The Arts in New York City

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Who would have thought that art could be found in the form of a DJ spinning records? I would have never thought of this as an art form until I visited Studio B over the weekend. Studio B is a dance club in Brooklyn with a sort of indie vibe to it. When I was there, although there wasn’t a live performance, the energy and the music were both amazing. Daft Punk’s new CD was being played and I think that they are a very good band, so I came to hear their new music. However, the DJ that was spinning the CD put his own interpretation into it and he made the songs sound more interesting than they already were. Every so often, he would scratch the record and put in special sound effects of his own. Before attending this event, i never actually took the time to consider or appreciate the work of music DJ’s. However I feel that this is a very unique art form that should not be missed. The DJ at Studio B did not simply  mess around with the songs and scratch them up. He added his own personal style to the music, and he made his own art out of existing art. After listening to the DJ spinning the record I became jealous because unfortunately I have no musical talents.

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When I came across the trailers for “American Gangster” while watching TV, I figured that it would be just another pointless action movie with no substantial plot. However after being persuaded to see it by Dan and Joanna, I was pleasantly surprised. I found this movie to be a work of art in that it depicted the intense, criminal culture of 1970′s Harlem. The film mainly tells the story of Frank Lucas, a self- made millionaire whose cocaine business reached the peak of its success in the 1970′s and also saw its downfall soon after. However, unlike most action/mobster films with repetitive fist fights and annoying gun shots, this film was perfectly planned and choreographed from beginning to end. It immerses the audience into the world of the drug trafficking, and it was extremely realistic because the majority took place in New York City. I was also very impressed by Denzel Washington’s portrayal of Lucas. At the end of the movie, I forgot who Denzel Washington was and was only able to think of him as a ruthless drug gangster. There was some intense visual imagery in the film which I felt was very effective in allowing the audience to see through the eyes of the people experiencing this crazy lifestyle. I definitely recommend this film to anyone who has not seen it yet.

I will admit that although I love watching plays and Broadway shows, I do not get too excited about the newer, or more unknown shows. If given the choice between a popular Broadway show such as “Wicked”, or a less popular one called, “The Farnsworth Invention”, I would shyly prefer to see the first. It also upsets me when a performance doesn’t contain any music or songs because I feel that music plays a large part in telling the story of most Broadway shows. However, I was proven very wrong this past weekend after seeing a less popular Broadway show called the “Farnsworth Invention”. A friend of mine surprised me with tickets to this performance and after telling me its title, I wasn’t too eager to watch it. However, during the show I quickly learned that just because it wasn’t advertised on subways and buses everywhere and just because it wasn’t a musical, doesn’t mean that “The Farnsworth Invention” was an amateur show to be taken lightly. This performance exceeded my expectations and has motivated me to check out other Broadway and off- Broadway shows that are not so common on the streets. (more…)

As I was sitting on the E train with my friend on Sunday morning, an advertisement for the “Mythic Creatures Exhibition” which is currently held at the American Museum of Natural History, suddenly caught my eye. I honestly knew nothing about mythic creatures at the time but it seemed like an interesting exhibition to attend and I was sure I would learn many new things from it. The exhibition itself was interesting and unusual, but in a good way. The mythic creatures were divided into categories of land, water, and air, as well as dragons. I found the Chinese water dragon to be very interesting because it was able to dwell on the land and water as well as fly. There was a very intricately designed shadow puppet representation of this dragon in the exhibition which I found to be very unique and artistic. Most of the representations of the mythic creatures in the museum were either statues or two dimensional drawings, however this piece really stood out as a beautiful work of art. I also learned that dragons were highly prevalent in Chinese mythology, and thus are a part of their culture today. This exhibition not only informs visitors about the mythic creatures themselves, but also looks at the origins and cultures of these creatures which is very helpful in understanding them. I would definitely visit this exhibition again, especially because of the extraordinary statues and vivid representations of the creatures.

What could be more enjoyable than some Beatles music, crazy 1960’s artwork, and a love story all fused together into a film? After seeing “Across the Universe” at the movies, I’m personally having a hard time thinking of a better way to spend ten dollars. This film is unlike any other movie I have seen before and it can be considered a work of art in many different ways. “Across the Universe” was released in mid-September and by the looks of the full theater on a Saturday afternoon, it will probably stay in theaters for as long as possible. The movie revolves around a fictional love story between two teenagers who come from completely opposite lifestyles. Jude is a young man from Liverpool, England who comes to Princeton University not for an education, but in search of his father. At the university he befriends a group of “badasses” who quickly become his close friends and encourage him to stay in America without a visa. Jude soon meets Lucy, who is the sister of his close friend, Max. Jude and Lucy quickly develop a powerful romance, however each of the three main characters experiences their own ups and downs due to the Vietnam War’s effects on their lives. (more…)

After visiting the Museum of Jewish Heritage which is located in downtown Manhattan at Battery place, I was left feeling very weary and somber. The museum itself stands as a memorial dedicated to those died in the Holocaust even though not everything found in the museum’s exhibitions deals with that period of history. I am not Jewish, however I am from Poland which was where most of the Holocaust concentration camps were located. This museum has details and information about the Holocaust which cannot be learned simply by reading a textbook. There are hundreds of pictures as well as many voice recordings in the exhibitions which are really effective in understanding the impact of this tragedy. Also, several items which were recovered such as personal belongings, diaries, and letters are featured in the museum. One of the most interesting and important items in my opinion, was a large book which contains the names of most of the victims who were killed in the concentration camps. It took a long time for this book to be put together and it is really worthwhile just to glance through the pages and really feel the impact in seeing the endless list of people. I also think that the museum’s exhibitions are put together beautifully in a way that really flows and makes sense to visitors. The first section focuses on early Jewish history, the middle section on the Holocaust, and the third section focused on the Jewish renewal or the modern Jewish culture. I would strongly recommend visiting this museum to others, in order to understand the Holocaust from the Jewish point of view, and to get a unique look at Jewish culture and lifestyle.

Anna Cymerman September 14, 2007

The Arts in New York City- Review # 1

Hippies, drugs, sex, music, flashing lights and bright, neon colors basically define the Whitney museum’s exhibition entitled, “Summer of Love- Art of the Psychedelic Era”. After visiting this exhibition I was left with feelings of satisfaction, awe, and especially dizziness. “Summer of Love” which runs until September 16^th is an enormous collection of various artwork from 1965-1970 or, “The Psychedelic Era” The artwork ranges from photographs of Woodstock and celebrities of the time such as The Beatles and Mick Jagger to CD covers and concert posters. A very popular theme throughout the exhibit is the anti-war movement which was the basis of most of the artwork and music made throughout the era. Although the Vietnam War brought upon grief for many Americans at the time, they chose to turn grief into pacifism and happiness, hence the popular usage of drugs and colorful designs found in the artwork.
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