Feature Article — Million Dollar Begging

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Million Dollar Begging

In September 2007, Radiohead stunned fans and executive music producers alike, when they chose to release their album, In Rainbows, without a record label and without a price tag solely through their website, Radiohead.com. Instead of following in accord with the understood and common practice of the multi billion-dollar industry, this innovative band decided to place the pricing gun in the hands of their listeners, giving the fans the power to name their price for the anticipated product. “Pay what you want,” the popular band instructed.

Since 2010, Amanda Palmer, a high-browed, loud-mouthed artist, has been broadcasting this same message to her small, but fiery fan base. Scheduled to perform on November 22 and November 23 with her husband, Neil Gaiman, in New York City’s Town Hall, this revolutionary punk-cabaret singer is not afraid of asking for the funds and resources she needs. On her website, Amandapalmer.net, Palmer invites lovers and haters of her music to promote her art and further her message by asking them to provide any type of financial support they can. Donating=loving she proclaims – borrowing the phrase from her friend Maria Popova’s blog. As Palmer notes, this is what she is all about. She wants to rebuild the lost connection between artist and consumer. She wants to bring back the voluntary fan backing of an artist. Desirous to maintain an emotional connection with her audiences, and fearless of the repercussions, Palmer has professionalized the act of extending her hand in a humble gesture of beggary, in return, receiving, not only countless couches to crash on, but also more than a million dollars in accumulated donations.

In a multi-billion dollar industry, fueled by sales and protected copyrights, Palmer plays the disregarded social recluse who possesses fantastical ideals of togetherness and unabated kindness with her fans. This avant-garde artist further goes against the industrial giant in her promotion of torrenting, downloading and file sharing amongst listeners of her art; embodying the beggar’s hat that once stood at her feet as a street performer in the early 2000s. In her Ted talk, “The Art of Asking”, Palmer shares with the audience that she does not want to make people buy her music, she wants to let them. She wants to provide fans with the opportunity to put their trust in her. She wants to form a multitude of kinships based on mutual respect and understanding. Help me help you. Despite the childishly optimistic connotation of this sentiment, Palmer’s financial strategy has actually proved to withstand the test of a reality filled of greed. In 2012, Palmer’s month long Kickstarter campaign for her album, “Theater is Evil”, raised $1,192,793 in fan donations. This unprecedented crowd funded total exceeded her expectations by more than ten percent, proving her art of “begging” was not as unreliable as one would normally believe.

Despite the immense success of her Kickstarter campaign, Palmer was thrown harsh criticisms and inquires about her expenditures after she continued to ask for charitable donations and free labor. In response to said criticisms, Palmer provided her fans and haters with a long winded, heated blog post which provided detailed – though estimated – mathematical calculations (addition, subtraction, and percentages) based on all of her acquired expenses including: distributing her music, touring, living, and paying her large, but personal staff. “In reality,” she pondered, “I could send you all cheap-ass jewel case CDs, fire my staff, make a cheap book on xerox paper, and tour just with a solo piano, with no crew, no band and RAKE IN THE DOUGH…but the products would suck and the tour would be a solo piano tour and nobody would ever trust me again.” With this sentiment, Palmer reintroduces her reasoning and rational for raising funds through donations instead of through sales.

Money is needed in order to excel in the entertainment industry, but acquiring this vital money does not have to be an emotionless exchange between artist, producer, and consumer. Artist can take a stance in how they want to generate their funds, and how they want to allocate such funds. Trust, love and emotion, Palmer ultimately argues, can be put back into the artist and consumer relationship. In controlling her own finances, Palmer gains the responsibility and power to do whatever she wants with the donations she receives – only in good faith does she allocate the funds according to the desires and interests of her contributors. Because she is backed by her fans, and not by a record label, Palmer is given full control over her art – no one can tell her what she can and cannot do.

This risky yet rewarding, vulnerable yet empowering, optimistic yet forthcoming form of financial generation fosters “the help me help you” relationship Palmer so greatly yearned for when she initially began crowd funding. Like the revolutionary bands before her, such as Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, Palmer is looking to her fans and letting them decide how much her music is worth. She is letting them decide for themselves whether they want to fund the continuation of her career. In their hands she vulnerably lies. I am putting my faith in you, she is saying, hopefully you will catch me if I fall, but I will not force you to do so. In an idealistic world, Palmer would be able to provide her fans with free entertainment, but because the industry she has chosen to make her living in prevents her from doing so, she has adopted this next best form of give and exchange.

 

Works Cited

“Amanda Palmer: The Art of Asking.” TED Talks. TED. California, Mar. 2013. Ted.com. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking.html>.

“Amanda Palmer: Visionary or Egotist?” The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jun/22/amanda-palmer-visionary-egotist-interview>.

Edidin, Sarah. “The Art of Asking Why We Hate Amanda Palmer.” Web log post. Wired.com. N.p., 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/03/amanda-palmer-2/>.

GingerTom. “They Walk Amongst Us.” Rec. Apr. 2013. The Walk Amongst Us.

Sisario, Ben. “Giving Love, Lots of It, To Her Fans.” Nytimes.com. New York Times, 2 June 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/arts/music/amanda-palmer-takes-connecting-with-her-fans-to-a-new-level.html>.

Tyrangiel, Josh. “Radiohead Says: Pay What You Want.” TIME.com. N.p., 01 Oct. 2007. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1666973,00.html>.

“WHERE ALL THIS KICKSTARTER MONEY IS GOING, by Amanda Fucking Palmer.” The Official Website of Amanda Fucking Palmer Yes It Is Amanda Palmer. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://amandapalmer.net/blog/where-all-this-kickstarter-money-is-going-by-amanda/>.

Feature Article: How Do Video Games Fit Into Art?

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The most wonderful thing about art is that no one truly knows what art is. Its creative expression and general free nature means that anything one makes “creatively” is art. This begins to raise the question of where it ends. Video games have recently garnered respect as art when the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art included video games in its museum. This is a new development and a great way to show that art is formless. Video games were always portrayed in a negative light, as if always conflicting with education and the arts. One has to wonder if video games are even art, let alone if they belong in museums.  Video games are a valid form of art because of the various parallels one can draw between video games and other forms of art.

