Author Archives: Rosemarie Dominguez

“Unexpected twists and thought-provoking turns”

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For as long as we can remember, women have been fighting for equality with men, and although women seem to have achieved a lot within the past decades, it is definitely not enough to stop.  Perhaps we won’t start a new movement or create protests in the streets, but we will create art and share it.

Sanja Ivekovic has believed in the idea of promoting female equality through art for a long time and her works, now being displayed at the Museum of Modern Art, are a retrospective covering over 35 years.  Her work is being referred to as full of “unexpected twists and thought-provoking turns” because it is saturated with shocking images that create an unforgettable message of the importance of women’s rights.

Sanja Ivekovic's “Women's House (Sunglasses),” from 2004.

For example, Ivekovic’s most recent works focus on violence against women.  “Women’s House (Sunglasses),” which is a continuing work, combines images of beautiful fashion models wearing sunglasses with short, first-person accounts from abused women who often wear sunglasses to cover their bruises.  The images are unforgettable.  Similarly, for the “Paper Women” series (1976-77) Ivekovic took images of models from magazines and scratched, tore and defaced them in shockingly effective ways, in order to imply acts of violence.

Sanja Ivekovic's works at the Museum of Modern Art include “Lady Rosa of Luxembourg,” (2001).

The biggest, most overpowering piece of them all is “Lady Rosa of Luxembourg,” a sculpture in the MoMA’s atrium that consists of a life size statue of a pregnant Greek goddess displayed atop an obelisk.  At the base is a “jarring combination of epithets and historic catchphrases (Whore, Kitsch, La Résistance).”  It was initially exhibited in Luxembourg in 2001 fairly close to a similar statue that was “unpregnant,” therefore it created a lot of anger, arguably taking away from its purpose of increasing awareness of abuse of women and children.  Its efforts, nonetheless, are extremely vital in our society.  Female equality cannot be forgotten– so go see the exhibit…

… and check out this article to learn more:  Venus Rising From Her Pretty Prison.

Politics in Art

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After experiencing the Occupy Wall Street protests and learning about protesters’ efforts to support the 99%, we have concluded that art can have a big part in politics.  Aside from the artistic sense that many of the protesters have with creating signs and memorable images, the protesters are also seeking support for art related matters such as in education.  Overall, though, it is significant that the protesters were and are using art to get their ideas across.  Peter Schumann is doing the same thing in his Bread and Puppet productions.  His productions express “political outrage and satire”; in other words, he sends a blunt message to his viewers through his art.

Mr. Schumann uses papier-mâché heads, masks and costumes in his productions, and a narration for them is provided through a megaphone.  The music of the production is also much more dominant than the dialogue.  While the plot isn’t always completely straight forward, the images created by the papier-mâché art is undoubtedly memorable.

Bread and Puppet Theater is presenting "Attica," a 1971 piece, at the Theater for the New City.

“Man of Flesh & Cardboard,” is one of his recent productions which is meant to protest the foul treatment of an Army private, Bradley Manning, who is now in prison for leaking government files such as a video of an American helicopter attack in Baghdad.  The usage of the papier-mâché heads are quite entertaining in fact:  an old, compliant woman is used to portray complicit news organizations, figures in black pirouettes are the prisoners, and skeletons participate in a dance of death.  All in all, his point is to expose the irony of Private Manning’s imprisonment “for having committed the crime of exposing war crimes.”  Private Manning will soon be having his first public hearing.

It is quite amazing that art can have such an amazing impact.  Read more about it here.

The Gamelan Orchestra – A Cultural Art

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On Thursday, December 1st, we were treated to a sneak peak of what is involved in the Gamelan Orchestra, a Balinese art.  We sat on cushions in a room filled with instruments like xylophones, metallophones, gongs, and drums.  The instruments were beautifully designed and looked expensive.  We were even instructed not to step over the instruments out of respect.  We were taught to play over-simplified tunes in order to give us some experience with the instruments; at times it sounded like noise, but it was still fun and I appreciated the different rhythms.

