We are approaching the end of the term. Please take some time to browse through the blog, look at the photos, the videos, the poetry and the written responses (both your own and others’), and think about the journey you took through the Arts in NYC. You might consider the specific lens of catastrophe and/or the theme of East Meets West but however you approach this final reflection, let the following questions guide you: What stands out for you now? What did you learn (about yourself,others, the arts, creating video projects, and the role of memorials). What do you think you will remember and what you are taking away?
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Without this seminar, I probably would not have had a chance to interact with other Lehman Macaulay students. We went to museums together, we went to concerts together, and we had dinners together prior to the events. I think it is really important that we had this opportunity because, Lehman being a commuter college, we otherwise would not have had a chance to bond.
It’s not just that I regarded the concert events as a social gathering. Every time we got tickets to the concerts, I was reminded of how lucky I am to be part of this program and have a chance to enjoy the culture in New York. I got to know jazz concerts and dance performances that were cheaper than I expected. So, maybe, if I am lucky enough again, I’ll try and attend those events again next year.
Another thing I really appreciated was that this seminar enabled each student to reveal their perspectives in various forms of media like poetry and videos. We are still slowly getting to know each other, but I think the assignments we had were a great start to sharing our stories.
Overall, this seminar was great. I really want my future Macaulay seminars to be as enjoyable as this one. A HUGE THANK YOU TO PROFESSOR PERL AND SAM 🙂
In my opinion, this seminar was a perfect way to start my college career. Not only was it fun, but I actually learned some stuff. Starting with all the works studied about 9/11, I learned the importance of memorials and the importance of arts. Two things I never thought were that important before. Studying 9/11 was eye opening, because we all lived through it, but we were so young that it was just a blurred memory. I didn’t understand the enormousness of the situation when I was younger. Now, I see it as a tragic world event.
What stood out for me in this class was definitely the different forms of media we used and saw to analyze each topic. Although very tedious, I especially liked using iMovie to create movies about ourselves and about the catastrophes that we picked. It was awesome to see everyone else’s projects, I thought it was a great way to end the semester.
This seminar not only taught me about the specific topics that we studied, but it also helped bring our freshman class together. I will definitely take the memories of all of our trips together along with me throughout college. Thanks Professor Perl and Sam for being awesome teachers!
Tim Migliore
From this seminar I learned quite a bit especially a lot about 9-11, which is an event that I remembered as a kid but fuzzily. The focus that we put on this subject made me understand the whole scope of the tragedy and I feel like we expertly scaled the mountain of knowledge on this subject. We certainly learned everything there is from almost all perspectives, but my most favorite one was learning it through the International Photography Museum
My only disappointment was that we did not get to see a Broadway play which I was looking forward to. I think there should be more macaulay trips together to places (that are mandatory). I certainly enjoyed going with the group to the Macaulay. I certainly feel that this course brought our group so close, our 1st day we barely knew each other, now we are pretty close with each other, and the course only helped. I also loved the idea of the professor being like a people person, going with us to all the events and even takings us out to lunch several times! Thank you professor Perl.
To be honest – maybe for next year there should be more video projects, because I really enjoyed making the Chernobyl video and even the poetry video.
Overall I really enjoyed the class and am very devastated that it all has come to an end. I hope our next Macaulay seminars take us out to events as groups again – I can’t see us breaking apart (outside of the classroom). Thank you for everything.
Timothy Migliore (Russian person – Freshman Macaulay 2011)
and of course thank you to Sam for everything else….
Taking this Seminar as a Macaulay freshman during the Fall semester was wonderful; it really gave us an opportunity to see the great things that Macaulay offers for us, as well as gave us a chance to bond. Most of us don’t have the same schedules outside of Seminar 1 and Professor Joseph’s class, so going to these fun events together really brought us closer together. Since we’re such a small group, I feel like it’s even more important that we stay close.
I love art, and this class has only strengthened my love for it. I had a great time making iMovies and reading poetry/literature in creative ways (such as the time we read out the poetry!) and overall, immersing ourselves into different forms of art, whether it was music, visual art, or the opera (which is also music, but still!) Looking at the different aspects of my classmates through their poems/videos reminded me of the fact that there is so much more than meets the eye in a person.
It was an amazingly fun experience. I learned so much about public art, (which I now keep my eyes on the lookout for when I explore the city!) and discovered that art is something I want to further explore. Next semester I registered for Ceramics with Lucas, and I am so excited! Thank you Professor Perl (and Sam) for making this seminar incredible and renewing our interests in the arts.
