like I was with many of the works we’ve read and seen in this class.