“A Stool at the End of the Bar” happens to be my favorite of the field trips we went on throughout this course. It was the last trip and the class really felt like a community. Everyone was discussing what they thought the twist would be and was really excited for the play to start.

When I walked into the theater and saw the small set I was surprised and thought to myself: how are they going to move all this…unless there’s only one scene? I was pleasantly surprised by how well they pulled this off. While most of the play was set inside the house, with a few shorter scenes off to the side of the main set in a church and psychologist’s office, the play had so much energy and drama that I didn’t feel like it was boring and kept to one setting. The actors really utilized the space and props to their advantage to make the play feel alive and real. The acting itself was also very impressive, especially Tony, the father, and his older son, Joey. These actors had a lot of emotion and were very convincing. The woman who played Chris on the other hand was on and off throughout the play. In some scenes she was very powerful with her delivery of lines but in others she felt plain and seemed unscathed by some of the play’s events.

Overall the play touched on some very odd but important issues and talked about themes that were considered very taboo thirty years ago when the play was written. Alex and I actually got the chance to speak with the playwright, Robert Calley who wrote the play in the 80s. It took many years before a theater accepted this play for production.

I was initially pretty interested in the comic book exhibit at Columbia University because comics are not one of the most popular and discussed art forms. Most comics tend to have cult followings and many people don’t understand how influential some comics have been on American culture.

Unfortunately I was a little underwhelmed by the exhibit at Columbia. I expected it to be a lot larger and more engaging. The curation was well intended but it didn’t grab my attention and what seemed like the rest of the class as well. I wished there was more variety in the comics. There was a nice timeline going in the first few windows, however, this became less clear in later ones and the exhibit felt cluttered. Also the curator’s narration was monotonous and assumed we had knowledge of comics which we didn’t.

The thing I found most interesting was the display of what was considered one of the first comics which was found at King’s College, now called Columbia University. The crude humor of the comic which depicted a professor telling a female student to get an abortion was surprising to me because of the date the comic was created. Also the fact that it was found in the records of the school and then given to the exhibit was pretty neat.

I wish I could have gone to Carnegie Hall with the rest of the class, however, I had a show myself that day and couldn’t make it. I went to Carnegie Hall instead a few days earlier since I had a project in another class in which I had to watch a classical music performance. So I went to watch the New York Pops, a renowned orchestra from NYC and led by Steven Reineke. I hadn’t been to Carnegie Hall in a few years but used to go on occasion for school trips or with my family when I was younger so the venue wasn’t a surprise to me. Not sure about the class but I was near the very back in the balcony and had “restricted leg room” seats, which were very uncomfortable and which I wouldn’t recommend.

The New York Pops were also accompanied that night by a large choir that performed alongside them on a few pieces. The first act of the night focused on European classical and romantic music from a few different composers, and even included some compositions from the opera “Carmen.” I was very impressed by the musicians and the conductors as they put on a great performance. They really knew how to use the space in Carnegie Hall to establish good dynamics and get a great sound. The second half of the set featured music from modern American composers including an orchestral piece by Reineke himself. Overall I really enjoyed the performance and felt it was very balanced.

Stepping into the Symphony Space auditorium the first thing I noticed was the distinction between those already seated and our class standing up. Most of the audience was decades older than us. This personally set the tone for me for the rest of evening. It’s not to say that I felt like an outsider listening to the panel discuss Jewish food in the context of New York culture, but it made me more attentive. I was surprised at how much they deliberated on the significance of Jewish staples such as herring and gefilte fish. Considering that there wasn’t much attention to the concept of Kosher food and laws—but that is probably also due to the assumption that most of the audience was a part of Jewish culture, or at least, understood it more than I did—I left with a some confusion, and honestly a little disappointment. I felt a little excluded because of a lack of knowledge of the subject matter. However, I did appreciate the historical context the panelists, and especially the host, set in terms of how Jewish food evolved with the migration of people and development of the culture in modern times.

The class discussion we had last Thursday helped to fill in some of my questions, and allowed me to understand how much some of my other classmates, who are Jewish, appreciated the talk. It was interesting what people thought about the changes in Kosher laws and how they followed them according their own familial customs.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see “Carmen” with the class this Tuesday, but coincidently I had the opportunity to see part of it during high school for a class. We watched a practice run of the first act and then went backstage to see the set design, costume, and prop rooms. It was a really interesting experience to see how much went into an opera production besides the talent of the singers. While opera may not be my most preferred art form, I appreciate the intricacies of an opera. The training and practice the singers themselves go through is impressive in itself, but the visual aspect of the performance is captivating. The costumes and set are usually very ornate, and the fact that the singers sing at that volume and range while acting and dancing on stage is incredible.

Watching Amanda Hicks sing in a small room for our class was just really awesome. Her expertise in both singing and her knowledge of opera was enriching. I’m glad we could have that experience to watch a great opera singer so personally.

Going to the American Ballet Theatre was really enjoyable since I haven’t experienced ballet in many years, almost since I used to dance ballet when I was in elementary school. The fact that we were that close to the stage blew me away since I’ve never seen a ballet at Lincoln Center from that close. The first performance was very elegant and I liked it as an introduction to the rest of the night. I really liked the second and third performances though because of the incorporation of a plot and set into both. “Jardin aux Lilas” was backed by a beautiful night sky and forest, in which the characters engaged in two separate love affairs which were never fulfilled. “Fancy Free” was also very engaging as it used elements of humor to showcase a lighter side of ballet many people don’t necessarily associate with it. I feel that it fell a little short in comparison with “Jardin aux Lilas” because it seemed almost more like a musical without vocals than a ballet with thematic elements. The dancers in all the performances, however, were magnificent and were very in sync with one another and the music.