The first question people might come up with is whether video games are even art. Art has no true definition and cannot be quantified. The line has to be drawn somewhere and I think people have unfairly drawn the line at video games. But people with artistic intent make video games. People who wish to express themselves and bring their inner dreams and visions come to life. Each video game has its own unique style that separates it from the others, just as paintings do. I think the only qualification necessary to be art is to be made with creative passion. I think modern art is a good example because it shows something does not have to be pretty in order to be considered art. There are some very strange modern art paintings that may or may not make sense to us and may or may not be visually appealing. But those pieces of modern art are still art because they express something in some form. Not every piece of art has to be a painting or a conventional sculpture. I remember seeing a mop and a bucket sculpture at the Brooklyn Museum being called art. As such when a video game developer painstakingly converts numerous binary codes into a picture and then video, I do not understand how one cannot call it art. Video games also create a narrative and take you to places. Just one can get lost in the beauty and complexity of a painting, the same can happen in a video game. For example, in a video game where you drive a car, there is a narrative that takes you from point A to B. It is that personal imagination which makes a video game experience similar to seeing a painting. Art is for the open minds that can appreciate the artistic appeal of it, not narrowly dismiss it because it unconventional.

The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art has fourteen video games and one console on display. It focuses on the old games to really show the history behind video game development just as museums show a lot of ancient paintings. It really shows how art has evolved and video games have come very far from their humble origins. Each video game at the MOMA has a story as well. Taito’s Space Invaders for example was immensely popular in Japan, so much so that Japan had a shortage of 100-yen coins. It then hit stateside and conquered the arcade industry. It was like a famous painting that spurred a revolution in art. More recent games at the MOMA like Mojang’s Minecraft show the evolution of gaming. It is still very simple and has “retro” graphics but nonetheless shows innovation in the video game scene. It improves upon the simple 2-D games of the past. It again shows that video games are art because art changes, it evolves and reinvents itself. Sometimes it looks back to older styles like how Minecraft has this classic feel. Video games have a long established history and should thus be included.

Critics of video games being considered art sight various reasons. For one, video games cannot be looked at and enjoyed the same way a painting or sculpture can. Video games do not fall into the norm according to viewpoints like this. But the thing is though is that video games can still be looked at and enjoyed. It may not be the same as a painting, but one can still look at the graphics and the gameplay to see how expressive video games really are. Another criticism would be the lack of the artist. If there is no artist, then there is no art. But the problem with that criticism is that someone made that game, which means that there is an artist. In video games, several people work on it. If multiple painters worked on a painting it is still art. The same applies with videogames. But he biggest criticism I have seen is that videogames are not personal visions of life. People say that a video game interacts with the player to create the world while art is created solely by the artist. I disagree with this because the game itself was still made by the designers, who are the artists. A lot of designers project their visions into games, as game worlds are inspired by the things that designers see. Their imaginations shape the world in the game just as a painter’s imagination envisions the painting. The criticisms for video games not being art are too rigid and base the argument too much on semantics and technicalities.

The video games at the Metropolitan Museum are here to stay. It is a step up to include it in the realm of art. With this development, I feel people will be more open to different forms of art, instead of limiting it to paintings and sculptures. The boundaries need to be pushed to maximize the chance for great art. The most celebrated forms of art were not accepted at some point but had to go through a process of consideration until they were validated as art. Expressing oneself is not wrong, so doing it in one medium versus another one does not disqualify one’s work from being considered art.

Works Cited

Galoway, Paul. “VIDEO GAMES: SEVEN MORE BUILDING BLOCKS IN MoMA’S  COLLECTION.” InsideOut. MoMA, 28 June 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

Jones, Jonathan. “Sorry MoMA, Video Games Are Not Art.” The Guardian. The Guardian, 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Maeda, John. “Videogames Do Belong in the Museum of Modern Art.” Wired.com.          Conde Nast Digital, 02 Dec. 0012. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

 

Feature Article: The Issue of Race in Crime

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For many years, television shows based on crime and police drama have been highly popularized by a large number of viewers. One widely known franchise is “Law & Order”, created by Dick Wolf in the early 1990’s. The most popular series created by Wolf is “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” which still continues today and has garnered many awards and recognitions. “Law & Order: SVU” is particularly powerful in showing the gruesome effects of sexually based crimes on every episode. The show captures, at its core, how these crimes affect the many distinct cultures existing in New York City. In one recent episode, for example, the Trayvon Martin case that took place in Florida was portrayed in a New York setting, with a devious sexual twist.

With it’s basis being in New York City, the show hits New Yorkers close to home. Whether it’s a kidnap of a child or an assault on a young woman, the premise of each episode boils the emotions of every viewer. By basing episodes on real life events, “Law & Order: SVU” shows how important it is for people to understand the substantial effects of crime not only in New York City, but also across the country. The episode based on the Trayvon Martin case is a perfect example of this because the case brought a heightened debate on the issue of race as it pertains to crime.

According to Warren Leight, the show runner of “Law & Order: SVU”, “Clearly race is the issue that does not go away”. He addresses the stereotypical matter of African Americans involvement in crimes, whether it’s a robbery or a rape. In New York City, minorities commit a majority of crimes, so when people watch the news or read a newspaper about a recent offense, many automatically assume a black man committed it. The Trayvon Martin based episode gives substantial attention to this fact and allows for both sides of the story to be heard.

From the perspectives of minorities, or in this case African Americans, criminal cases should not be solely judged on a person’s race or ethnicity; just because a person is not white doesn’t mean they have a higher possibility of becoming a criminal. In the “Law & Order: SVU” episode, a wealthy woman walking to her home in the Upper West Side shoots a young black man wearing a dark hood in the fear that he was about to attack or rob her. Without even knowing the purpose behind the young man’s motives, the bulk of the public, more specifically the white community, automatically assumes he had ill intentions. This, in turn, causes a large emotional response from the black community because they understand how prejudiced the white community is in regards to crime.

The New York Times has a New York City Homicide Map posted on its website that shows the number of homicides per year and the percentage of homicides committed by specific races and ethnicities. The Map has recorded that black people performed 62 percent of homicides in 2011 while white people performed only eight percent. Because of these heavy statistics, a large bias exists in the white community. “Law & Order: SVU” does an exceptional job in delivering a powerful message in each episode, and in this episode in particular because not only does it relate to crime biases in New York City, but also throughout the country.