Art from the Ashes was such an amazing seminar. I would not have experienced half the things I did if it weren’t for this class. It had been years since I’d taken a class trip, my last time being sometime in middle school. Getting to experience it again, and in college, was just awesome. All the places that we visited together were beautiful. Every time I visit the ICP, the Met, an opera, Central Park, or the Transit Museum in the future, I will know that all of those places will hold a connection for us and I’ll think about how we once stepped through this room and sat in these seats together way back when. I know I will miss this class, and I want to thank Professor Perl and Sam for making it worth missing.
There is a degree of openness and freedom to a seminar class called Arts in New York City. The themes of loss and tragedy, guided by the events of 9/11, served as a strong guide to a class that could have otherwise been erratic because of the openness I mentioned before. The Submission was overall an easy read and applied very relevantly to our class discussions about 9/11. As the term came to an end, it was a good idea to Man on Wire because it reminded me that the twin towers served as a symbol of American dreams and does not always have to be associated with the attacks that brought them down. The cultural passport, which I used after our visit to the MET, inspired me to revisit some museums, which I had not been to in several years. Also, the musical events we attended sparked a major interest in the arts, which I did not think I had. The Lionel Loueke performance and the opera were by far the two best events we went to. Lionel Loueke’s concert was a fun, easygoing way to spend and evening. On the other hand, the opera was perfectly produced, preformed, and displayed a level of excellence that exceeded any of the other performances we attended. We revisited the 9/11 subject when we visited Gary’s studio apartment and observed his wife’s, Barbra Siegel, interesting piece dealing with the many missing-posters that existed downtown for weeks after the attack. The night also consummated the new friendship we have all made with one another. In a way, the first Macaulay seminar serves a primary purpose of brining us together in order to form lasting friendships, even though the material we studied this semester was very sad and depressing. The course effectively increased our aptitude with the Macbooks. The posts we had to make on our blog allowed us to freely observe our classmates’ opinions and draw from their ideas. The first movie project introduced the class to the wonders of imovie, which we all used incredibly well for the final research project. I’m sure we will all use this program in the future to impress friends and to make impressions in other classes. Also, there was a sense of support and community in this seminar course. It felt as if Professor Perl, Sam, and Gary were all there for us, and to some degree, held our hands through our first semester in college, which can be a highly volatile and changeable period of our educational careers. I can only hope that the future Macaulay seminars will be as open and enjoyable as this one. I am sure I will remember this course for the rest of my life; how could I forget it? For that I thank Professor Perl, Sam Han, Gary Schwartz, and all my classmates for such a memorable and enjoyable introduction into Macaulay!
This seminar has been a blast! As a texan, learning about 9/11 and how it has effected the people of New York has been more than enlightening. From the articles we read, to The Submission, I feel I have gained a deeper understanding about this catastrophe.
My favorite part of the seminar by far has been the cultural passport events we have privileged to attend. Going to concerts and museums are a pastime of mine, and I have just had the best time experiencing the Arts of NYC. I agree with Mr. Lawlor that the way in which the class was structured was very unique and engaging. We were able to learn so much about so many different topic using the broad concept of catastrophe to guide us. No class that I’ve been in has every used such an intuitive and creative sense of direction. All in all, I have loved this class and will miss it dearly. Professor Perl better teach a creative writing class when I’m a senior! Perl really is one of the sweetest women I have ever met. And thank you Sam for being a smart, cool technological fellow.
I think that this seminar has been a great experience. It was my first time encountering a lot of the art we explored in this class like the violin concert, Loueke’s concert, the Satyagraha opera, the ICP, and my favorite, fall for dance. Most of these things i might never have taken the time to experience but i am glad that i did. I hope that i can see fall more dance events like fall for dance. Learning how to use iMovie, and this macbook in general, has been really helpful. I like how we did not only explore art, we created some of it ourselves.
Having 9/11 as the topic of this seminar was a great idea. The timing was perfect since we began with the 10th anniversary of the event. There were so many events and exhibits that allowed memories and accounts of that day resurface and help us understand the true significance of 9/11 in this country. Not only that but the end of this course also marks the “official end” of the war in Iraq, so it is really interesting to have our studies reflected so presently in today’s society.
I also think that we should have seen a broadway play but that just gives us all an incentive to see one soon. I really appreciated the time we all had to become closer as a class, it has made this experience all the more fruitful and i look forward to our future seminars together. Still, I will miss professor perl and sam, the leaders of this wonderful seminar.