*(I realized I never got the chance to upload this and just left it on my computer. So here it is now.)*

I went to the Gary Winograd Exhibit on its last day at the Met with my mom after a long day. Having already gone in for a shift at work and then to the Macaulay building to work on the Night at the Museum group project, I was physically exhausted and wasn’t sure if I’d be ready to analyze photography. I believe photography to be one of the most precise and demanding forms of art since it requires the upmost care, and often a meticulous work ethic, for a photo or photographer to stand out to me. Considering all the people my age with DSLRs it’s very easy for one to think they can excel in the field of photography.

This visit was also really interesting for me because I was going with my mom who used to be a professional photographer herself before she started our family. Also I frequently used to go with her to art exhibits and institutions, which we hadn’t visited recently.

I was astounded by Winogrand’s photography, from his simple but carefully chosen shots of everyday life and emotion in New York, to his atmospheric and oblique angle shots of Nevada and LA landscapes. Winogrand was an expert in use of high contrast in some of his earlier photographs and he knew when to capture real expression. A couple shots that stood out to me included one of a child holding a mother’s hand while in the waves at Brighton Beach and one of a little girl mimicking the anger and disgust of, who I would assume to be, her father donning a hard hat in a protest with other workers.

The class trip to both the 9/11 Memorial and the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial was not my first time visiting those places. I’ve passed by the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial frequently and glanced at it a few times, and I’ve visited the 9/11 Memorial on numerous occasions. I always have something new to think about when I visit the latter. Growing up and going to school a few blocks from the WTC buildings has given me a unique perspective on the incident. I was in Kindergarten when the planes struck and brought down the Twin Towers. My family had to stay at my uncle’s in New Jersey for over a week until we were cleared to come back to Battery Park City. I wasn’t quite old enough to fully acknowledge the catastrophe when it happened, but I’ve developed a deeper understanding of it as I grew older.

I truly appreciate the scale of the memorial pools and think that they represent the memory of the people and the buildings quite well. The fact that it’s a commonplace for hundreds of people to convene and experience the grandeur of the event and the memorial itself is very impressive. Looking at the memorial as a work of art, I always enjoy the texture and shine of the water, which to me looks like the facade of the Twin Towers themselves. The fact that the names of every person who died as part of the attacks are a part of the memorial evoke a sense of unity between all the mourning families and even others just admiring the memorial. Another noticeable aspect of the pools/fountains is that you can’t see the bottoms. From what I’ve heard this represents the idea of eternity, specifically how the event will never be forgotten. I wish we would also have had the chance to go to the museum there too as it’s equally as impressive, if not more.

The Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial is quite different from the 9/11 Memorial in terms of size, media, and popularity. As opposed to two large, deep pools, this memorial consisted of a medium-sized wall of glass panels. The wall was inscribed with quotes and letters from soldiers, their family members, and military officials. The outstanding effect of this was a sense of reluctance. All of the inscriptions conveyed this feeling in their text, and it was exacerbated by the fact that there were so many and that the fonts were often small and difficult to read without proper lighting. Also this sense was heightened by my own fatigue and the fact that our class was the only group of people viewing the memorial. Despite this I still enjoyed the memorial and appreciated its differences from the 9/11 Memorial.

[quicktime]http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/ugoretz14/files/2014/09/Movie-on-9-8-14-at-10.06-PM.mov[/quicktime]

Having been to the Brooklyn Museum before on a few occasions with my family, I wasn’t sure what to expect going there with my friends and the entire freshman Macaulay community. I was surprised to find it an enriching experience, even though it was difficult at time to stay entirely focused on our assignment.

Both of my parents are very worldly and moved to New York to partake in the various cultural experiences it has to offer. They’ve raised me to appreciate my access to this cultural diversity by exposing me to different events, museums, exhibitions, music, and foods. Going to the Brooklyn Museum with my peers and discussing my appreciation of art was a great opportunity as it not only allowed me express my interpretations on art and cultural, but it gave me the chance to hear others’ insight on the artwork in the museum, and how others interpret art and culture in general.

The “Night at the Museum” was a very different experience from the times I had been to the Brooklyn Museum, or any other museum, before with my parents. Discussing, or even simply viewing, artwork with people my own age found me comparing and contrasting my opinions on art with others’. How I interpreted a painting of Cairo painted by an American artist was different from how my group-mates did. I found our speculation about the purpose of the painting to be really interesting. We each had something different to offer to our combined effort to understand the artist’s meaning. It was also interesting, and funny, to hear conversations other groups were having about artwork they were viewing. Sometimes my group would comment amongst ourselves about what they were saying.

It was obvious at times that our group dynamic led us to quirky conversation about the art. However, I felt that this was as important as our more “academically-inclined” discussion because it showed some of our true feelings about the artwork in the museum and our personal definitions of art. Since we were in the museum alone without adult oversight, I think we all felt more comfortable speaking our mind, even if we just didn’t like a work, an artist, or art in general.