Category — Brooklyn Museum

This is a photo outside my home in the abandoned areas of Staten Island New York

Like most of my peers, I was very excited to go to the Brooklyn Museum. I was eager to look at art in a new way and actually talk about the artwork. I had gone to museums before, but I had never done more that look at the art and think to myself what the artist was trying to convey. Unfortunately, I was not able to discuss the artwork the way I wanted. Most of the students in my group had a seminar teacher that set an assignment based on the Brooklyn Museum Event. The professor wanted the students to choose two works of art from different time periods (approximately 100 years apart or so) and discuss the similarities and differences between the two works of art, or something of that nature. Everyone, EVERYONE, in my group had a “lets just get this done” kind of attitude. The way in which we discussed the art was almost sarcastic. We were looking at the art, but only discussing it to fulfill a required assignment. This made anything we understood from the art less authentic and less meaningful. I believe the words, “Lets B.S. about this one next,” were used. I am so angry because I feel robbed of my museum experience. I didn’t even mention that we only visited one floor. My group only visited the “American History” level. It’s not that I did not appreciate or enjoy the American art, but I wanted to explore more and see if art from different cultures could appeal to me as well. As beautiful as the artwork was, I could not fully appreciate it because of my group. However, I did learn a lot. For example, I learned that the museum plays an important role in how the artwork is framed. On the “American History” level, there was a room pained green. I feel like this was done to add to the theme of expansion and manifest destiny that was running through that room. I also noticed that certain pieces are placed next to each other for a reason. One work of art referenced “A Storm in the Rocky Mountains,” and the painting next to it was, “A Storm in the Rocky Mountains.” The two paintings had similar themes and elicited similar ideas. The actual architecture of the museum was also stunning. It reminded me of the coliseum or perhaps a structure from a Greek or Roman myth. Everything was so majestic from the pillars on the outside of the museum to the beautiful chandelier on the inside. Something else I also leaned is that I cannot expect to understand or find every work of art beautiful. I walked into the museum expecting to look at every single work of art and understand it, find it beautiful and figure out why the artist created this work. I now realize that my expectations were unrealistic and almost impossible. I did not fully appreciate every single work of art. However, that made the ones I did understand and find beautiful, that much more special. I will definitely be returning to the Brooklyn Museum, either alone or with a group of friends that want to go to appreciate art fully.

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.

As soon as I walked up the subway stairs, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it, the Brooklyn Museum.

The contrast between the front portion’s Greek influence and the main lobby’s modernness contributed to the “art” of the museum. Not only does the museum contain art, it is art. Many people think that a museum is a mere vessel that contains art, but rarely do they acknowledge the actual architecture and the artistic thought process that goes into the bricks and mortar of the Brooklyn Museum. When I walked into the hall what immediately caught my eye, other than the enormous screen conveying the texts of the excited Macaulay youth, was the symmetry of the room and how it was set up. It was the perfect place to hang works of art. Wherever you look, you see art. Look up, the ceiling looks as if it belongs in the hall of a king. Look down, and you see tiles- but what’s under it? Lights, lights that illuminate the entire hall.

And then there are the paintings and sculptures. The  main attraction.

One of the first paintings my group visited was called St. Joseph and the Flowering Rod. We gravitated toward this painting mainly because of our group’s heavy influence from the Christian Church. That and the painting showed an emotion that just brought people to it. We analyzed the painting with our background in Christianity, but it proved to be difficult. Sometimes it is better just to look at a work objectively. We then switched to the art background that we gained from going to public school in Long Island. We looked at the brush strokes and how they coincided with the emotions that were meant to be conveyed in the painting. Every part of the painting is there for a reason. The mere placement of light can change the context of the story we create from a heavenly standpoint to an earthly, more secular standpoint.  Which was clearly the case in the painting. The lighting from above  created a sense of God looking down on him.that coupled with his emotion made it seem as if he was in an emotional battle with the Lord.

The museum was a great experience overall. Both the paintings and architecture are a must see not only for the people who live in Brooklyn but for the whole world.

I’ve never really been to a real art museum. I’ve been to history museums and science museums but never an art museum. So when i say it was a new experience, it really was. Ever since elementary school I never thought much of art. I always thought this was a result of my clear lack of artistic ability. I dreaded going to art class and hated anything close to art. Obviously I didn’t really think much of the event at the Brooklyn Museum but the fact that we as honors students had the museum to ourselves certainly grabbed my attention.

