Renelle Lawrence: Cultural Passport Portfolio

§ December 19th, 2008 § Filed under Assignments, Portfolio: Cultural Passport

Cover Statement:

            I have lived in New York City for almost all of my life. Before taking this Arts in New York City Interdisciplinary Course, the city was just bright lights and an energetic source of entertainment. Diversity and culture came from music, food and the people themselves. But I failed to realize that this city possesses so much more. Art is all around us. The graffiti lining the subway walls, the sculptures in our parks, and the dancers on the sidewalks are all art in different forms.  I have also been exposed to art forms beyond what I see in everyday life. On my own I ventured to museums such as the Modern Museum of Art and I’ve even gotten the chance to hear a presentation from a real Director.

            Every time I sat down to write my cultural passports I was forced to look at my experiences in different ways. For the first time I was able to actually think about what art meant to me and contemplate the lessons I’ve learned from it. I would have never guessed that someone’s art could affect me in any way, but it did. I’ve learned so much from other people’s visions and outlooks throughout this semester. From now on whenever I visit a museum or watch a performance I will not only enjoy it visually but I will also take into consideration it’s meaning.

            My portfolio is a gradual look on my progression as a person. Each cultural passport contains the knowledge I’ve learned from each event or artwork I have come across. I’ve not only learned to appreciate other people’s visions even if they are not the same as my own but also I’ve learned life lessons. This portfolio is very important to me because it is written proof that I am steadily developing intellectually and opening myself to new experiences.

Reflective Essay:           

            Two events stand out very clearly to me. It was difficult to figure out how they related to each other because one has to do with architecture and the other was a conversation with a film director. But what I realized is that these two, although completely unrelated in topics, both taught me a great deal about life. They made me aware of the conditions of our world and even just lessons on how to be a better me.

            Tadashi Kawamata is the artist behind the Tree Huts at Madison Square Park. These tree huts struck me in an unimaginable way. While sitting and admiring Kawamatas’s work, a sense of nostalgia engulfed me. I remembered my childhood days and how much I wanted a tree house. These huts, in the middle of the city that never sleeps, provided a childhood aspect to it. Businessmen and women in their suits speed walk past Madison Square Park only stopping to grab lunch at the Shake Shack. Everyone has been forced to grownup so fast that their childhood is just a blur. For a few moments while waiting on line for lunch in the park, Kawamata has given us an escape from this world. We are allowed to delve into our hearts and memories and grasp the child in all of us. My view of the tree huts is one that represents innocence and purity. The tree huts provided a vision where life does not have to be industrialized to be fun. Fun can be simple and your imagination can offer you an experience more enjoyable than anything technology. Our society is forcing children to grow up too fast and we should realize that sometimes innocence is not such a bad thing. Kawamata’s work allowed for this realization to occur within me and I am grateful to him for that. To me the most meaningful of art is the ones you learn from.

            The second event that I went to, I learned even more from. It was a common event at the Macaulay Building. A film director David Holbrooke was there to discuss with us the movies he had made and the ins and outs of the movie business. At the beginning Holbrooke showed us different works from different artists. While doing this he gave a commentary on the work and the meanings that the artists were trying to portray. At this point I was extremely bored. I thought, I could’ve just gone to a museum for this. But luckily for me Holbrooke then proceeded to show us clips from three documentaries that he directed. One of the films was about global warming and another was about religious fanaticism in America. Both films were surprisingly entertaining but the third film that he showed us was one I will never forget. It centered on an eccentric man, Speed Levitch, who gave New York City tours on the double-decker buses in NYC. Speed loved New York more than any one else. He knew everything about it and could tell you wonderful stories about every city block. But the part of Holbrooke’s presentation on this film that struck me the most was the story he told about Speed. Speed was a strange man to everyone around him. Even Holbrooke admitted that Speed was bizarre but what Holbrooke loved about him was his uniqueness. Speed had no home. He crashed at different peoples houses and lets life take him to where ever he should go. The problem with Speed is although he was in love with New York, in a way; New York did not love him back. He had suffered from many hardships because of the way people had treated him. They did not understand him therefore they ridiculed him. Holbrooke stated that people like Speed are the true artists of our time. His lesson was that people should not care too much about other people’s opinions but instead we should stay exactly they way we are. Holbrooke’s message spoke to me and led me to realize that I should not be hindered by criticism but instead try my hardest to be the best at what I do.

            My portfolio as a whole is a reflection on the education that art provides.  If some one were to read my portfolio I would want to encourage them to go out and not only view art but to also consider its message. It may not be flashing right in your face but its there hidden and waiting to be discovered.