Although the Trayvon Martin case took place in Florida, it garnered the attention of the entire country, especially the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or the NAACP for short. After George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the murder of Trayvon Martin, the NAACP strongly voiced their opinion on the case and the issue of race in crime. The members criticized the American government on their faults in not properly addressing the clear biases against black people and their assumed involvements in crimes and misconducts.

The issue that many people find problematic is the clear fact that colored people do commit most crimes. New York City has various neighborhoods that hold high records of criminal activities, such as Harlem and Bed-Stuy, and one important factor to consider is the fact that these areas have concentrated numbers of minorities living in them. Unfortunately this causes people to become fearful of entering these areas and creates this negative stereotype that the colored people living there are most likely criminals.

“Law & Order: SVU”’s attempt to address a very sensitive issue has challenged viewers to think more deeply into how these racial biases affect the New York City community. Watching this episode, I couldn’t help but think about how many other episodes had colored perpetrators. The show doesn’t intend to deepen this stereotypical mindset; it aims to dissect the problem and understand the reason behind why people have such strong biases. The Trayvon Martin based episode captures, in its essence, the reactions of different parties to high profile crime scenarios and how these reactions affect the general public.

The white population’s perspective, in contrast to the minorities’, is that if a colored person becomes the suspect, then they most likely committed the crime. They don’t give much thought into the case itself because their racial prejudices cloud their thinking. This “Law & Order: SVU” episode shows this exactly, especially when the older white female victim defends herself against the assumed black perpetrator and says she did so because he was black.

As New York City continues in its struggle to lower the crime rate throughout the boroughs, it faces the stronger battle of racial prejudices. The real question everybody should be asking themselves is, how can different individuals in such a diverse community coexist without judging each other based on race or ethnicity? This battle won’t end quickly or easily, but how we fight through it will truly show our characters as New Yorkers and as humans.

Works Cited

“Law & Order: SVU Airs Trayvon Martin/Paula Deen/Stop and Frisk/Government Shutdown Episode.” New York Observer. 3 Oct. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.

“Murder: New York City.” New York Times. n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

 

Feature Article: Electronic Music Festivals!!

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It comes once a year and all your friends are going. Once tickets go on sale, you rush to buy them. Yes, the tickets might break your piggy bank, but you know the experience will be worth it; after all, you’ve never been to an electronic music festival. Once you’re there, Electric Zoo is everything you imagined it would be like, blaring lights, an exhilarating, festive mood and loud electronic music. After the festival is over, you promise yourself that you’ll be attending Electric Zoo next year. But what if Electric Zoo is not allowed to occur next year? Because of the rising fame of electronic music, electronic dance festivals were created as a large social event for electronic music lovers to band together, enjoy and listen to music. Electronic music festivals have grown in numbers, with events all over the world, and have been generally accepted by the public. However, there has been recent resistance against electronic dance festivals. The problem can be connected to the people who have died from drug overdose during electronic music festivals. As a result, some people want to ban and close down these festivals. Not only is this a social issue, but it is a cultural problem as well. People have the right to listen to the music they choose and to attend music festivals. The people who foolishly overdosed on drugs during the electronic music festival should not restrict the rights of all electronic music fans who wish to participate in festivals.

Electronic music is defined as a type of music “consisting of sounds produced by oscillating electric currents either controlled from an instrument panel, keyboard or prerecorded tape” (Collins English Dictionary). It first appeared in electronic disco music during the late 1970s. It was popular only momentarily and almost disappeared during the 1980s (Reynolds). But, electronic music made a comeback during the late 1990s and has only grown since then. In fact, the recent rise in listening, partying and dancing to electronic music has coined the modern term, raving. Electronic music has become so popular that many people characterize electronic music as the genre of music our current generation listens to. Many people love electronic music because it’s expressive, loud and bold. Some famous artists include Daft Punk, Frankie Knuckles, Kraftwork, Skrillex, Aphex Twins and Owl City. Many of these artists have created sensational hits that people often listen to such as Fireflies or One More Time. With the rise of electronic music, the creation of electronic music festivals was inevitable.

Electronic music festivals are entertainment events that bring different genres and artists of electronic music together for a live performance. Some famous electronic music festivals that take place in New York include Electric Zoo, also known as E-Zoo, and Electric Daisy Festival. People often listen, dance and party at these festivals. The atmosphere at these festivals is usually energetic, lively and loud. Electronic music festivals are a place for people who share common interests to meet and have fun. People should be able to attend these festivals because it is a different experience and they have the right to. Not only are these festivals fun for the people attending them, they are also profitable. Last years Electric Daisy Festival in New York grossed about 40 million dollars, with the cost a ticket at about 125 a piece (Reynolds). With electronic music festivals benefiting both managers and people attending them, it is hard to see why people would have a problem with them.

Talk to ban electronic music festivals started on September 1st, just two months ago, with reports of four people feeling ill and the death of two people during Electric Zoo. As a response, Electric Zoo stated they would be canceling the last two days of the electronic music festival. After further investigation, the deaths were linked to an overdose of a drug called Molly. Molly is also known as MDMA and has been increasing in popularity. Celebrities such as Miley Cyrus reference the drug in her song We Can’t Stop and even Madonna mentions the drug when she asks the audience at her concert if they have seen Molly (Meyer). The main problem or concern about electronic music festivals is that some people take drugs during the festival. However, the drug problem is not specifically just an issue for electronic music festivals, it’s a social problem. The problem is much larger and won’t be solved by banning electronic music festivals. By forcing them to close down, it is only causing unhappiness and dissatisfaction and won’t solve the real drug problem. A similar example would be if attendees of an art gallery or a museum took drugs and died at the site. Would the next rational step be to ban art galleries and museum? That is clearly not the next logical step.

However, some people do believe that banning electronic music festivals is the right choice. In an official petition to the government, the petition states: “After the recent deaths at New Yorks Electric Zoo weekend. I firmly believe we should ban the manufacturing of electronic dance music. It is turning our children into drug addicts and murderers” (Meyer). The conclusion that electronic music festivals turn people into killers and drug addicts is preposterous. The purpose of electronic music festivals is to give participants an opportunity to listen to live electronic music of all genres.  It is an entertainment event that encourages socializing and discourages drugs. To ban electronic music festivals because they supposedly encourage people to turn to drugs and kill people is silly.

