If I were to create an art exhibit in NYC, I think I would take advantage of the bus shelters and the banners just like Ai WeiWei. Instead of focusing on people, I think I would show pictures and maps of buildings. In our previous assignments we got to research and take notice of building and maps that are way different than they are today. I think it would look really awesome to have those photographs hanging around the current sky scrapers. This would also be a tribute to all of the buildings that had to be torn down in order for the new ones to be built. It would be a way to remember the past and allow for everyone to see what the world used to look like on a daily basis. It was really interesting to visit the library and see all of the old images and plans for buildings that aren’t around today. It would also show what the city could have looked like, and I think it would definitely get people to think about the changes that we make to the city today. Unlike Ai WeiWei, I would like to use color in my art work. I want my images to have a brighter and happier theme so I think I would need to use bright colors. It would also grab everyone’s attention. I walked past Ai’s work a million times but I’ve never noticed it until this weekend. I want my exhibit to be noticed and talked about.
This banner depicts Arnold Schoenberg. He was a jewish artist and music composer that had to flee the Nazis. Its important to realize how art has been restricted for so many years by different governments. I feel grateful to know that I have the freedom to express myself however I want. Many people over the centuries have had to fear for their lives when expressing themselves in different art forms because they threatened government control. This banner #63 is located right on Church St. and Liberty St. downtown of Manhattan. Its on Liberty ST. right in front of 4 World Trade Center. Most people take pictures of the building and completely miss the art work right in front of it.
This is a photograph of a refugee. This piece of art is very important because because we all need to remember that our ancestors were once immigrants trying to escape the hardships of their country and build a better life here in NYC. This piece of art represents all of the refugee camps that Ai and his team have visited around the world. The black and white represents the uncertainties of being a refugee and not knowing what awaits you every day. They often have t live in fear of being caught and arrested. This Banner #180 is on Trinity Place, right after Liberty St. It stands on a poll thats placed between the 2 traffic lanes and faces towards the southmost part of manhattan.
“Ai created this portrait from a suite of images by Augustus Sherman, an amateur photographer and Bureau of Immigration clerk at Ellis Island” You can find this banner #31 if you walk down Broadway and then turn East onto Fulton. The banner hangs right over the Pret A Manger store and almost blends in with the building.
I really connected to your post when you mentioned that you would take advantage of the freedoms we possess in the United States, especially as it relates to immigrants leaving their countries to have an opportunity to live a better life and be able to express their political and religious beliefs without fear of persecution. Great blog!
I really appreciate your post since many times people just claim that “history doesn’t matter” when it certainly does. I also think that the Augustus Sherman Ellis Island image was intriguing since I could not even imagine the amount of emotions that Sherman must have encountered as a the photographer at Ellis Island. Great post!