Our Podcast’s Central Concept: Defining The Arts and New York City 

Our project is centered around New York City. More specifically, paisley and I chose to look at Washington Square Park for an inquiry of how art and New York City define one another. Thus, we propose “Washington Square Art”, an auditory project that focuses on the perspective of New Yorkers in relation to art. New York City is known for its artistic expression, serving as a cultural mecca. This leaves us with the driving question of how New York City defines art and how art defines New York City. We plan to make a podcast, recording the responses of New Yorkers and artists selling their work in Washington Square Park, to then analyze their different viewpoints. Paisley and I will be discussing the driving idea behind this project; that New York has a unique relationship with art. 

 

The Relationship of Our Podcast to Defining the Arts and New York City 

The material form of this project is a podcast which will discuss the role of art in its relation to New York City. The concept of the definitions of what art means to this city specifically highlights its relationship to the material form of the podcast. The podcast is a mix of a production of art and an analysis of art, presenting recordings of the interviews as well as our own take on the idea. Our podcast will allow us to explore the different realms of answers that we will be presented with. It gives an auditory break down of the different perspectives, whether coming from someone buying art, selling art, or just existing with the art. The podcast embodies this central idea in that it is creating another perspective. New York has so many different lifestyles and ideas. The presentation of a podcast with the element of these different perspectives leads us to a collective definition that is inspired by our own encounters. 

 

Communicating the Definitions of the Arts and New York City to the Audience 

We hope to communicate our ideas through the medium of podcasting. Kat and I will be guiding listeners through the experience we had of answering our thesis questions: How does New York City inform how people define art? How does art inform how people define New York City? First, we will introduce these questions and how IDC engendered them. Then, we will discuss the conversations we had with artists and viewers of art about these questions. Depending on what snippets we collect from people on the street, we will also be including the recordings of the conversations we had. Throughout the podcast, we will be talking about how these conversations, as well as what we have learned from class, have helped us answer these questions. We will then be concluding the podcast with our actual answers, or more specifically our definitions for art in terms of New York City and New York City in terms of art. The reason we chose podcasting as our medium is that answering this question, or defining these things, necessitates a conversation between New Yorkers, including those who are just residents and also those who are artists. Thus, a podcast properly conveys how people’s definitions may differ and it is the amalgamation of everyone’s experiences with the arts and New York City that allows us to answer these questions. 

 

The Audience’s Takeaways from the Podcast and the Definitions 

This first Macaulay Honors College seminar is literally called the Arts in New York City, a class in which we have learned about various art forms interacting with New York City. Through our exposure to the arts as we explore and learn about the city, we began to understand how interconnected the two things are. In other words, New York City would not be what it is without the arts and the arts in New York City would not be what they are without being centered in this spectacular city. Without this course, we are not entirely sure we would have understood the symbiotic relationship between the two. Thus, this podcast is meant to inform others about what we have learned. After encountering our podcast, we hope people will better understand this relationship and also continue to appreciate how each one has bettered the other. Hopefully, listening to this podcast will make listeners think about how the arts has informed their experiences in New York City as well as how New York City has informed their experiences with the arts. 

 

Our Inspiration for Washington Square Art

Meeting an artist at Washington Square Park inspired us to create this podcast.