Closing down electronic music festivals and preventing people from listening to electronic music won’t solve the problem of drug abuse. If society wants to fix the drug problem, they’ll need to educate the negative effects of drugs and make a larger effort to prohibit people from buying them. Electronic music festivals should not be persecuted because two people have died from drug overdose at the event. Instead of believing that electronic music festivals are places where people take drugs, we should look at them as places to enjoy good music and have fun.

Works Cited

“Electronic Music.” Collins English Dictionary. Collins English Dictionary, n.d. Web. 10 Nov.     2013.

Meyer, Chris. “A Petition To Ban Electronic Dance Music? Oh Brother! Here We Go….” Live For Live Music. Live For Live Music, 5 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

Reynolds, Simon. “How Rave Music Conquered America.” The Guardian. The Guardian, 2 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

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Did you ever believe there would be a venue that would outdo Madison Square Garden?

Step out of the subway on Atlantic Avenue in the Prospect Heights area of Brooklyn, look up, and see one of the biggest and most beautiful pieces of art that New York City has to offer. The newly built Barclays Center in the heart of Brooklyn truly revolutionized the entertainment business in New York City.

Not only is the Barclays Center an exceptional display of architecture, but is a venue where artists dream of preforming and fans dream of attending. Remember Madison Square Garden? The Greatest Entertainment Venue of all time? The Barclays center is stealing the spotlight, and outdoing all of its competition. In fact, after only one year in business ticket sales at the Barclays Center are the highest among venues in all of the United States (Nydailynews.com). So what does this mean for Brooklyn? Could it be the next Manhattan? Maybe.

The Barclays center single handedly changed the economic market of Brooklyn. It has received an award from the Chamber of Commerce for economic development in the annual “Building Brooklyn” awards (ibrooklyn.com). It has produced jobs for over two thousand people and local business in the area are booming, including the BAM, and the Brooklyn Museum. Its impact on the art world in its surrounding area is immense. Local mom and pop shops in the area have not seen better days since the construction of the masterpiece. The Barclays Center is featuring more than 55 Brooklyn based food vendors to bring economic stability to its community. The building of this metropolis impacts the local community in an amazingly positive way and it just may be the best thing that has happened to the area in years.

Many had anticipated much violence and crime due to the masses of people that would be attracted to the Barclays center. Not only is the area safe, the neighborhood is flourishing. There are more cops on every street corner during events making sure everything runs safely and smoothly, bringing the argument of increased crime to an immediate halt. The neighborhood expected chaos, but the biggest form of “chaos” faced thus far was a bunch of crazed teenage Justin Bieber fans running after his thought to be tour bus.  However, the town has become much for lively. The noise levels are high, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Due to the increase in human traffic, local residents are keeping quiet because their businesses are flourishing. They have come to accept this tradeoff and do not have much to complain about anymore. In fact, many are proud of what their neighborhood has become and are embracing it. (Nytimes.com)

The real estate in the area is booming as well. The demand for living space in the borough is extremely high and consequently a huge project is underway to erect 15 state of the art apartment buildings in Atlantic Yards that would cost about 4 to 5 billion dollars (bloomberg.com). On March 18th, 2013, the Municipal Art Society recognized The Barclays Center as a “Neighborhood Catalyst” (ny.curbed.com). Properties in the area are selling at a premium, and many new stores and restaurants are popping up all over the surrounding are area. Many predicted that retailers, residents, and restaurant owners would gravitate towards prospect heights with the building of the Barclays center, and surely were correct. For example, In Park Slope many new bars, clubs, and restaurants have opened and have found great success. My first cousin had her engagement this past Sunday night at The Bahche, on 7th street and 3rd ave, in Gowanus, which opened in September.  I spoke to the owner of the venue, Ersin Vurgun, and he claimed “business has been great since its inception”. A new art studio called Brooklyn Art Space also opened around the corner (dnainfo.com). Additionally, down the street from the Bahche, The Bell House recently hosted Bill De Blasio’s victory party. Brooklyn has truly become an economic powerhouse, and has the potential to official steal Manhattan’s thunder in the near future.

Brooklyn is the new center for arts and entertainment. With an amazing Basketball team, and music starts preforming week after week, the Barclays Center is the place to be. Mikhail Prokhorov is spending an estimated 183 million dollars on the Nets roster this season including luxury tax. However the money is not his concern, he wants to bring fans and all types of people into the stadium, and certainly is accomplishing his goals. With the move to Brooklyn, the Nets gross value increased by 48 percent to 530 million. Additionally, top artists from every genre have preformed or will preform at the Barclays Center. For example, iconic artists such as Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, Sir Paul McCartney, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Drake, The Rolling Stones, Selena Gomez, Swedish House Mafia, and Barbara Streisand have all preformed at the venue just to name a few. As a result, the buzz about Brooklyn by both residents and non-residents has been immense. It has become a place where many people dream to be.

Brooklyn is taking part in a new wave of arts and entertainment in New York City, and is now home to one of the most progressive art communities. It is also the home to many new beautiful places for all types of people, whether they like good eats, hip hangout spots, or beautiful entertainment venues. The culture in Brooklyn continues to get better and better. Brooklyn has become a spot where all people can enjoy thanks to impactful places like the Barclays Center. Brooklyn is the future. The amazing aura of Brooklyn will make it the best and most sought after borough in New York City.

Bibliography

Sheftell, Jason. “Barclays Center among Brooklyn’s Newest Architectural Standouts Honored by Chamber of Commerce.” NY Daily News. NYDailyNews.com, 20 May 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

Furman, Phyllis. “Barclays Center at 1 Year: A ‘true Brooklyn Success Story’  .” NY Daily News. NYDailyNews.com, 22 Sept. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

Carmiel, Oshrat. “Forest City Sells Atlantic Yards Stake to Speed Building.” Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 11 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. 

Berger, Joseph. “Neighbors Predicted Chaos. Now They’re Just Irked.” New York Times. Nytimes.com 19 February 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013

Dailey, Jessica. “Charting the Changes Happening Around The Barclays Center.” Curbed NY. Ny.curbed.com, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

Beck, Howard “For Nets’ Prokhorov, $183 Million Is No Object.” New York Times. Nytimes.com 18 July 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013

 

 

 Wood, Graham. “Brooklyn Nabes Expect Real Estate Boom with Barclays Center.”RealDirect. Realdirect.com, 1 Feb. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Albrecht, Leslie. “Gowanus Ironworks Turns Warehouse Into Mediterranean Cafe.”DNAinfo.com. DNAinfo.com, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

 

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Kenneth Connolly

IDC 1001H

Professor Saldaña

November 20, 2013

Video Killed The Radio Star; Did The Internet Kill The Live Performance Star?

