Hi Everyone! It has been a pleasure to have class with all of you and I genuinely want to stay in touch with all of you! Here is Crystal, Sally, Nataliah, and my final video project. Have an amazing Winter Break!

[quicktime]http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/ugoretz14/files/2014/12/Seminar-Project.mp4[/quicktime]

This show was by far my favorite event our class has attended together this semester. It was refreshing to see because the play did not just portray a cookie cutter story that I have already seen a thousand versions of. Instead, it discusses the relevant theme of discrimination against homosexual and transgender people. It questions the societal norms that dictate who is labeled a “family”. Since I am taking a sociology class now, this topic was extremely interesting to me.

I was looking at the set before the play began and wondered how the crew was going to switch the set between scenes. I thought that they were going to use the gaps between the walls and the set to transport the props. Instead, they set up different areas of the room as different scenes and varied the lighting. It was extremely well done. Overall, this was an extremely interesting experience for me.

By the way, I found Joey! After a long discussion, I talked him out of joining the military and he is coming home. In all seriousness, I had a very interesting conversation with Luke Slattery, the actor that plays Joey. He asked me what I thought of the ending of the show. I told him that I thought the playwright left it unanswered in order for the audience to add in their own interpretation of how the family would have ended up. When I said that we all hope for a happy ending, he said, “Well, there isn’t always a happy ending”, which made me believe that he did not have much hope for the family’s future together.

The violin performance that our class went to see at Carnegie Hall was an overall thrilling experience. The theater was beautiful and the stage was set up in a refreshingly organized manner. I was a little bit bored during the first act of the show and was anxiously anticipating hearing the Four Seasons during the intermission. The waiting paid off and I ended up highly enjoying the entire second act. I particularly enjoyed when the lead violinist interacted with the other musicians. The connection between them was beautiful. I also appreciated how in sync all of the instruments were played. Sally and I were wondering why there were so many encores. We were also confused as to why the lead violinist kept exiting the stage and then coming back. We felt that it was an overdone attempt to get more attention and applause. Overall, this was a great performance to witness!

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the Comic Archives event at Columbia University because I was at a conference in California for one of my extracurricular activities. Instead of posting about that event, I will be reviewing one of the comics posted online. I have always loved the X-Man movies and, therefore, am choosing to discuss “The Uncanny X-Men #141″.

I really enjoyed the graphics of this comic. In an art class I took in high school, we learned about inking. We were given some pictures to ink ourselves and it was an extremely difficult process. I began to appreciate the patience and technique that goes into inking. It was very well done in “The Uncanny X-Men #141″.

One aspect of the comic that I didn’t like was the way that women were referred to. In the beginning of the comic, Wolverine saves Kate from Rogues. Logan addresses the villain stating, “YOU’RE GONNA RELEASE THE LADY, JUST LIKE SHE ASKED”. He specifically referred to her gender when she was being victimized and in need of savior. The helplessness of women is a flawed theme that is perpetuated in several forms of art. This tradition is in need of change.

The Five Boroughs Food Talk at Symphony Space was an interesting event. I liked how the panelists had very diverse backgrounds. Some of them were Jewish and others were not. A few of the panelists at the event run Jewish food businesses and some are simply food historians. I felt that this diversity among the panelists allowed for a nice variation of perspectives regarding Jewish food. Although I enjoyed the discussion overall, I did not appreciate that it seemed to be targeted at a very specific audience. A person that did not have much prior knowledge regarding Jewish food or culture could easily have had a difficult time understanding the conversation. On a more positive note, I did enjoy the question and answer session at the end of the panelists’ interaction with the host. I felt that it was a good way to create a more personal connection between the audience and the panelists. I was, however, disappointed that I did not get called on to ask a question I had. I was going to ask Naama Shefi about what Israeli food, aside from the typical falafel and shwarma, she thinks will be coming to America in the near future. Finally, I was very happy that we were given goody bags at the end!

