I was surprised to find that in Baruch there existed an elevator that only went downwards into the basement which contains nothing more than our own performance space! It really is a breath of fresh air to see some kind of artistic endeavor being pursued at a predominantly business orientated school. The space is gorgeous too. I was impressed by the white washed wall that had quotes about music all alongside it.

I really enjoyed my visit to the MoMA. The Demoiselles exhibit was interesting because it really makes you pay attention to detail. The paintings looked like puzzles that you had to solve in your mind. I liked these 2 in particular:

Finding a woman in "Ma Jolie" was a tough task. The second one made me think of Mardi Gras.

Demoiselles d' Avignon is a painting that features five females in the nude. Each one is in a different position and all meet your gaze directly if you stare into the painting. It's an uneasy confrontation that engages the viewer like we discussed in class. Their bodies are very angular and strong, but nonetheless still feminine. It would have never occurred to me that these women were prostitutes from a brothel. I thought it was a bold painting celebrating the strength of women in their bare and natural state. The confrontation that can come across as uneasy is really effective here.

The Alexander String Quartet's performance began with a sweet sounding introduction. I've always admired violins for their ability to produce music that can sound sweet yet powerful. The performance was a nice reminder. The classical music they played was calming. The soft notes were floating through my ears. They were so sweet in fact that I would love to listen it on the train during stressful morning rush hours and whenever I just needed to cool my head. I pictured a scene from a disney movie, one in which all the magical creatures of the forest would come running.