            The internet is now the means for a lot of performers to get their creations to the public in an efficient and cost effective manner, but where does that leave live performances? What is the benefit to performers, such as comedians, to continue to give live performances, if there is more money to be made on the internet? What is the benefit to the consumer to pay for a  live show, when they can see the same show online for much cheaper, if not free? To see the new sensation of internet streamed comedy,  I examined the career of Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari, and asked New Yorkers what they thought of the new internet sensation.

In November 2011, Louis C.K. did something that many artists only dream of: direct to consumer sales. He recorded a stand up routine titled “Live at Beacon Theatre” and distributed it himself through his website. He made the routine easily accessible and for the low price of five dollars, no additional tax or fees. He forgone the use of popular third party platforms of media, such as Netflix and Hulu and purposefully made his performance easily obtainable by using direct to consumer sales. His advisors were strongly against this method of sale because it would be easily pirated (obtained illegally). An excerpt from his website reads,

” Look, I don’t really get the whole “torrent” thing. I don’t know enough about it to judge either way. But I’d just like you to consider this: I made these files extremely easy to use against well-informed advice. I was told that it would be easier to torrent the way I made it, but I chose to do it this way anyway, because I want it to be easy for people to watch and enjoy this video in any way they want without “corporate” restrictions.” (CK)

So with all the news of how piracy is ruining music/movie/any industry ,one would be led to believe that Louis’ Live at Beacon Theatre would be an enormous waste of time and money because it’d be stolen by everyone. Fortunately for Louis, that was not the case. The sales for his routine were over one million dollars within the first ten days of it being available. Louis seeing this enormous success, still took the time to recognize his humble beginnings and donated $280,000 of his profit to charity, showing how grounded and modest he is as a person. (McGylnn)

So if  he was able to make one million dollars in ten days time, why would he even bother to continue to tour? In Louis’ case the online success did not slow down his tours, if anything it motivated him to tour more. He went on a tour of the country directly after the release of Live At Beacon Theatre, doing upwards of  twenty  shows in two months time, a relatively high number for a high caliber comedian. (CK) To top it all off, while touring he filmed and produced another routine known as “Oh my God,” which he then released onto the internet for sale much like the first one. The incentive for Louis is still there to perform. He says it’s not all about the money, it’s about making people laugh and seeing them react in disgust and displeasure to what you have to say. He says that if it weren’t for the audience, he would never do comedy at all. (Louis C.K. biography)

Aziz Ansari had a similar problem that Louis had. His career has been mainly based around television and acting with standup comedy as his career’s backbone. He started to do standup comedy in 2000 while attending NYU, which is how he met people to eventually launch his career making the show, the Human Giant.(Itzkoff) He followed Louis C.K.’s example of releasing his first online standup routine in 2010 through Comedy Central titled “Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening” which was enormously successful. He then toured for 2011-to present, still touring in Michigan today. He also released all of his standup routines on Netflix, which helped him gain enough fame to land some big contracts with NBC and high budget film companies, such as Columbia Pictures and Roadshow Films. (Breihan) He recently released the critically acclaimed standup routine “Buried Alive” which I would whole heartedly recommend to anybody who likes good comedy. All things considered, its apparent the internet can be used as a tool to gain fame and possibly some money, but live standup is what these comedians love they will continue to perform live because it is their passion.

I asked two groups of New Yorkers: ones randomly walking down the street and ones coming out of a comedy club. The question “Would you rather watch a $5 standup routine online, or spend $50 and see it live?”  I got a wide variety of responses.

Of the people just walking down the street I asked them if they liked standup comedy and if they would mind answering a few questions. Of those who answered yes to both,

7/10 agreed they would rather see a standup routine live compared to streaming if                                     money was no object.

The reasons given for why they wouldn’t want to see the show live varied from “It’s more convenient online” to “I just wouldn’t have time to go watch a show, when I can see it on the go.”

3/10 agreed they would rather see a $50 standup routine live rather than the same                          performance at home for $5

I also asked people coming out of The Broadway Comedy Club on November 18th after the 8pm comedy show the same questions with very different results.

10/10 agreed they would rather see a standup routine live compared to streaming                           if money was no object.

7/10 agreed they would rather see a $50 standup routine live than the same                                    performance at home for $5

The big difference in numbers between the two groups is for apparent reasone,: the people coming out of the comedy club are active members of the comedy culture and want to partake in it fully. They can just as easily go on Youtube, Netflix, or anywhere really and find the same routines they just watched for much less money. However, there is a major difference between listening to the prerecorded routine, and being in the moment with others enjoying the satirical and humorous view on the world that these brilliant comedians have. Is standup comedy being replaced by internet streaming? Unlikely, unless you think all art galleries are going to go out of business because of people posting pictures of the paintings on Facebook.

 

 

Works Cited

Breihan, Tom. “Aziz Ansari Preps Stand-Up Album.” Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media Inc, 12 Nov.     2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

<http://pitchfork.com/news/37085-aziz-ansari-preps-stand-up-album/>.

CK, Louis. “Louis CK.” Web log post. LouisCK.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.             <https://buy.louisck.net/purchase/live-at-the-beacon-theater>.

Itzkoff, Dave. “Feeding the Comedy Beast Without Serving Leftovers.” New York Times. New York Times, 3 June 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.      <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/arts/television/04aziz.html>.

“Louis C.K. biography.” bio. true story. A E Network. Web. 19 Nov 2013.

<http://www.biography.com/people/louis-ck-21014255>.

McGlynn, Katla. “Louis C.K. Tells Fallon: $1 Million In Sales “The Huffington Post.        TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 Dec. 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/22/louis-ck-1-million_fallon_n_1165267.html>.

Chagall and The Crucifixion – Featured Article

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Chagall and The Crucifixion

The Marc Chagall exhibit, Love, War, and Exile, currently on display at The Jewish Museum of New York, focuses on works from a relatively obscure time in Chagall’s illustrious career. Born in Russia on July 6th 1887, Marc Chagall quickly became a respected painter. By the time he was 25, he fled Russia for Paris to avoid the Pogroms that were brought about by the Bolshevik Revolution. While in Paris, Chagall flourished and his creative spirit soared but by 1940, with World War II charging ahead, Chagall moved to the South of France hoping to avoid the horrors that the Nazi regime brought upon the Jews. Ultimately, he did not last very long there and in 1941 he arrived in the United States and eventually reestablished himself as a world- class artist.

