Situated in the savvy New York Times Center building was the all important “Arts Forum,”  featuring Leslie Koch, president of the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation, sponsored by the not-for-profit organization called Alliance for the Arts. This was a very informative presentation for the public and especially the constituents of Governors Island (such as resident artists, emerging artists, lovers of this vacation spot) because it delineated not only the progress Governors Island has seen in the last 4 years but also the master plan for the future.

The title of Ms. Koch’s presentation was “Governors Island: Creating New York City’s Newest Playground for the Arts,” unveiling the nature of activities and programs prominent on this island. From sculpture-making events to art galleries and music concerts to dance festivals, this island is a perfect venue for the arts. However, the developers of Governors Island refuse to stop there. In their master plan, they strive to include a greater variety of activities to attract New Yorkers. For example, this summer they are planning an event around unicycles and other carnival-related acts.

It was interesting to note that the audience of this event was an adult population in their late 20’s to their early 50’s who were either artists, education leaders, or ardent fans of this beautiful island. Following Ms. Koch’s presentation was a reception where I had the great opportunity to meet and chat with these creative constituents of Governors Island. A theater artist by occupation and a lovely person by nature, Mary Tiery has been involved with Governors Island since its early beginnings. She is one of the many talented residents who puts up theater plays for visitors of Governors Island and is in the process of securing her place again to present her play called, “Women at War.” Another lady I met was Jane Rubinsky, a writer and editor who worked for Julliard Performing Arts School for 15 years. Coincidently, her father was in the Coast Guard and so lived on Governors Island. She is now currently putting together a proposal for a newsletter for the New York Harbor School that is being shifted from Brooklyn to Governors Island. She is intrigued by the school’s focus both because of her dad’s nautical path, her own love of the water, and  her longtime involvement in education.

I am really glad I had the chance to attend this wonderful event because not only did I get to know what is potentially in store for the future of Governors Island but also got to meet amiable artists who are creative and friendly. I am really looking forward to visiting this island this summer since it’s really a diamond in a mine that the city of New York is finally polishing.

“What is a city?” by Lewis Mumford, “A Contemporary City” by Le Corbusier, “Broadacre City: A New Community Plan” by Frank Lloyd Wright, and “The City Image and its Elements” by Kevin Lynch all had a futuristic feel to the writing. While the first selection strived to put a city into meaningful words, the next two readings explored what a city could or should be – presenting specific visions, and the last one offered technicalities of a city.  

Usually when one thinks of a city, a cluster of buildings comes to mind but Mumford expels this misconception and presents a unique description, “a city is a geographic plexus, an economic organization, an institutional process, a theatre of social action, and an aesthetic symbol of collective unity.” This definition covers the city on many levels such as geographic, economic, and social. Another characteristic that comes to mind when thinking of a city is overpopulation. To deal with this problem, Le Corbusier presents his seemingly contradictory but logical vision which is to augment the density of people yet have open spaces. Although I am not sure how this is possible, I did like his idea of separating traffic since “a city made for speed is made for success.” 

Author Kevin Lynch made an interesting point about making sense of a city through its landmarks. Come to think of it, so many times when we decide to meet up with a friend, we specify the location in relation to a landmark. “Let’s meet up by the clock in Union Square!” might be one of the many phrases you used or have heard of before. In general, these four readings gave a nice overview and set the tone of future material!

This is my third time posting a brief biography about myself for CHC. And so, I have decided that this time I won’t mention my academic status since we all are sophomores anyway nor disclose my major – not until the end anyway, just for fun!

For starters, my name is Kanushree Jain and my hometown is Flushing, Queens since I was 2 years old. Right from elementary, I detested art projects and enjoyed playing with numbers. Thus, I thought I was more on the mathematical side than the creative side. However, I soon discovered my passion for the performing arts, specifically dancing. In fact, last summer I had the privilege to intern at Elisa Monte Dance Company and received free dance classes at Alvin Ailey. Next summer, I plan to intern at the Irish Arts Center as a management/accounting intern, which will combine my passion and my major, Accounting!