As our first Macaulay seminar trip, the Rauschenberg exhibit at MoMA set the bar for what would follow. The lecture on Robert Rauschenberg that we had prior to visiting came in very useful as it gave some background knowledge into the type of work we would be seeing and from what part of time. I didn’t that a museum guide would be showing us around, so that was great as well. Her commentary on all the pieces of the exhibit was actually very helpful. MoMA stands for Museum of Modern Art and that’s exactly what I felt like it was showcasing. The building architecture and internal layout gave a very modern vibe and it felt more like a building than a museum. The exhibit itself was something I didn’t expect. It consisted of pieces that Rauschenberg made from things he just found on the streets, like cardboard and the goat. Although from afar it would be easy to brush off his work as not significant, once I got closer and actually thought about the work, many different thoughts came to my mind. I started thinking about a lot of different things, things that must’ve came to Rauschenberg or maybe that’s just the beauty of his work. That it’s open to the individual and it’s up to the individual to decide on the meaning of the work that they want to take with them. The center piece in one of the halls, was the preserved goat. I didn’t actually imagine it being a big as it was. I mean how would’ve thought to make an art piece out of that. This unexpectedness and subtle randomness to Rauschenberg’s work is what intrigued me. It forced me to think a way about art that I wouldn’t normally. It allowed me to have a new perspective toward everything I see, which I now all view as art.