In the United States Chagall continued to create one of a kind paintings that morphed and adapted to his new psycho-emotional state. As Chagall was “hiding” safely here in New York, the destruction and annihilation of his people in Europe deeply affected his works. His paintings became darker and deeper than ever before. Chagall’s 1943 painting, The War, is a classic example of one such work; it exhibits the poor Jewish Shtetl in utter destruction. As Chagall’s life began to settle here in America, his works continued to be influenced by the news from Europe.

Over the next few years, Chagall became consumed with an entirely different motif than his previous works – the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Many experts believe this interest stemmed from Chagall’s belief “that no other image was powerful enough to convey his profound distress at the annihilation of European Jewry (Goodman).” In other words, Chagall believed that by equating the struggles of European Jewry to the crucifixion of Christ, he could appeal to Christians and encourage them to help save the horror stricken Jews. In fact, the use of crucifixion imagery in Chagall’s work was so common that in one room of the exhibit there were nineteen paintings depicting Jesus and the crucifixion. What is perhaps most interesting, is that Chagall chose to depict Jesus in a series of opposing forms. Jesus was sometimes shown wearing the ceremonial Jewish “tallit”, other times he was adorned with a Christian halo, and occasionally he was completely secularized. These works included colorful paintings and colorless drawings on both canvas and paper. Yet, regardless of the medium, they all used Jesus and the crucifixion as the underlying theme.

When I asked the girl next to me what she thought of the exhibit she pointed out that with many people trying to walk through the room on such a busy Sunday afternoon, the central couch was a major blockade. She noted that “the couch in the center of the room is in the exact shape of a cross” something that was clearly purposeful. This massive couch incorporated the viewer into the experience of the crucifixion. As viewers sat upon a cross and took in these crucifixion images, they became a part of the art.

As the war came to a close, Chagall began reworking many of paintings that his daughter Ida had brought from Europe many years earlier. Although the war had ended, his works remained similarly dark and ominous. In 1944, Chagall’s beloved wife Bella suddenly died. This trauma put Chagall into a deep state of depression and caused him to put his painting on hold.

When he once again returned to the easel, Chagall’s works remained somber and depressed in Bella’s memory. As Chagall’s suffering continued, his daughter Ida decided to hire a woman named Virginia to care for him. After some time Virginia became his new muse and together they had a son named David. As the happiness of finding love and bearing a child struck Chagall, color began to return to work and his suffering dwindled. Some of his most important American works were painted during this time before he and a Virginia moved back to France.

While perusing the last and largest room of the exhibition, there was a series of alluring pieces. The classic portrait of Bella, entitled Bella In Green, was not at all indicative of Chagall’s classic style. However, this aesthetically pleasing portrait shed light onto Chagall’s true talent. He could paint in a series of different styles that were each beautiful in their own way. As my tour of the exhibit was coming to a close I noticed one more fascinating artifact. On a small table in the center of the room was Bella’s sketchbook. After she died, as a lasting tribute to their love and mutual bond, Chagall began to draw sketches of the two of them on its blank pages.

As I was leaving the exhibit, I began to reflect upon what I had learned that day. Marc Chagall’s life was full of hardship and suffering which greatly impacted his works. Chagall’s work on the crucifixion addressed a major taboo topic in traditional Judaism. Prior to Chagall’s works with the crucifixion it was almost unheard of for a Jew to explore the world of Jesus. As time has gone on, this taboo has almost disappeared from most circles. I would argue that Chagall paved the way for the acceptance of crucifixion imagery to by utilized by modern Jewish artists.

When contemplating why The Jewish Museum would choose to display Marc Chagall’s works now, one need not look further than today’s news headlines. As the threat of a nuclear Iran rapidly approaches, it can be argued that The Jewish Museum is using Chagall’s works on crucifixion as a way of showing that the threat of another Jewish Holocaust is possible. Perhaps they are using the works to yet again appeal to the Christian world to reconsider and help defend Israel and the Jews against a nuclear attack. As far as why this exhibit is in New York, one must consider that New York is and has always been the epicenter of American society. So, what better place is there to exhibit the Jewish plight in the twenty-first century than here in New York City?

Works Cited

Tumarkin Goodman, Susan. “Chagall Love, War, and Exile.” (n.d.): n. pag.

A Concrete Confessional and a Sin

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Nicholas Sanso

Professor Tenneriello

IDC EMWBH

November 17, 2013

A Concrete Confessional For a Sinner

Art and Business are like an old married couple. They can’t live together and they can’t survive apart. They are always together, but never have the same views. As you might expect, they often conflict. On the lower East side, however, this conflict is raging at the cost of a future generation of artists and the reputation of a well-established school.

That established school is The Cooper Union for The Advancement of Arts and Sciences. In 1859, Peter Cooper founded The Cooper Union, a school that was renown for three bold policies, providing free quality education, admitting female applicants, and admitting minorities (Cooper Union). If decades of struggling for equal rights and equal pay have made Cooper’s stand, that women and minorities should be treated equally, more commonplace, the rapidly rising cost of an undergraduate degree has made his belief in a free education, nothing short of revolutionary.

True to its founder’s goal, for the last 150 years, Cooper Union has given a full scholarship to every student in its art and engineering programs and has been an undeniably successful strategy in terms of academics. In fact, The Cooper Union model has propelled the school to the number one college in the North East (according to Forbes) and produced many distinguished artists including J Abbot Miller, Milton Glaser, and Alex Katz.

While the school has always been one of the epicenters for art, in mid October, Cooper Union once again showcased the consequences that stem from the discord between art and business. On Monday, October 12, Banksy erected a new piece of artwork, “Concrete Confessional” right in front of The Cooper Union. Now for those not familiar with Banksy’s work, Banksy is a street artist whose work often aims at criticizing politics and society. Banksy also fully understands the importance of his artwork’s location. For instance, in a passive-aggressive move, Banksy moved a statue of a boy shinning Ronald McDonald’s shoes to the front door of a different McDonald’s outlet each day for a month. With that in mind, one must wonder why he placed his “Concrete Confessional” in front of The Cooper Union. The piece is a small concrete confessional with a picture of a repentant and downtrodden priest inside. Thus, Banksy is asking us to wonder who the confessional is for and what “sins” has that person committed. While Banksy rarely explains his work and has not offered an explanation for this particular piece, the explanation seems pretty clear cut when you consider Cooper Union’s more recent history.