Then, on December 5th, our experience playing some of the instruments was followed up by the Gamelan Yowana Sari (orchestra concert) in LeFrak Hall. I was especially able to appreciate the performance because of the lesson we had had prior to the performance.   I loved how the director, Professor I Nyoman Saptanyana, led the different parts of the orchestra simultaneously with simply one drum; I can tell that everyone was paying attention to him carefully and that he mattered in the fluency of the pieces.

Everyone on stage was wearing a cultural costume, and during one of the pieces two women came out and did a dance to the music.  Seeing it performed in a cultural context added to my appreciation of it as an art as well.  The piece, Brayut, is interesting because it is the name of a husband and wife in Bali with 18 children; the family is poor now, but as they grow up, the family will acquire wealth.  Pendet Penyambutan also has cultural and traditional significance as it is a welcome dance for visitors to the island of Bali.  Overall, It was refreshing to see art with a cultural value.  Seeing performances and/or art in context has proved time and time again to be extremely important.

Here is a video I found of Balinese Gamelan music that shows a lot of what we learned (including one of the same beats we were taught on Thursday):

 

Plays with a Purpose

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As college students, we are constantly looking for ways to entertain ourselves, and for those of you who don’t already know, StudentRush.org is a HUGE help.  A few weeks ago, some friends and I received an email for free tickets to an off-Broadway performance called Standing on Ceremony in the Minetta Lane Theatre (although it inevitably cost us five dollars each with reservation fees).  It would consist of a series of plays about gay marriage.

Upon taking our seats, we saw a cute wedding set at the back of the stage, and high in the air were two intertwined rings.  In front of this set, however, were six seats side by side evenly spread across the stage.  Stands were placed in front of the seats, and I was at first confused because surely they would not be reading lines from them… but that’s exactly what they did.  We’ve experienced many different types of performances throughout the semester, but none like this one.  The set behind the six seats and six stands had no purpose in the plays but to be something nice for the audience to look at.  The first set of actors that came out seemed to be staring down at their lines for way too long.  It was noticeably unprofessional and all I was thinking was what did I get myself into here?   I realized, however, that the two characters were looking down at their “vows” which they were arguing over, and so I let the lack of eye contact slide.  From then on, they did not look at their lines nearly as much.

Of nine mini-plays, the one entitled “On Facebook” was the most meaningful to me.  It was the reenactment of a conversation that actually happened on Facebook.  It basically consisted of a debate between different groups of people holding different opinions toward gay marriage.  In the end, the woman against gay marriage shows very little understanding for the homosexual community and is more or less shut up because of her closed mind.  Throughout this play, the actors and actresses were sitting down, and there was barely any movement.  It was real, though.  Their words were meaningful and intense–perhaps that was the point.  Perhaps in this case, words mean a lot more than any action that can be performed on stage.  Perhaps the purpose of these plays were to ask for everyone to stop what they are doing and just listen to each other rather than judge each others actions and make assumptions.

The Development of de Kooning

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Interestingly enough, the exhibition of de Kooning’s work in the Museum of Modern Art is the first exhibition devoted to such a full variation of his work.  As a result, the most important idea to take away from the exhibit, aside from the meaningful intricacy of his work, is the development of his work over almost seven decades.  The exhibit does an excellent job of portraying de Kooning’s development as an artist; when you first walk into the exhibit you can see his first works that he completed in his teens, and the rooms will lead you through a large scope of the works of his life chronologically.

The beginning of de Kooning’s journey as an artist includes three still lives, one of which is to the right.  The pieces show variations of pots, cups, and bowls in a very detailed, realistic manner.  They are simple, but they show de Kooning’s capabilities as a drawer quite evidently.  He can undoubtedly create values and place shadows correctly.

Continuing to walk through the exhibition, you will find pieces like Woman I (1950) which is way more abstract than the still life pieces.  He worked particularly long on this piece and repainted it many times until he finally settled for the image of a woman (image to the left).  While his still life was simple, Woman I created some controversy.  In a PBS interview remembering de Kooning, the controversy over paintings like Woman I was explained: “To conservative critics it was considered ugly; that he had so brutalized the human figure, particularly the female form. And to the more progressive and avant garde critics it seemed to be a repudiation of all he had fought for in terms of avant garde painting and the repudiation of his role as an abstract painter” (Online NewsHour: In Remembrance). But perhaps the fact that his pieces are left up for debate is the reason for their beauty.

