Walking into ICP I thought the photographs on the first floor were pretty cool with the vibrant colors and the random shots taken I guess they were supposed to have a deeper meaning and in some of them I took the time to find out what that deeper meaning was. But where I spent most of my time was downstairs in the JFK 50th anniversary exhibit. I like history so I thought the display of the shots during JFK’s assassination were pretty amazing. They were probably the only photographs of the event so I really examined them to see if I saw anything different in each one of them. What I also thought was different and interesting about this exhibit were the photo’s they displayed of average Americans TV sets during this time in history. For example there was a picture of a television image of Kennedy’s flag covered casket and another television image of JFK’s accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald being transported moments before being fatally shot by Jack Ruby. I loved that they decided to put these television set photos up because it caught more than just the moments but it captured the affect JFK’s death had on millions of Americans. The fact that the people watching the funeral or the other events that were photographed on television sets took the time out to photograph and use precious camera film to capture these moments show how important these events were during this time in American history. It’s not like how it is now where everyone has a high digital camera in their pockets and can take pictures anywhere and everywhere, these photos were unique in the sense that during a time when there was much less technological advances, these people found a way to capture the moment making the pictures all the more impacting.

Waiting on line for the jazz quartet I was really excited because I love live music. The moments building up to the performance only added to the suspense and excitement because I had never listened to any jazz live and I didn’t have much experience with it either for that matter. As it began, it was really soothing. I agree with my peers from class discussion that when you opened your eyes during the performance you only paid attention to the one instrument you were drawn to but when you closed you took the whole sound of the performance in and it became one. That’s why I decided to enjoy the show in the beginning with my eyes open so I could see the work into playing these instruments which is part of the beauty of the music they played. One thing I wasn’t expecting when I was watching the performance was the way they were all in sync and just looking at each other and giving off good vibes to each other and the audience. I would catch them smiling at each other when a part would get really good and that only added to the experience of listening to the piece; knowing that they were having a good time and that they were sharing it with us. The second half of the show I closed my eyes because I wanted to concentrate on the music. Every piece had something unique about it. I loved when the only instrument played was the bass. It captivated my attention to the point where that was the only instrument that I wanted to hear throughout the whole show, it had such a strong hold on me. But there was this one piece that was so beautiful that I found myself grinning the entire time it was performed. It was Frank Kimbrough’s (the pianist) piece “For Duke”. It was flawless. Just the dynamics of the song and how it would build up and go down just had me slowly shaking my head along to the piano and saxophone which were the star instruments of the piece. On my way home I found myself humming the song, so naturally I had to download it. Unfortunately I couldn’t find it anywhere that night. But the next day it was still stuck in my head so I decided to look for it again and I found it! I bought it for 99 cents on Amazon. Best dollar I ever spent.

Going into the Brooklyn Museum I wasn’t really too excited because I don’t really like going to museums. I feel like art is something you create and discover on your own, it’s a journey where you find what evokes you, not what someone has put in an area and labels art. As I walked around with my group members I saw the typical pieces of modern art that I was familiar with. As the night drew to an end I encountered a piece that really caught my attention I believe it was on the fourth floor? Anyway, when I first saw it I thought I didn’t have my glasses on because it was very blurry. But when I realized I did have them on, I laughed to myself because it was crazy how this work of art made me question myself. As I looked at it I thought it may have been the artist trying to represent the future. It seemed futuristic with the jet black background and the blurry crystals which may have represented uncertainty. But when I read the information posted along the painting it told me that the artist wanted to portray the effect on AIDS and the ‘crystals’ were actually blurred hands and faces. They represented the people who lost their lives from this disease. I love how he didn’t use the color red at all even though that usually represents AIDS. It was such a great way to express loss that even though it was meant to be sad the painting actually made me smile. I feel like I shouldn’t have been smiling, but now I realize that no matter what works of art will stimulate different responses regardless of what the artist paints. It was the highlight of my night.

Painting: Green Hands and Faces
Artist: Ross Bleckner