This course was a wonderful way to start off what will hopefully be four wonderful years at Macaulay. It was nice to be reminded of the importance of the city as an artistic hub and to also be exposed to art forms I hadn’t experienced before, such as the opera. I think everyone discovered a love or interest in something they’d been introduced to thanks to the course. I feel everyone was a little more open to attending Satyagraha, such an unconventional event because of Professor Perl’s enthusiasm for it –which was quite obvious and contagious.
I myself enjoyed learning about those who will be my companions through assignments like the digital stories, which made us say more than we probably would ever have in an everyday conversation. The bonding we also did as a result of all the artistic events we attended together also helped us get to know each other a little better.
I found the subject matter (9/11 and ‘Art out of the Ashes’) to be really interesting and glad that I we explored the subject matter at this time in history, right when the catastrophe we all probably feel closest to faced its 10th anniversary. I think the assignments like the timeline or the reading of poetry inspired by the attacks allowed us to see the historical importance of the event while also being shown the capabilities of art forms to better allow us as communities to come to terms with what we experience.
All in all, I like everyone else, enjoyed the Seminar very much– after all, what’s not to like?
Thank you to Professor Perl and Sam for everything, and best of luck on future endeavors!
During the three months in this seminar, I had a lot of experiences on various kinds of art, and most of them were very meaningful to me because they were my first ones. With my classmates, I visited many museums including Met museum, and watched a lot of performances such as dance, jazz, and opera. It was fun experiences to go to many artistic events together. I learned a lot from hearing friends’ comments after watching performances or exhibitions. These experiences taught me how to enjoy the arts. As I exposed myself to many kinds of art in New York City, I found the city where I was living in was such a great place to enjoy.
I guess the term “Artistic Responses” is what I heard and thought about the most during the seminar. I learned about some tragic events like 9/11 and found a lot of artworks responding to the events, such as the novel ‘The Submission’. While working on my final project, I thought arts were the most complex but clear ways of expressing feelings on the event, and this artist’s works responding to the tragedy would be used to inform new generations. Looking at all artistic responses during the seminar changed my perception that arts are so difficult that they are not related to our daily lives but to the unknown world.
It was such a great time to have those experiences in a class. I definitely feel that I learned a lot from this seminar.
This was my first college class (by which I mean it was the first I had the opportunity to take). It was fun; we laughed, we cried, we went to various artistic functions such as a Phillip Glass Opera, a Daniel Hope performance, a museum, another museum, Barbara’s studio, fall for dance and a jazz performance. I really liked this course overall. I never truly had a good grasp on the way art/pop-culture interacts with the real world or vice-versa. It was very interesting to actually take a look at the way tragedy can help create art/pop-culture. That was the main theme, but there was self-exploration (digital story), reflection on recent history (9/11), introduction to dance and opera and live violin/Sitar/drum thing performance that I am not sure how to classify into a genre or medium so here is this over-bloated description to properly compensate. I really enjoyed this class and will miss you professor Perl… not you Sam… you know what you did… you started a class of your own that didn’t literally fill up in less than 3 hours (that wasn’t a joke, your non-fiction class actually did that). So thank you for being a wonderful and enthusiastic teacher.
-Lucas
Also suggested word counts for responses is recommended should this class be taught by you again next semester. Bye
The title of the class befitted well the experience that I got from the class. In the seminar class, we talked about the different kind of arts out there and sampled it a bit in class before seeing an actual live performance. I enjoyed how students were able to bring their own experience in the arts to further the conversation. The first part on 9/11 and memorial was an interesting topic to study because it is very current and the book further illustrates how their is conflict over the art that is produced to memorialize the tragedy. I never really studied 9/11 through the memorial process so I definitely learned a lot regarding the criteria that are need for a memorial. When we plunged into music, dance and singing performances, I felt intellectually inadequate but I was still able to enjoy the talent which stood out to me and moved me a lot. My favourite trip was to see Fall for Dance because I had heard how exciting it was in class that when I finally saw I felt that my curiosity was satisfied. Dance taught me how strong the body is and how the body can move in such varied yet elegant manners. The dancers showed complete mastery and drew in the crowd with their enthusiasm. The dinner at Gary’s felt like a complete circle and I was taken away by the size and the complexity of the work of art. Ultimately, it is funny to see how I came into the class with one perspective of 9/11 and came out with another one. On a last note, the fact that the class was engaging and fun was because of two factors. We had a professor who knew how to present the arts in NYC and how to guide through the arts through in class presentations. Diversity was also a strong presence in our class. Not only were some of us from different parts of the world but a lot of us were talented in their own art whether is was in photography, the violin or in the piano. I will definitely miss one of my first college seminars and I will remember the shows, the laughs, and the arts from the ashes. A tip of the hat for Dr. Han who has also made the seminar run smoothly.