Later, de Kooning began to paint pieces like Untitled XXII (1983).  This piece (to the right) is much simpler, but it seems to have lines that are much more well thought out.  Right in the center one might see a face with closed eyes (one red, one blue), a nose, and teeth below it.  It is much more relaxed than his earlier pieces like Woman I. 

Overall, de Koonings pieces are an excellent example in the argument of what can be considered art.  One might look at Untitled XXII and say that anyone could do that; one might say that de Kooning really doesn’t show any talent.  His still life paintings, however, prove that he has an extraordinary capability and talent.  His development shows his growth in ability to express something more than just values and shadows.

To see a little more about his progression as an artist click here.

Suor Angelica (vs. Don Giovanni)

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Going to see Don Giovanni was a new experience for me.  Never had I been to an opera, but now I have been to two!  As I sat in LeFrak Concert Hall tonight, I couldn’t help but compare the two operas.  The stage set-up for Suor Angelica particularly caught my attention; the orchestra was right on the stage taking up most of the space, and there really wasn’t much of a set to create a convent (where the opera takes place).  The orchestra for Don Giovanni was away in a pit, almost no where to be seen (at least from my seat).  While this was most likely done due to a lack of space, I found it very enjoyable, because it added to the emotions of the actors.  The music itself does this, but seeing the musicians increase the speed of their movements added to the effect.

Suor Angelica is about a woman, Sister Angelica, who had been forced into a convent seven years ago for giving birth to a child out of wedlock.  She finds out from her aunt, the Principessa (who is played by the woman, Francesca Lunghi, who came in to our class to sing her aria for us), that her son had died two years ago.  Sister Angelica then drinks a poison in order to kill herself and go to heaven to see her son.  She realizes last minute that committing suicide is a sin and would keep her from heaven, so she cries out for salvation.  During the part when Sister Angelica finds out that her son is dead, she falls over in tears and the Principessa is still as if to put the focus on the orchestra which is moving violently as the music speeds up and gets louder. This climax was definitely my favorite scene because I was able to see the orchestra as a part of it. Furthermore, even though there wasn’t a big stage set, the costumes were very realistic and effective, and lights were put to excellent use in creating the effects of glass windows in the chapel.

In the end, Sister Angelica is forgiven and allowed to go to heaven with her son.  Just like in Don Giovanni, there is an arguably happy ending.  Sister Angelica dies, but she is with her son;  Don Giovanni ruined many lives, but he does die.  Lastly, in both operas, a higher being comes to judge the vulnerable people.

I enjoyed both operas very much! It was pretty cool that Suor Angelica was being performed right on our campus.

Occupy Wall Street: Day of Action

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Occupy Wall Street is a movement by and for the 99% of people in the United States sharing 1% of the country’s wealth.  It began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District.  Within two months (as yesterday marked two months of the movement) efforts have spread to occupy not only over 100 cities in the United States but over 1,500 cities around the world.  Everyone involved is working to fight against banks and corporations that have way too much power in our democracy.  Wall Street has specifically gained too much power and this movement is aimed at it.  Supporters of the movement want to stop the richest 1% from taking over the economy ( http://occupywallst.org/about/ ).

Since yesterday was the two month anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement, participants had big plans for it.  November 17th was called the “Day of Action”; plans were made to occupy the whole day.  First, participants planned to shut down Wall Street by gathering in Liberty Square at 7:00 a.m. in front of the ring of the Trading Floor Bell.  As they stood before the Stock Exchange, they then “[exchanged] stories rather than stocks.”

