The Arts in New York City

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When I visited the Guggenheim Museum this past weekend, I was astounded by the architecture of the building. I have never seen the Guggenheim Museum before, so I have expected it to look like any ordinary classical museum. I expected it to have columns and a grand staircase in front like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Contrary to my expectations, the Guggenheim Museum is a circular building with a modernistic appearance. The building looks like it has circular bands projecting out from a central, vertical base. I learned that this is a style called cantilevering. The inside of the museum has ramps that circle from the top to the bottom. I learned that the museum’s architect meant for visitors to start at the top of the museum and walk down while looking at the artworks hung along the ramps. I found the architecture of the Guggenheim Museum to be more beautiful than the artworks inside the museum.

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Sitting on the N train, heading towards Penn station, I was surprised as a beggar came my way. What caught me off guard was the grace and sincerity in his voice. He began by saying that he’d accept anything that anyone could give him. But his next line brought a smile to my face. He said that if you couldn’t give him anything, he’d instead accept a smile as he walked by. Hearing that, I didn’t care if he really was a Vietnam veteran or if his house got burned or if his family got robbed at the motel they were staying in. Just because he brought that smile on my face, I was ready to give him whatever I could afford. This made me think he was probably one of the most successful beggars out there. I began to look at begging as an art, since it required the manipulation of words and emotions. I now see begging as a competition, a competition to win my money.

Located in Theater Row, the Lion theatre is the home to an up and coming Off-Broadway production known as None of the Above. The play featuring Halley Feiffer (Jamie) and Adam Green (Clark) is an insightful look into the life of a spoiled socialite looking for the illusive 2400 on the SAT’s. One however, is left scratching his head wondering why this play focuses on such a particular issue that limits itself only to the teenage audience. The final product however, does an incredible job in its portrayal of the blemished teenager and her unsuspecting struggles. (more…)

Digital Art is relatively a new style of art. I embraced this new form of expression during the tech fair and it has gotten me excited. Garageband is an audio program that allows the user to manipulate sounds to form unique pieces of music. The program is remarkably simple to operate and overwhelming in its amount of content. With this program, the possibilities to express the musical ideas within ones mind are endless. One can modify existing forms of music or create their own with the keyboard style piano using this program. Combined with the program Audacity, where sound effects can be added to perfect any piece, a musician can create a piece worthy of radio play or create a piece perfect for accompanying a visual performance. Whatever the desired goal, these two programs will surely help you reach your target. Like a match made in Heaven, Audacity and Garageband not only complement one another but make each other better. One of the simplest programs to use out in the market, the category of Digital Art is greatly aided and enhanced by these simple yet efficient programs.

As I looked through out the halls of the Museum of Natural History, I seemed possessed by the kid in me. Dinosaur bones, space shows, and giant planets all clouded my head with fascination. In one exhibit lay a piece of the largest meteorite to hit the US, while in another room a display showed the figures of animals that lived during the Ice Age like the Willy Mammoths and Saber tooth Tigers. Another room was dimly lit as it displayed precious stones from around the world including emeralds and diamonds. The evolution of man was easily outlined in another gallery; it talked of DNA replication and detailed the major organs of the heart with such precision. However as I kept exploring, I kept thinking that the stuff displayed here should be interactive, viewers should be able to touch and feel the artifacts they see. The touching would help make the artifact what it once was, a regular piece that populated the Earth. So I posed the question should scientific galleries let the viewer employ their five senses when viewing works? (more…)

I was walking out of the Long Island Railroad station at 34 street after listening to an underground musician playing his windpipes and I started to wonder. Why are people from all over the world attracted to the city of New York? Is it because of the tall buildings or because of the shiny lights. Maybe it’s the shopping and the landmarks. Or perhaps the reason lies within the infatuation people have with museums. Museums appeal to a persons ambitions as well as his/her curiosities. As a result, people from all over the globe visit NYC, since it’s the biggest museum in the world. Whether it be the famous sites like the Empire State building and the MET or the art found in everyday places like Madison Square Park (with it’s metal trees) and the subway (with the break dancers). NYC is in itself a museum. Next time out, don’t just take public transportation rather, walk around and discover the street performer in Penn station or the unique displays in SOHO or Chinatown. Even check out the local scene in Grand Central or 42nd street for talented street performers, because talent isn’t only present in famous people. So enjoy the world’s art show before you start having to pay for it.