Category: New York Times 10/2

Imagine lending out your favorite shirt to a friend and not being able to get it back. That’s the situation that four Crimean museum, Tavrida Central Museum, the Kerch Historical and Cultural Preserve, the Bakhchisaray History and Culture State Preserve of the Republic of Crimea, and the National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos, found themselves in. Except it’s much more complicated than that.

The Allard Pierson Museum

In 2013, the four museums loaned their artifacts for a traveling exhibition. It went first to the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn, Germany. Then it was sent to the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam in February 2013, which was expected to display there until August 31, 2014.

However in March 2013, Crimea was invaded by Russia and was separated from Ukraine. This is where the problem began.

After the exhibition ended at the Allard Pierson Museum, the 565 rare artifacts are packed in boxes in a storage facility until court decision determines where they should be sent towards.  “Should the collection be returned to Crimea, which would essentially deliver it into Russian hands? Or should it go to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, which owned the collection at the time of the display?” as questioned in the article “Artifacts from Crimean Museums Are Held Hostage by Politics” by Nina Siegal.

Ukraine claimed the arts are part of the public state museum fund, their state property, and should be returned to the government instead of the museums in Crimea. Also there has been fear that Russia, with its claim over Crimea, would move the treasures to its cities, St. Petersburg or Moscow, permanently.

On the other hand, the four Crimean museums are “extremely frustrated at missing these culturally important aspects from their collections.” They argued that the only parties in the loan contracts are they themselves and the Allard Pierson Museum so neither the Russian government or Ukrainian government has a role in this court case.

The Russian Ministry of Culture also supported returning the artifacts to the museums in Crimea. The statement said, “In the almost 18 months after the Crimea joined Russia, the Crimean museums have not lost a single item.”

It is unfortunate that due to the political tension in the area, the treasures are hidden in boxes in storage. The collection of artifacts reveals the different influences and culture in the Black Sea region throughout its history. There are influences “from the Greek, Roman and early medieval periods.” Also since this area is part of the crossroad, there are Chinese goods there from the Silk Road trade. It is a tragedy that these unique pieces are being buried in a storage facility. Regardless of where the court decides to send these treasures to, they should be in display showcasing the vast history of the area instead of burying them in a storage facility.

While reading this New York Times article, “Review: Global Citizen Festival, Including Beyoncé and Pearl Jam, Mixes Music and Activism” by Jon Pareles, on the Global Citizen festival this past Saturday, I was able to analyze the mediums that the organization used to address our major world problems and invigorate people to be activists for change.

The incentive – celebrities. By getting famous musicians, actors, hosts, politicians, executives and social leaders to come together on stage, the organizers of the Global Citizen Festival ensured there would be a lot of media hype surrounding the concert. The publicity would incite audiences’ attention to get tickets and see their heroes in person.

From a showing of 60,000 people, we can see how popular music is and how it reaches out to audiences of tremendous size. The music itself was varied, from Beyonce’s fierce style to Coldplay’s steady rhythms, Ed Sheeran’s smooth vocals to Pearl Jam’s head-banging rock. The appeal reaches all branches of music tastes and therefore, all branches of people.

Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Pearl Jam, Coldplay (left to right)

The set list was carefully chosen to include audience favorites and still send the right message. The article places a lot of emphasis on the feminist empowerment underlying Beyonce’s performance – “Who runs the world? Girls!” – in line with the UN goal of gender equality. With Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder’s performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine”, an activism anthem weaseled its way into people’s hearts. The pathos associated with the dreamy ideas of “no need for greed or hunger” and “a brotherhood of man” is intrinsically connected to the central goals of the UN and envisions a brighter future for us all.

Then there is the method audiences can get tickets – they must complete a list of tasks that promote the UN’s sustainable development goals on social media. This is great for free publicity as social media spreads information across all borders. The more people hear about the goals and concert, the more people will spread the message to get tickets. They will also invite their friends to join the cause so they can all attend the festival together. In the process, the candidates for tickets learn about the issues affecting our world and teach others about it as well.

The massive crowd of 60,000 that attended the Global Citizen Festival.

The Global Citizen Festival cleverly mashes social activism, social media, and music to get the attention and support of everyone.

What makes art unique is two very crucial characteristics: the boundless degree of freedom, and the importance of self interpretation. Many feel that it is one’s natural right to produce any work of art due to these inherent features. However, this all gets a bit more complicated when one’s self interpretation is in direct conflict with another’s freedom to produce.

Currently, there is an international campaign gaining traction mainly in London and New York. This campaign, which is centered around mural based artworks, is a way for people to express protest over the jailing of a female Iranian illustrator, Atena Farghadani. Farghadani was convicted for depicting her local politicians as she perceived them- as animals.