At 3:00 p.m. they occupied subways throughout the five boroughs to exchange stories using the “People’s Mic” in which the crowd repeats what one person says so that everyone can hear.  When our watches struck 5:00, tens of thousands of people gathered at Foley Square in a musical festival, and then marched all the way across the Brooklyn Bridge ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/occupy-wall-street-day-of-action_n_1098302.html ).  Five o’clock is when I joined the day’s festivities.  I walked into Foley Square a little frightened, actually, at the numerous police everywhere I looked, but also at the overwhelming crowd.  While it seemed intense, every person I passed was very polite and as courteous as a person could be in a crowd of thousands as possible.  Overall, from what I saw, the crowd was peaceful yet actively getting their message across.  The 99% deserves more power!

Here is a video of some of what I saw:

“I’ll take money from the rich and invest it in the poor,” you’ll notice, is one of the most important things that the rapper says in the video I caught.  It very simply and plainly states the goal of the 99%.

Nearby the crowd were hundreds of students, teachers, parents, and supporters of the City University of New York rallying for the same reason.  Yet in this crowd is where I heard people not only fighting for wealth, but for the arts!  Among other things, the crowd was chanting for better music opportunities for their students as well as more art programs!  Some people have luxurious opportunities to be a part of costly shows and even to own expensive musical instruments, but others (the 99%, for example) might not.  CUNY has been able to provide many opportunities for its students, but it would be able to do even more with funding.  So, in efforts to provide the growing generations with opportunities in the arts of New York City, a crowd stood relentlessly holding signs that read “Fund CUNY – The People’s University” and “Invest in CUNY. Invest in New York.”

The power of the 99% really does have a big effect on education of the arts in New York City.  Without it we cannot provide opportunities in the arts for an astonishingly large majority of students, not just in New York City, but everywhere.

Fall for Dance – A Diversity of Expressions

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While all four performances were extravagant, there were two that particularly caught my eye: the Australian ballet and “Three to Max.”  I had been to one ballet performance prior to this one–my little sister’s–during which I was thoroughly put to sleep.  During the Australian ballet, however, I was captivated by every part of it.  The presentation of the dance, for one, helped keep the focus on the dancers; the lighting affected the golden costumes so that only a very thin angle of the dancers’ bodies could be seen at every turn.  This seems like a very minor observation, but the presentation of the dance in this case did a lot to keep the focus on the dancers’ movements.  Aside from this, the dancers moved with such grace that made the movements seem easy, but simultaneously painful.  I was also able to identify various ballet steps such as a jeté and even the positions because of the clear, precise steps.

“Three to Max” was also significant, because while I occasionally found parts of it unable to keep my attention, other parts were indeed my favorite.  The repetition in the performance became a little too much, but the steps (and the memorization of them for that matter), now that I think about it, were still impressive.  I particularly loved the piece with the Indian song.  It was very expressive of the loving emotions flowing through the dancers unlike the repetitive counting.  In the end, perhaps it was the variation and diversity of the piece, and even the entire evening, that made it so great.

A Reflection on the Met

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The Frans Hals exhibit was enjoyable in a way that allowed me to see something other than what I am used to.  It also allowed me to appreciate Hals’ type of work; it is usually not something I would chose to view.

Two things make or break a piece of art for me: its story and how it was made.  I love something that has meaning.  So, for example, when we learned about how Hals’ pieces incorporate everyday life and humor, I gained appreciation for it.  I also liked how the rouge cheeks of his subjects, such as in “Young Men and Woman in an Inn,” is an expression of happiness.  As a lover of painting, I also love to see and learn about technique.  For this reason I was captured by how he painted the white collar on a subject by slavering on white paint and using black to create the holes in it.

My favorite piece was “The Fisher Girl” (1630-32) because of the sensation of movement in the painting as if light, air and endless space swept behind the girl.  The piece was also in astonishingly fabulous condition.

After going to the Frans Hals exhibit, I decided to take a look at the Robert Lehman Collection.  One painting that captured my eye was by Claude Lorrain (1604/5-1682) called “Purseus and the Origin of Coral” (1671).  The years are what specifically caught be eye since this artist was alive during the time of Hals.  They were alive during the same artistic time period, yet they clearly had different approaches.  Lorrain’s piece is less dramatic, yet it has a greater back story as it is inspired by Greek Mythology.

