2013 Arts in the City

Street Vendors in NYC

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Throughout the interview and our experience in the streets, we learned that these people endure many injustices, harsh treatments and even neglect from the different kinds of authorities when they want any kind of change to happen. This was when we researched and found out that the Street Vendor Project has become an initiative in which these dedicated entrepreneurs have a space to voice their opinions and hopefully/eventually correct the social and economic injustices they are currently forced to deal with. This project provides this venue for these workers by holding clinics to educate them about their legal rights. They organize vendors to participate in the political process that determines, a lot of the times, their fate. In addition to this, they also engage in advocacy to help policy makers and the public understand the important role street vendors play in the life of, not only the economy, but also of our city. Overall, this project, which is part of the Urban Justice Center (an association that serves NYC’s most vulnerable residents by providing them legal services, advocacy, and general education about anything they desire to know more about) seeks to bring all of these hard working men and women together to create a movement for permanent change. They’re simply demanding more power and more respect. The reason being for these agencies is that they feel like they must defend the rights of those “who are overlooked or turned away by other organization”. After learning the truths behind this job, I learned that, even though I’ve complained about their presence at times, I can now truly appreciate the things they do for this city. It is not easy an easy job and actually standing up for so many hours doesn’t make it any better/more bearable.

Representative to abstract, then from abstract to insightful…

The concept of changing representative things into an abstract form of art was something I hadn’t seen before. It was pretty clever the way the artists also protested through those works of art. I was also able to appreciate a bit more the Iranian culture in the sense that they took censorship as their drive to new creations of art. Based on our conversations and what we learned from the guide, poetry at that time wasn’t a free form of art, therefore, finding painting as a venue to still voice poetry and the messages behind it was, I thought, an authentic form of expressing oneself.

Dance…dance…dance :)

Not only was the theater gorgeous, but the performances themselves were of great quality. I truly enjoyed the tap dancing. Those tend to be the kind of performances that set the standards pretty high for the rest of the night. I did see that that night as well. All of the different rhythms and beats the performers conveyed through that wooden floor made me sit at the edge of my chair. I consider myself to be a crazy romantic, and seeing that Motown theme on the next performance was very enjoyable. The couples danced so beautifully together. Although I was sitting far away from them, I could sense the connection they all had through dancing. I did enjoy the rest of the performances, but the highlights of my night were the tap dancing and the Motown segment.

My favorite Shakespeare play of all times…

Puck in my opinion did a great job. The actress did not overdo the acting that was expected of her. She was exaggerated, however, I think that was what Shakespeare was attempting to show through this character; mockery of human actions with a taste of wisdom.  The interactions between the four lovers was portrayed beautifully making them fun, but they also dealt with real life situations. The kids did an amazing job at decreasing whatever tension would build up within the characters. The acting of Hippolyta and Thesus was very royal-like, but they did not include the arrogant part that usually comes from the folks that are part of the upper class.

First time at the Opera

Because it was the first time I had had that kind of experience , I did not really know what to expect. But as the evening progressed, I became more intrigued with what Richard Strauss had written for his audience. The music captivated my attention right away. I tend to listen to a variety of classical music, especially while I am studying. I also consider myself to have pretty good memory when it comes to recognizing the songs I’ve heard, and what fascinated me is that all of the music that reached that ears that night was new. I definitely feel like this was a new experience to me in every sense.

Act 3, scene 1

The play overall took a very interesting modern turn in the sense that costumes, for instance, were no where near my expectations. It wasn’t a bad thing, in fact, I liked the way the director decided to adapt the play to more current times. The lines from act 3, scene 1 I chose were represented fairly well. Mercutio’s dominant performance throughout these few lines was, again, vivid and very touching. Seconds before he died, he said the famous phrase that predicts the outcome of everyone’s irrational actions. Actions that shouldn’t only be attributed to the lustful love of young Romeo and Juliet, but also to their rival parents and society as a whole. Not only did his words summarize one of the main themes of the play, but also his death was very symbolic. It started a trend in Verona that neither the Capulets nor the Montagues could halt. Slowly but surely, we see the decay of this society because the youth starts to die. We know that without young people, there isn’t a civilization that can thrive.

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

“I know we can do better than that”.
These words were said by a man who had been denied the opportunity to attend college, despite that he personally supported the working class of his time to obtain an education. In my opinion, and this it what makes the Pratt Institute an iconic place, Charles Pratt was the most humanistic philanthropist ever known. He was also one of the richest men in the history of Brooklyn. He endowed and founded the Pratt Institute in 1886. One of the things that made this man and his institution incredibly special was that it was one of the first colleges in the country open to all people regardless of color, class, and gender. Although he didn’t acquire such a high quality education himself, he was able to foresee how valuable such investment would be.
The first few educational programs offered by the Institute included engineering, architecture and fine arts. Pratt believed in the betterment of society through education and he always acted for the greater good of all, which makes him a unique individual. His generosity, his good intentions and hard-working nature made it possible for him and his Institute to become highly prestigious. Today, Pratt Institute offers undergraduate as well as Master’s degree programs in a variety of fields, but it’s most famous for the architecture, interior design and industrial design programs. Nowadays Princeton Review recognizes it as “one of the best colleges in the northeast, making it among the top 25% of all four-year colleges and universities in the United States.”

Art is expressive…

In my opinion nothing in New York City, not even a corner, lacks expressiveness. This means that it was hard for me to find something that would depict the opposite of it. So it is why I chose “repressed” as the antonym for expressive. The second picture clearly shows how the cement track is acting as a barrier for the plant’s full development. As seen on the first picture, unfortunately, not everything that is expressive conveys a positive, happy, or joyful message. This flower is expressing exhaustion, indicating that its life cycle is culminating- and yet it managed to capture my full attention and steal my admiration. Its beauty entangled my words and thoughts. Despite it symbolizing the end of a life, to me, its wisdom and experience in this world radiated more beauty than ever before.