Looking back, I feel a sense of contentment; this class brings a smile to lips. I learned that I prefer projects to papers. I learned that I liked physically going and experiencing the arts rather than just talking about the arts. And I recognized my rare “quiet” side. I wish we could have a seminar like this one every other semester; it’s not only because it was so engaging but also because the class that connected me to our small class.
I liked that Professor Perl incorporated so many different art styles and topics. From Daniel Hope’s “East Meets West” to Fall for Dance to the jazz to Satyagraha, we were exposed to genres that most of us were unfamiliar with. They left a great impression on me. The class has also motivated me to start making an effort to experience the arts myself. Making these artistic visits mandatory endured that we had to interact with each other in new environments. I feel a bit sad because I feel that we’re not going to hang out as much as we did this semester. But still I’m glad we had a small moment in our college career that we can appreciate; I’m taking away those moments.
My first seminar at Macaulay: Arts in NYC was different from any other course I have ever taken. In high school the only art class I took was dance class – if that counts. And although I have not had much exposure to the kind of art studied throughout the course of this year I will say that I have always kept an open mind about all of the topics. Art is an adjunct to culture. And culture is always interesting to me. The 9/11 art from the ashes, the two films the class viewed downtown at the Macaulay building, the African guitar player, the concert, and Satyagraha plus the numerous trips to the museum were all part of an experience that made this course significant from any of the others I took this semester.
Technology was another significant aspect of this course. The opportunity to learn the basics of imovie and the blog, and being forced to use them as sources provided me with a new advantage – a new skill. I enjoyed putting together the visual projects because it was a way to educate the class in a new and more interesting way than simply reading and listening to my writing – which is what I loved about this seminar. Educating my peers and learning from them has a greater impact than having a professor as the main source in the classroom.
I suppose what I did not enjoy about this course were the things I was unable to fully experience, whether it was because of poor time management or just my inability to attend. The clearest example being the blog posts. Blog posting was new for me and, although it is a very important skill, it – to a certain extent – limited the amount of interest I had in the course. Something about being able to hear the experience of others and discuss it verbally in the classroom is more appealing than posting in blogs online. But it is the direction of technology and it is just as important to keep up with technology, as it is to share these experiences. Combining the two is what blogs are about and the ability to comprehend an experience through a blog post, I suppose, is the skill that is so important to acquire – one that I have not yet fully acquired.
In closing, I will say that for any incoming freshmen this course will be just as new and interesting for them as it has been for me. The assignments are innovative, requiring physical activity as well as intellectual thought, which is for the most part different from the kind of assignments given throughout high school and require more independence and self-motivation than the field trips that sparingly take place throughout the institution of secondary education.
I could not have anticipated the enriching experience of this seminar.
The “Arts In NYC” was a seminar unlike anything I’ve taken before. This seminar provided me the opportunity to visit museums, experience the opera, attend musical and dance performances, and understand art in a different light in regards to catastrophe. I was able to use iMovie and work with basic video editing during the poetry video project and the the research project. I also enjoyed the readings which were rich and exposed me to ideas which I never thought of before. Although it was somewhat dense, Susan Sontag’s writing on photography made me appreciate photography in a different yet more philosophical way due to Sontag’s abstract discussion of photography. I also picked up a nice poetry writing technique, which is to write a paragraph of prose and break the paragraph into lines to create a structure of poetry. I used to have hard time writing poetry before in its typical structure, but this method which Professor Perl introduced to me made the process a lot easier. And I used this method to write my “I Am From” poem for my video project.
But what I appreciated the most from this course was the discussion of 9/11. After a decade, I talked about the tragedy of the Twin Towers with 19 other classmates who were complete strangers to me at first. But we shared this calamity that happened early in our academic life, and were able to discuss the catastrophe with each other. I will remember the times when we shared our feelings about 9/11. I will remember the moments of silence we shared and the bonds we made through our unified commemoration. And I will remember how we synched despite having different backgrounds and upbringing, which reminded me that we are all capable of feeling loss, shock, and the need to move on after a calamity like any human beings. 10 years from now, I will look back and remember how I was able to talk to the 19 classmates about 9/11 and was able to bond with them through this seminar despite being total strangers to each other from the beginning. My thanks go to Professor Perl for leading us through this wonderful course.