Both exhibits were definitely worth my time!

Guggenheim

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It’s a blessing to have friends who agree on a whim to go to a museum for absolutely no reason at all except for the pure enjoyment of it.  Last weekend, Caitlin, Shane, and I took it upon ourselves to do just that.  We took a bus and train to the wondrous Guggenheim museum!  I had been there before in high school, and I absolutely loved it.  Aside from the captivating pieces that covered the walls of the museum, the building itself draws its guests in.  The museum is designed in a spiral so that visitors can walk through all the exhibits down a ramp for seven floors.  To the right is a picture that I took of the layout of the building when I went a couple of years ago.

I was especially excited for my friends to see this amazing museum, but to our dismay it was under construction due to the addition of a new exhibit.  The ramps were consequently closed off, and fewer collections were on display. My favorite of the collections was the Thannhauser collection.  Within the gallery is 19th and early 20th century art given to the museum by Justin K. and Hilde Thannhauser.  In 1909, Thannhauser founded the Moderne Galerie in Munich.  It included the French Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, Italian Futurists, and contemporary German artists. Kandinsky called it “perhaps the most beautiful exhibition spaces in all of Munich” and in 1913, it took up the first major Pablo Picasso retrospective.

Because Solomon R. Guggenheim shared the similar goal with the Thannhausers’ of promoting artistic progress, in 1963 Justin K. Thannhauser gave a large sum of his collection to the Guggenheim Foundation.  It includes pieces by Cézanne, Gauguin, Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Van Gogh and over 30 works by Picasso.  Unlike some of the other exhibitions at the museum, this one is ongoing.

One of my favorite pieces is by the French Impressionist, Claude Monet.  To the left is the piece in the collection (The Palazzo Ducale, Seen from San Giorgio Maggiore (Le Palais Ducal vu de Saint-Georges Majeur)).  I love the strokes that he uses in almost all of his paintings that create an undefined yet crisp look.  Van Gogh does this in a lot of his pieces in and out of the collection as well.  I realized after going to the Met and the Guggenheim that this impressionistic art is my favorite; it is both abstract and real at the same time. 

Here is another piece to the right that really caught my eye by Edouard Manet called Before the Mirror (Devant la glace).  In his life, Manet was actually very important in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.

This may not be the type of art that interests you, but the Guggenheim has a ton more than this that will interest almost anyone.  If anything The Hugo Boss Prize 2010: Hans-Peter Feldmann will catch your attention.  In short, Feldmann won $100,000 for achievement in contemporary art, and for a solo exhibit in the Guggenheim, he hung all the money up on the wall in one dollar bills.  It’s quite an amazing sight to see.

The entire museum is definitely worth your time– even more so when it’s not under construction (starting November 4th)! I’m definitely going back! Plus, it’s free with your cultural passport.  To find out more click here.

Memphis: My First Broadway Musical!

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Earlier this month, we were already in the city, so Caitlin, Shane, and I decided we might as well go see a Broadway play!  We had been talking about it for a while, and decided to just go for it.  I love the spontaneity that can come along with being in New York City– everything is right at our fingertips.  So we hopped on a train and after a little bit of searching, we decided to go with Shane’s original suggestion: Memphis!

I honestly did not know what to expect; it was my first Broadway musical ever!  They had run out of student rush tickets, but $41.50 tickets were still available, so we took them!  They landed us in the highest seat in the entire theater, and I was unlucky enough to be seated behind a tall man who blocked my view throughout the entire show… Nonetheless, it was an amazing experience!

The musical, which takes place in the 1950’s, is more or less about a white man named Huey who seeks to make the voice of an African American woman, Felicia, known, by getting her on the radio.  From the beginning, he makes it quite obvious that he is attracted to her, and despite disagreements and struggles with the community around them, they begin a relationship.  Some things go awry, but in the end Felicia’s voice makes it big!

*Spoiler Alert*

By the end, Huey must chose between going to New York with the love of his life (where she feels she will have more freedom in her career) and staying in Memphis, his home.  Despite his undying love for Felicia, he chooses to stay in Memphis.  Call me girly, but I am an advocate for happy endings, so this definitely did not make me too happy.