Since the Recession, Cooper Union’s financials have been as shaky as the economy and the school now runs on a twelve million dollar deficit. While the land under the Chrysler building, one of Cooper Union’s largest assets, will mitigate their deficit over the next few years, the land will not keep them out of the red. After reviewing  what Liliana Leonforte, a high school advisory member, called every stitch of Cooper’s financials, Cooper Union was forced to raise their tuition a staggering $20,000(Kaminer, College Ends Free Tuition and an Era). The school’s exorbitant tuition hike is necessary to cover the financial needs of their lower income students and operating expenses. While this price tag might still seem cheap when compared to NYU Tisch’s $70,000 a year price tag, Cooper’s cost does not account for the food, housing, and transportation services that NYU provides. For an aspiring art major with their eyes on Cooper, the price tag of his or her degree costs something closer to $35,000 a year or $140,000 in total, a far cry from free.

Thus, it seems logical that Banksy’s decisions to move his piece “Concrete Confessional” squarely in front of Cooper is a statement to the administration. It seems as if Banksy is saying that the administration has sinned by instituting a tuition and should repent for their mistake. At the same time, Banksy seems to be criticizing the bleakness of the situation by using a confessional made entirely out of concrete with a priest who looks to be praying in what is truly a desperate manner. In the eyes of Banksy, the situation seems to be despicable and urgent.

But Banksy’s art piece is not the first sign of protest, only the newest. For weeks following the decision to institute tuition in May, Cooper Union students have been protesting in a variety of ways. In an “Occupy Wall Street” manner, students worked, slept and ate in the CEO’s office for weeks, ignoring armed guards and threats from the College(Kaminer, Protestors Still in Top Office At Cooper Union). Similarly, at graduation, over one half of the graduating class turned their backs to President Jamushed Barucha during his final speech(Kingkade). However, while the demonstrations were frequent and emotional during the first two months, in many ways, the fight against tuition had fizzled over the summer. Thus, Banksy’s piece has not only reignited a cooling movement, but provided the framework for a much more modern type of protest, one that was quickly adopted by his younger contemporaries at Cooper.

Amazed by what one student, Samantha Duarte, called “a perfectly suited method of protest,” the students on the lower east side quickly organized to create a version of Banksy’s piece that would clarify the artist’s and their own message. Thus, by the end of the weekend, the art students at Cooper Union had erected another concrete confessional(Semuels). Their interpretation of Banksy’s piece was identical in every aspect except the priest. Where Banksy’s work presented a nameless priest begging for forgiveness, the student’s interpretation depicts President Jamushed Barucha praying to be absolved. The piece is a provocative insult that directs Banksys message directly to the top officials at Cooper and serves as a much more blunt showcase for the student body’s disapproval of charging a tuition.

While Banksy’s piece certainly speaks to the controversial and powerful nature that an art piece can assume, sparking a second wave of protests against Cooper’s tuition, for the next generation of artists, their chances at a free education seem slim. Hopefully though, Peter Cooper’s first belief that people should have access to free quality education, like his beliefs on equality, will come to fruition.

Works Cited

 

“Cooper Union.” History. Cooper Union, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

 

Kaminer, Airel. “College Ends Free Tuition, and an Era.” New York Times, 23 Apr. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

 Kaminer, Ariel. “Tuition Protesters Still In Top Office at Cooper Union.” New York Times, 24 May 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

 Semuels, Alana. “New Yorkers Hustle to Catch Banksy Street Art.” L.A. Times, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Feature Article

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The first strike was the bland décor, the second strike was the awkward placement of the bar, and the third and final strike was the terrible food. Three strikes and Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s restaurant, Tribeca Canvas, is out.

Masaharu Morimoto is a big name in Japanese cuisine. His titles of being an iron chef on the Japanese cooking show, Iron Chef, and its spinoff Iron Chef America, has made him a reputable celebrity. He owns multiple restaurants in multiple parts of the world, ranging from Philadelphia to New York to New Delhi, and of course, Japan. Interested in Western cooking styles, he traveled to the United States, which furthered his fusion style of cooking.

Tribeca Canvas was critically panned, especially on its Asian-influenced comfort food. Instead of food that would be expected from an Iron Chef, such as lavish sushi delicacies, Tribeca Canvas offered hamachi tacos, tuna tostadas, and fish and chips. Comfort-food restaurants tend to work best when the chef has a clear connection with the food that they’re working with, but this is something that Morimoto may be lacking. Instead of cooking from the heart, many recipes seemed as if they were randomly put together with a blindfold. The mash-up of traditional desserts, like a French tart with persimmons rather than apples or Thai rice pudding with a bruleed top just did not help Morimoto’s reputation. The mash-up recipes seem as if they would be more fitting in a manic TV cooking competition rather than a high-end restaurant.

Chef Morimoto closed the brutally reviewed restaurant not even a year after opening it, but he was not depressed by that failure. He immediately opened a new restaurant, Bisutoro, to replace the old restaurant with a completely renovated interior, a new menu, and even new partners. Morimoto is clearly doing everything he can in order to make the former restaurant be a thing of the past. The enchanted forest décor is gone, replaced by retro chairs and murals. While the interior has clearly changed from restaurant to restaurant, the question is if the revamped interior of Bisutoro is much better than that of Tribeca Canvas. There are street-art murals and tattoo photographs decorating the inside, but if a close-up of someone’s navel piercing stimulates your appetite is something to consider.

This time around he’s kept the cuisine of Bisutoro simple, leaning towards Asian-influenced bistro food rather than the previous Asian-influenced comfort food. Perhaps Morimoto is making a comeback to be more focused on this restaurant by changing the menu to something that he’s more familiar with. He swapped out the mac and cheese and corn dogs seen in Tribeca Canvas with uni carbonara and pork tonkatsu. That Chef Morimoto has continued to make the cuisine Asian-influenced suggests that he is undaunted by how poorly the food was critiqued from the last restaurant. Throughout this change Chef Morimoto has never left his Asian roots. He always incorporated some Asian flair and traditional Japanese culinary techniques into his food. With all his changes to the Tribeca space, it’s as if Tribeca Canvas never existed, which was probably his point.