Atena Farghadani

This movement uses art as a way to communicate dissent over the restrictions and limitations of human liberties in Iran. So when Faith47, an acclaimed artist part of the campaign, approached Wylie Goodman about using one of her walls as a canvas for a new work, she gladly agreed. Ms. Goodman’s building stands tall in Red Hook, New York, her permanent residence. Unfortunately, the mural has been involved in protest, vandalism, and public unrest lately. Many of the local residents have expressed opposition to the mural in a wide variety of ways. After much consideration, Goodwin has capitulated, and decided to paint over the mural.

The mural, standing at 27 feet, depicts approximately half of a woman’s face, with her mouth nowhere to be found. The woman can easily be identified as Iranian due to the Niqab, or more commonly known as the Iranian head scarf.

Mural in Red Hook, NY, created by Faith47

To some, the apparent identification of an Iranian character is excessively disrespectful and inappropriate. They feel that the mural is reminiscent, and clearly associated with 9/11 terror attacks, which took place just a few miles away in 2001.

9/11 Rememberance

Upon my first reading of this situation, I was appalled by the irony. This remarkable campaign, along with this specific piece of work, is being protested due to self interpretation by many local residents. The evident paradox is that the campaign itself is concentrated on the belief that every person has innate rights, which includes the freedom to interpret various subjects however they see fit.

Rationally speaking, there are arguments to be made from both sides of the spectrum. To me though, it is clear cut which side has a logical approach, and which side does not. People certainly have the right to decide how they view any work of art. Nevertheless, it is my belief that to have a justified opinion, one must go ahead and do extra research and investigation on the subject at hand. If the residents did not just jump to their premature opinions, and rather did their own due diligence, then they would have discovered the truth behind the creation. They would have seen the painting as the spectacular, legitimate, extensive piece of art that it is. When a movement has such a positive, encouraging meaning behind it, there should be no grounds for objection or dispute. Beyond that, the residents of Red Hook, NY, were acting out of a sense of racism, and unjustified motivation. If we as a people are going to judge people based on the way they look, the people they are linked with, or the place they come from, then how are we any different than the ones who locked up Atena Farghadani in the first place. For us to live in a democracy with freedoms, there must be a balance between liberty and justification.

Thanks to Colin Moynihan, and his article “In Brooklyn, A Protest Mural Draws Its Own Protest,” I am now familiar with Faith47 and the movement to which she has partaken in. Even though Wylie Goodman could not handle the frequent vandalism and disapproval, she deserves great admiration and courage for taking the initiative to be part of such a great campaign. Hopefully in the future Faith47 can continue to spread the message of international solidarity on free speech; except from now on she should be able to operate with the natural human rights this movement fights for.

When one thinks of New York City, the image that pops up in most people’s mind is of a busy Time Square. This image of New York is by no measure uncalled for. According to Forbes, “26 million people visit Times Square each year, which is about 50,0000 people who go through Times Square every day, which consists of 25,0000 employees, residents and of course tourists.”

Time Square is perhaps the world capital of modern art with people running around covered in body paint, amateur artists selling their works, and costumed panhandlers. It is an inspiring piece of New York that is a leaves a positive finger print on American culture and will only grow in importance as time progresses. However, many would disagree with this assessment. Michael Kimmelman in he September 22, 2015 New York Times article, “Making Times Square’s Pedestrian Plazas Work,” reports, “William J. Bratton, the city’s police commissioner, to say he’d like to rip the plazas up. The mayor, Bill de Blasio, didn’t disagree, calling for a task force to study ways to improve the square.”

Luckily, instead of demolishing the plazas, Bratton has assigned a special unit to monitor Times Square. Nevertheless, one must understand that ripping apart Time Square is certainly not off the table. I for one believe that Time Square is a valuable artistic asset of the city.

These plazas were established by the Michael Bloomberg administration in order to improve pedestrian and driver safety while encouraging tourists to appreciate the artistic expressions of New Yorkers.

Moreover, the plaza isn’t only a center for art, but also a piece of architectural art within its own right. NYC Department of Design and Construction calls the plaza, “a back drop for pedestrians in the area.” The validity of this claim is proven when one examines the plaza. For instance, each panel of the concrete pavers has unique design with thousands of stainless-steel pucks implanted within them, which will reflect the lights of Broadway.

However, the story doesn’t end there. Kimmelman clarifies, “Craig Dykers, a founding partner of Snohetta, the firm hired five years ago to design the plazas, showed me plans for improvements yet to come, including widened sidewalks along a repaved Seventh Avenue.”

This means we have yet to see Time Square in its full glory. It could become a place that would encourage even more tourism, which in turn would incite more creative, innovative, and even weird artistic voices to be heard in the plaza.

In the final analysis, it becomes clear that we as New Yorkers must advocate for the preservation and expansion of the Time Square’s Pedestrian Plaza.