1. What are some hidden ways that art influences us in our everyday lives without us realizing it?

2. Should we continue to modify and bring back old approaches to art, such as the current creation of Neoclassical art, or should we focus on inventing new methods of creating art that is appropriate for our time in history?

Both the 9/11 museum and the 9/11 memorial are powerfully striking. They are extremely well structured and trigger deep emotions in visitors.

The memorial’s use of water is interesting. The square gap in the ground creates a feeling of absence. The water flowing into the large hole appears to symbolize life going down the drain. Furthermore, the seemly endless second square that the water flows into appears to indicate that the civilians’ lives are eternally lost and mourned over.

The museum’s use of space and light is extremely effective in portraying the story of 9/11. Upon entering the exhibit, there is a large picture of the New York City Skyline. A shadow is cast upon the upper left corner of the photo–coming from the darkness of the following exhibit. This shadow appeared to be approaching the towers. This was very well done because the variation in lighting served to symbolize the impending doom approaching the World Trade Center.

The museum also tugged on my emotional strings because of the way it is personalized. Throughout the museum, there are different gadgets available to pick up that one puts to one’s ear to hear audio recordings. Some devices play dialogue between staff involved in handling the 9/11 attack. You can hear the shock and fear in their voices. There are also powerful recordings that play the messages family members left for their loved ones while on the doomed flights. They were forced to tell their families that they were on a hijacked plane and they hope they will make it home, but that the chances of making it off the plane safely were not in their favor. Passengers were expressing their love for their families and their distress regarding their horrible fate. This was extremely powerfully striking and evoked a sense of sorrow and empathy. Unfortunately, the people who made those calls never got to speak to their families again.

Freedom Tower

Projection of photos taken on 9/11/2001 depicting people’s reactions upon seeing the destruction that took place on that day.

Projection of photos taken on 9/11/2001 depicting people’s reactions upon seeing the destruction that took place on that day.

After hearing the introduction in class about Winogrand’s photography, I was unsure if I would enjoy the exhibit. It seemed like an odd concept to go around and take photographs of unaware people. Also, I went on an international trip this past summer and one of my friends had quite a similar hobby as Winogrand. At various tourist attractions, she would discreetly take photographs of strangers in interesting situations. With an open mind, I adjusted my mental lens and stepped into the exhibit.

The Gary Winogrand exhibit definitely ended up being a new and exhilarating experience for me. I enjoyed Winogrand’s ability to capture specific elements of human interaction. Some of his photographs were like watching an old movie and hitting the pause button to stop at a specific moment in time. Certain scenes captured sly flirtatious glances whereas others displayed uncontrollable laughter. At first, I was dissatisfied that the majority of the photographs were untitled. I found myself desperately searching for some context to place them in. Then it occurred to me that Winogrand captures little moments that display the human condition. Even though his photographs are taking place at a specific unidentified time and place, the scenarios they depict could be seen at other given times and places in space because of our shared human nature.

Macaulay’s “Night at the Museum” event was an extremely special and memorable experience. I have always considered art interesting and took AP Art History in high school. Although I enjoyed the class, I was disappointed that neither trips to art related events nor trips to art museums were ever organized. Consequently, I was especially excited by the idea that, for one night, the Brooklyn Museum was exclusively open for Macaulay students to collectively analyze and uncover the meaning of art.

Walking through the halls of the Brooklyn Museum, I was exhilarated by the wide range of art on display. Each time my group stopped to look at a work of art, we all made a huge effort to comprehend it. The discussions that arose from simply glancing at a work of art were intriguing. As we formed a human semicircle around the art and passed around a recorder, each person offered a unique perspective. I was also thrilled that we were able to build on each other’s views to form modified and more complex conclusions.

From the bright colors of the European paintings to the more dull colors of the Egyptian sarcophagi, the works of art in the Brooklyn Museum amazed me. I always believed that discussion between students is instrumental to learning, but I never before applied that notion to the analyzation of art. Currently, I would strongly suggest that anyone who genuinely wishes to have the most fulfilling experience possible at an art museum, or any other museum, ought to invite others to join him or her.