At the end of the musical, Caitlin, Shane, and I discussed our thoughts and they actually made me realize something I never would have even thought of.  As Shane put it, Huey is very conceited and annoying.  I suppose I was blinded by my hope for a happy ending, but Shane was right.  At the end of the musical Huey kisses Felicia on live television.  He supposedly does it to show her how much he loves her, but in reality it is more for himself– he wants to make a statement to the public.  In the process he loses job opportunities and doesn’t even stay with the woman he loves.

The music was fabulous! My favorite songs were near the end of the musical after Felicia leaves Huey– here songs were full of passion and the voices were stronger than ever.  The excitement lasts throughout, and the music, like most Broadways, I assume, reflects the mood of the play perfectly.

I would definitely see this show again, but first I want to cross some others off my list!  You all should definitely go see it as well!

Still bored? Visit the American Museum of Natural History!

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During our long five day weekend, my dorm mates and I decided to make something of our time… so we made a trip to the American Museum of Natural History!  It’s so easy to get to (the 81st Street stop on the B or C train), you can spend the whole day there, and it’s loads of fun!  For those of you who have never been there, look at it as a way to meet Dum Dum from Night at the Museum!

Something interesting that I learned is that much of what is loosely termed “slavery” in Africa was actually serfdom, which was more humane and mainly a way to deal with war captives and criminals.  Interestingly enough, serfdom would allow them to work and gradually secure themselves a better, more honorable place in society.  The coastal slave trade is what later brought corruption, especially the treatment that came along with the “middle passage.” 

Along with learning new things, it’s always great to experience things you’ve already learned.  In Anthropology we’ve recently learned about Shamans and how specific groups believe in their healing powers.  It was cool to read more about this in the museum and even see an example of what it might look like.

I also read something in the museum about people in the Amazon who, for no reason at all, drink lots and lots of beer.  Even after guests have drunk until they are full, it is still bad manners for them to refuse more.  They are expected to even throw up in order to make room for more.  What’s so amazing is that I am currently reading an ethnography is which the Achuar people of the Amazon do this very thing.  It was exciting to learn about it again in the museum!

Definitely make a trip to the Museum of Natural History! It’s pretty much free with the Cultural Passport too!

Bored? Plan a day in Chelsea!

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My roommate, Natasha, and I were bored, so we decided to use Google to our advantage!  I typed in “fun things to do in NYC” and after quite a bit of searching I came across this video:

It immediately caught our attention, and since we were so completely desperate to find something to do, we called up Jiemin and set out to find this Nick Cave exhibit in the Mary Boone Gallery on 24th Street. Here is the link to the website to find out more!

When we arrived at the gallery we were a little disappointed because the half bird, half human creatures weren’t actually dancing around.  Instead, here is what we saw:

 

They were still extremely fun to look at, and I love how different this art is compared to so many other pieces of art that I have seen.  As we walked out of the gallery, we noticed that there were galleries everywhere!  At first I though W 24th Street was just filled with galleries, but it turns out all of W 17th Street though W 29th Street between 9th and 12th Avenue are covered in art galleries!!!  Of course we didn’t have time to look at them all, but we definitely spent a good handful of hours on those streets!  My favorite part about the galleries was that they were all so incredibly different from one another!  One of the exhibits that specifically caught my eye was by Deborah Butterfield.  The exhibit was basically a bunch of life-size horses made out of tree branches!  It’s amazing how our brains can piece together the parts of the horses and form such an amazing image.  The picture below is a taste of the exhibit!  The horse at the bottom specifically shows such a minimal outline of a horse, yet our brains can piece it together to form the image of a horse that is either dying or simply laying on the ground.

Lastly, my absolute favorite exhibit of the night was one by Paolo Ventura.  His pieces were exceptional in that they were photographs of small models that he would build himself.  They were all amazing and told stories in themselves, but the reason why I loved the exhibit so much, was they they told a story all together.  In the front of the exhibit was a book that Ventura had put together with all of his pieces.  Together they formed a story primarily about the Holocaust.  The first photograph below is a reference to how the Nazis left people’s homes after investigating them.  The second is a picture of a man escaping such horror by roof.  It’s always amazing to have a back story to pieces of art, and I love Ventura’s approach to doing that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best part of these galleries is that they are all FREE! So definitely make sure you make some time to visit them; you’ll love them!