It may be obvious why Morimoto closed Tribeca Canvas and opened Bisutoro in its place. The former restaurant was doing poorly and had unanimously critical reviews, so he wanted a fresh start and an improved restaurant. Looking at another restaurant which was also replaced by another one of the same company, however, makes one wonder if there was more to Morimoto’s decision of ending Tribeca Canvas’s time in the city.
A Texas-based company, Landry’s Inc., announced that its McCormick & Schmick’s seafood and steak restaurants had closed and will be replaced by another Landry’s-owned restaurant. The seafood and steak restaurant served dishes of all different prices, varying from $16 for a hamburger to $50 for crab legs. Meanwhile, the new restaurant offers comfort food, most of which cost less than $20. The reason for the closure of the seafood and steak restaurant was not disclosed, but it could make one curious as to if price was an issue. Comparing the prices of Tribeca Canvas and Bisutoro reveals that Bisutoro is slightly more expensive (Steak Frites was $26 in Tribeca Canvas while it was $36 in Bisutoro), which is the opposite of what happened with the Texas-owned restaurants.

Although the prices are a bit steeper in the new restaurant, the food and the quality have probably improved the most since the last restaurant, since the food is what got the brunt of the critical reviews. Perhaps Chef Morimoto closed Tribeca Canvas partially because he wanted to provide a cuisine more closely tied to his roots. The reason for the higher prices could have been that he, along with higher quality ingredients, put more care into the food that he created, which was an issue that he faced with his former restaurant. Maybe Chef Morimoto had reasons unbeknownst to the public about replacing one of his restaurants, such as wanting a fresh start, providing a different style of cuisine to the public, transporting the customers to a different place when they’re inside, or maybe he simply wanted to redeem himself. Bisutoro clearly wins out over Tribeca Canvas in the food category, but it may not be the famous restaurant anytime soon.

Not Just an Ordinary Garden

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Standing in front of the majestic Madison Square Garden, I was in awe. People of all cultures were taking pictures of everything—from the building itself to themselves posing in front of the building. As I made my way into the arena, I finally understood why MSG was famous as a venue. The explosion of colors and sounds that surrounded my senses was simultaneously overwhelming yet exciting. To be able to share this experience with the twenty thousand other people that instance was truly amazing.

When you hear the name, Madison Square Garden, what comes to mind? Is it the New York Knicks? The Rangers? Other shows or events held in the arena? If this was a multiple choice question, the answer would be: all of the above. Madison Square Garden (MSG) is a multi-purpose arena that proudly holds the title of the most famous arena in the word. Why is that? MSG is a center where many forms of entertainment co-exist to form the ultimate melting pot. Fans and tourists all around the world are able to witness not only women’s and men’s sporting events but also performances from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and concerts from various artists. Recently, MSG has undergone a three-year renovation that consisted of three phases, corresponding to each of the three years. Hank J. Ratner, the President and CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company, aimed to incorporate more of MSG’s unique bowl shaped architecture in addition to improving the fans’ view from the first rows to the last, as part of the one billion dollar renovation.

There was more to the renovation than just increasing revenue as Ratner further explained, “It really was our mission to go to the people of New York and ask them what they wanted. The fans told us what amenities they wanted and we set out to deliver. We also wanted the building to show what it has delivered since 1879. Lots of buildings have history exhibits, but our whole building has it.”

The first phase of 2011-12 included changes to the Madison Concourse (6th floor), lower bowl seating area, event level suits, 8th and 10th floor viewing areas, 1879 Club presented by JPMorgan, locker rooms, Delta Sky360˚ Club at Madison Square Garden, and new places to eat featuring NYC’s top chefs. The second phase of 2012-13 incorporated alterations to the upper bowl seating area, New Garden Concourse (8th floor), Lexus Madison suite level, and added exhibits to feature the long history of events that have occurred at MSG. Ratner felt that it was important to remember the 134 years of memories that people have made during their visit therefore, his team tried to encompass as many pieces both in and on the new building. The final phase of 2013-14 added more “defining moment exhibits”, balcony seating, a new scoreboard, a new Jumbotron, and most importantly, two giant bridges sponsored by Chase that gives fans a state-of-the-art view of what is happening below.

Because the garden is known for its bowl like curves, the two bridges that are 233 feet long by 22 feet wide have been designed to incorporate that feature as well. Like the bridges that connect Manhattan to the rest of New York, these two bridges hang from the ceiling to serve as symbolic reminders. They also fit right into the infrastructure of the bowl and do not look out of place. However, with excited fans, the main concern was sustaining the bridges for safety purposes. Murray Beynon of BBB Architects, the project’s head architect, called the engineering team that created the Grand Canyon skywalk for help. Together, they performed two full-scaled mock-ups to test if the bridges could uphold all the action on and below it. To eliminate the vibration caused by passionate fans, they have installed tuned mass dampeners that counter the movements. The team also focused on other problems including electrical wiring, optimization of space, and improving operations. They were also attentive to the advice and opinions of New Yorkers, whether they were Knicks fans, Rangers fans, or people who have never been to MSG. This was particularly inspiring because the blueprint to building the new MSG included the voice of the people, not only those who funded the project.

As for the before and after, there is no better person to ask than Spike Lee, founder of 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. He has attended every Knicks game (even the away games) for the past several years, his first in 1967 in the “old garden”. According to him, the biggest change was, “The prices! (laughs) I used to have my SGO card; I be sittin’ in the blue. The mezzanine was blue. [Other than that] it’s amazing. It’s great.”

Overall, MSG has been and continues to be a home for many of New York’s best performances from both the entertainment and sports industry. It aims to offer better service everyone at MSG: the fans, athletes and performers. The fan base is also phenomena—people from our city, state, and around the world come together at this arena to share their passion of the event they are attending. In addition to serving as an international land point, the newly rebuilt MSG is also expected to drive economic growth and create more jobs in Manhattan.

Upon the conclusion of the renovation, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo proudly expressed that, “Madison Square Garden is more than a great sports and entertainment arena – it is a globally recognized landmark that is an important part of the fabric that makes New York City the greatest city in the world.”