I think this was the most innovative seminar overall. With its emphasis on trips to NYC, it gave plenty of time for our small band of 20 to bond together and become friends. I think a seminar like this is ideal to facilitate interaction amongst a large group because we meet twice a week. If we were to never visit the many places were required to visit, we would most likely have smaller groups of friends forming instead of 1 large group.
Aside from interaction with people, the project that stood out the most was Daniel Hope’s East Meets West, which was just really surprising because of my previous dislike of Indian Music. Again, I am sure I would not have enjoyed the piece without friends by my side. Because I was never too focused the arts (primarily because of my lack of skill at it, and a demanding schedule in high school), I never thought I could appreciate the beauty of the varied art pieces. Visiting so many art museums, seeing opera, and fall for Dance, and the ICP’s photographs, made me realize that in spite of my lack of skill, I can still appreciate art.
I think one of the new things I learnt in the class was using iMovie. This is a tremendous advantage in comparison to the traditional powerpoint presentation employed to inform about research material. I listened to talk on TED called, “Dance Your Phds,” where the presenter said that new means for communication were necessary. I think iMovie will be a great help to me in the future and I cherish my ability to edit.
This seminar was a very memorable experience for me. I learned so much about the city, and about different forms of art and photography and the seminar brought our little class closer together because we got to spend so much time together outside of school.
I really enjoyed the opportunity to visit museums and go to performances in the city because I don’t know if that is something I would have had the opportunity to do as much on my own. My two favorite trips were Daniel Hope’s “East Meets West,” and our trip to the MET museum (a place I have since gone back to and plan on going again). I never thought I’d be one to enjoy violin, but Hope’s concert opened my eyes to it and it was a great experience. And even though I will probably never be able to go to the MET without getting lost at least once, it is an amazing place and I learned so much there.
Also, because I love reading and writing, I really enjoyed the chance to read and discuss and blog about The Submission. The whole topic of tragedy and art from the ashes was eye-opening and really beneficial. I liked how we explored tragedy from an artistic point of view and how we focused a lot on how people recover from tragedy. It seems that people sometimes skip over that part when learning about tragedy. We know about the event, and sometimes we know there is a memorial or a museum about it, but what about other the artwork, or photography, or music, or lesser monuments that have been developed in an effort to commemorate the event? It was a great opportunity to be able to learn about those.
And of course, I am so grateful to have learned how to use imovie. It was such a daunting task at the beginning of the semester but with Sam’s help, it all worked out. I had a lot of fun making my “Where I’m From” movie as well as watching my classmates movies.
Overall, this seminar was such a great experience as a freshman who (even though I have no excuses) hasn’t spent much time in the city. Thanks so much to Professor Perl and Sam for making this seminar what it is!
This was actually my favorite class this semester. Going to museums, operas, musical events was such a pleasure. I enjoyed learning about photography through our snapshot day and through our museum trips. The Submission was a great choice because we were able to see the continuation of “art from the ashes” through a book. My absolute favorite thing about this class were the projects. I never thought I would be able to use i-movie or any software to create short videos so that was an accomplishment. It was also a great experience to learn about my classmates and various catastrophes in that way. Prior to this class I never thought about the artistic response to disaster, but its a fascinating topic, and I’m glad we had the chance to study it. Another common theme in our semester was “East Meets West.” I loved Daniel Hope’s concert and the sitar and tabula were outstanding, its a performance I really enjoyed. Aside from that we examined how sometimes cultures can class (especially in beginning when we were studying 911). “Man On Wire” was a great film, and I’m so glad I got to see it in context with 911 and the study of art from the ashes
It was an amazing experience to start off college with such a wonderful class. My friends in other colleges lack this opportunity to roam New York City and explore the inner workings of what makes this city great. I have grown up in New York City and I have had time to tour the city’s amazing arts. However, I have never taken a class specifically on the arts in New York.
I was fully interested in the class from the first time we visited the International Center of Photography. I have to admit, I am completely fascinated by anything photography. Almost like a kid in a candy store. Visiting the ICP was inspiring not only because of the amazing photos that filled its walls, but also the readings we reviewed in class. Susan Sontag’s writing was a great revitalization in one of my favorite pastimes.
It was a great way to meet all the great people in the Macaulay Program, while finding new interests in Opera and Jazz. One of the best aspects of the class was the mere introduction of several different types of arts. Not merely visual arts. Not just preforming arts. It was a mixture of both, and that is what makes this class great.
Thank you so much Professor Perl! Your fascination with the arts made this class uniquely wonderful! All the projects, all the assignments, all the museum visits, and all the musical events were phenomenally fascinating. Thank you so much for your inspiring attitude towards the arts. Thank you so much Sam!!