What’s New at the Jewish Museum?

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After experiencing such a well organized exhibit of inspiring art as I did in the Cone Sisters Show at the Jewish Museum, I had to wonder what other shows were coming up in the museum.  New York Times, of course, was there to answer my question in an article about one painting that has inspired an entirely new show.  Kehinde Wiley is a rather young artist who exhibits a lot of global culture as well as history in his pieces.  His work happens to include a lot of “good-looking men” which seem similar to works by Rubens and Jacques-Louis David.  Furthermore, the paintings include “lush and intricately painted backgrounds” which make them even more captivating.

The piece, “Alios Itzhak,” which is part of the artist’s series “World Stage: Israel,” is what has recently inspired the Jewish Museum.  It is an image of a “handsome Ethiopian-Israeli man in a T-shirt and blue jeans, one hand on his hip, staring with attitude straight at the viewer.”  The captivating design behind him is a sort of paper cutout, inspired by a 19th-century Judaica piece which is in the museum’s permanent collection.

According to an associate curator of the Jewish Museum, Wiley’s work includes many of the same interests as the museum.  As a result they put a large sum of money together to acquire the painting.  The curators now look forward to making a show out of it! It will run from March 9 through July 29!

Wiley’s paintings are definitely different and interesting.  I am wholeheartedly looking forward to this show!

A Struggling Museum

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Before classes started, we were instructed, as Macaulay freshmen, to visit the Macaulay Honors Center in the city and pick up our Cultural Passports.  My friend and Macaulay peer, Natasha, came with me on this venture.  We were a bit disappointed in the long trip only to arrive at the Honors Center and only be there for about ten minutes.  As a result, we grabbed a bite to eat while looking at the names of the museums listed on the back of the Cultural Passports.  We were actually inexplicably excited to make use of them.  Nonetheless, to our further disappointment, there were no museums near us that seemed interesting.  We decided to simply walk back to the train station.  Before we made it there, however, we encountered the American Folk Art Museum.  After a moment of uncertainty as to whether or not the museum took part in our Cultural Passport discount, one of us pulled out the card and screamed in excitement that the museum was in fact listed.

We walked into the American Folk Art Museum with Cultural Passports held high only to learn that the museum is already free.  Again our excitement sunk, but at least we could still enjoy the museum.

After looking around for about five minutes, we weren’t very impressed.  We weren’t necessarily disappointed, however; instead it gave us both a big laugh.  I don’t know what we were expecting, but definitely not a small collection of quilts.

Today I looked through the New York Times, and I found an article about the very museum that marked a beginning to my college career.  Upon reading, I learned a great deal about the museum.  Little did I know, the museum has had quite the financial struggle, and “last spring, having defaulted on a $31.2 million construction bond, [the museum’s trustees] sold the museum’s 10-year-old building to its neighbor, the Museum of Modern Art, and retreated to its small, rather grim Lincoln Square branch.”  That “grim Lincoln Square branch” is what Natasha and I had visited.  In addition, the article did confirm that the museum is in fact free at this time.  Money donations, however, along with petitions and letters can help this museum stand strong.

I have gained much more respect for the collection at the American Folk Art Museum since that visit.  At this time the museum continues to struggle and there are talks of disposing of the collection or dispersing it throughout various museums.  The importance of keeping the collection together has become increasingly evident to me and at this point I would do almost anything to be able to go back to that “grim Lincoln Square branch” and take a second look at the art–the art that includes such a full and wide range of the American experience.  It is something that can easily be taken for granted, as I took it for granted, but I suggest that we do not do this anymore. Click here to learn about the history of the wonderful museum and be sure to read the article that changed my mind:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/arts/design/preserving-the-american-folk-art-museums-place-in-new-york.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=arts#