The Arts in New York City

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As an avid basketball fan from New York, I was excited to be able to attend the Knicks game versus Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately, I was wildly disappointed by the game. Although I identify basketball as an art, what the Knicks played was not basketball. It was an uninspired and lackluster lack of an attempt at basketball that was simply played for the paycheck. This was not the same team I grew up watching.

Instead, I had to find my own art. So, when I looked around Madison Square Garden, I was in awe that I was in the self-proclaimed “world’s most famous arena.” It was crazy to sit so close to the court that I see on TV. It was also crazy considering I was sitting in seats about 30 times the price I paid for. However, the most artistic thing that night was the chants. These were not chants cheering on the team. Instead, they were a chorus of raucous boos. My favorite chant that night was in the final minutes of the game when the crowd was finally able to get the famed “Fire Isiah” chant in unison. Although I had refrained from the chant before, I had to join in. Overall, I enjoyed the game but I do not think I will be attending a Knicks game anytime soon.

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What makes a gangster? Is it T.I. and his recent arrest on gun charges? Is it 50 Cent getting shot nine times? No it is not. They may call themselves gangsters but I recently saw a movie that showed me otherwise. American Gangster starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe showed me what a true gangster is. It is a historical fiction movie that shows us the life of the historic mob boss Frank Lucas. Denzel correctly captures the ruthlessness and reckless abandon for others yet he still humanizes Frank Lucas. I don’t want to ruin the movie but despite showing me the mind of a gangster, I was also brought back to a time I could not experience otherwise: Harlem in the 1970s. Overall the movie was long-winded but I enjoyed this two-and-a-half hour epic.

I am doing a skit for it… is it ok if it contains profanity?

If I told you that you were going to something that had music, acting, and dance, your first thought would probably be that you are going to a Broadway show. In fact, you would be wrong. This past week I attended all of that, for a measly five dollars. If you are still confused, I am not surprised.
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After viewing the Mishkin Gallery last week, I felt the urge to view photography. Not really knowing where to go, I was lucky to see a series of photographs in the lunch room at Baruch. It was really a surprise that one can see art at a place where you only expect food and talking. It felt kind of awkward maneuvering around the the hoards of people eating while I was appreciating and observing the pictures. The theme of the pictures was to capture the history and heritage of African-Americans during the early 19th century. It was a bleak time in American history where segregation was de faco. The pictures are in black and white and symbolic of segregation between the blacks and white during that time. Overall, my time in our IDC class has really broadened my expectations and views of art.

When I was ten years old, I went with mother to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was an informative experience but, at such a young age, I could only say that it looked pretty. This past Friday, after about an eight-year hiatus, I returned to the Met. On this occasion, I was to view the art as a student rather than as a spectator.

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Art Is Everywhere

As I walked toward the subway for some reason the steel tree catches my eye. I would walk by these trees every morning with no reaction, so why now? It hit me. This was art. After some reading I found out the three steel structures are named: Conjoined, Defunct, and Erratic. These pieces of art made by Roxy Paine were made to juxtapose industrialization and nature.

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