Although I didn’t particularly enjoy making art I did find some joy in certain works of art that stirred something in me. I had an innate ability to find the meaning behind art not just as paintings and sculptures but through literature, poetry and especially music. I truly understood that when walked right out of the subway station and saw the front of the museum. Looking at the museum my friends and I were taken aback by the blending of styles in the architecture of the museum. The blending of classic styles and modern architectural styles. The museum appeared to be that much more inviting and once I was indian I was able to gain a newfound appreciation of art. While my group talked about multiple pieces but one that really stuck out to me was “A Resting Place for Prisoners” by Vasily Vereshchagin. While my group was examining the painting it really took us by surprise how emotionally challenging it was. I was able to look at art like I never looked at it before. To see how perfectly the artist depicted his feelings about the situation that the prisoners were going through. It’s safe to say that this experience at the museum changed how I see art and the purpose of it.

While I may lack the ability to paint or draw I do have the ability to express myself in other ways that reflect the artistic vision that I believe humanity identifies itself with. We all have our own ways of sharing our story and the feelings that want to be heard. I’ve found a different way to view art by looking past my personal feelings towards it and being able to understand what the artist wants to say.

I have been to many museums before in my life and have never understood the appeal of standing in front of something really old and just looking at it. I would much rather read a good book or watching a movie than try to appreciate something I don’t care about. The Brooklyn Museum did not seem like a fun time at all. Walking around and talking about things I have absolutely no idea about made me kind of annoyed. I just didn’t see the point.

I actually rather enjoyed the night. My group was really fun and interesting. Throughout the night i tried to become interested in the art and think of “the big picture” but i was unable to personally experience any type of feeling towards it. I of course appreciated the hard work and skill that went into the paintings that I saw, but didn’t have any emotion towards anything. One thing I learned hearing my group members speak and express their ideas was the real effect that art can have. I can now understand how and why someone could look at a painting and feel awe, or happiness, and even anger.

So, going to a museum in order for us students to do work was honestly not my idea of having fun. I originally didn’t think, “oh wander around Brooklyn museum with just the 500 or so Macaulay student, taking pictures, talking about art. ” would be as exciting as Mr. Ugoretz had put it. Whenever i had previously gone to a museum, it would be an interactive museum such as the science ones where you could play around and have fun. Art was not what i had really considered to be fun, so i was happy about all the fun i experience at Brooklyn Museum.

I do not personally like being in a huge crowd, so the minute the experience started i joined in with a small group, totaling five kids, so we could leave the crowded area where we were receiving the recorders. Just being able to go around in our little small crowd and walk the museum’s exhibits alone was so exciting. Whenever we found a work displayed that we enjoyed, we would talk about it very naturally. With all the works of art at Brooklyn museum it gave us a lot to talk about so we ended up recording a lot as a group. Not having to feel like what we were doing was work made the process so easy, so I feel like I would love to go to more museums like this.

Although the experience that we had that night cannot always happen, since we can’t just always reserve a whole museum to some kids. I honestly feel that walking around a museum in a small groups is a lot of fun. It is something everyone should be able to do, since it would most likely make going to a museum more enjoyable and make the experience more pleasant. Not having to feel like we had to oblige by normal social construct, since all the students were there for the same reason made this experience so much fun. So as you can tell I did enjoy going to Brooklyn museum.

Night at the Museum was an experience that I could only imagine having.  I tend to go to different museums such as the MET and MoMA; but never have I gone to Brooklyn Museum of art.  The two other times I have been to museums, it was not as engaging as night at the Museum.  I feel like when you are at a museum during the day, when most people are there, you feel that it is almost inappropriate to speak aloud to others around you.  It reminds me of the same atmosphere a library has during the day.  People go to quietly engage in their own thoughts and silently work out what ever thought process they are having;  but I am  learning otherwise.  That while at a museum, it adds a whole other layer of experience when discussing your thoughts aloud and finding yourself talk about art as almost its own entity or sometimes reality.

I believe that this event really speaks to what art really is.  With little instruction, or education on art history, we are sent on on an adventure to recreate the captured creative minds and times in history using only our minds, and more importantly, each other.  It is a great way to feel a connection to the living culture around us and get us to understand that sometimes the answer is not always the right answer, but the question is the right answer.  The night at the museum allowed me to interpret rather than answer an introduced me to the wonders of a simple, or complex, work of art.  It also helped me learn a little about myself; showing me which works of art I prefer over others and why I feel certain ways about one work of art, and another for others.

I hope everyone that went kept something that they learned with them, it was a very fun night with lots of surprises about myself, the art, and those I had worked with.

The last time I had been to a museum was my sophomore year of high school. We went to the Met and I was bored to death by the constant rambling of my teacher. It’s like she was trying to prove to us that she knew history and that she was cultured. By the end of it, I realized I barely looked at any sculptures. We were only allowed to look at the ones she pointed out and talked about. It was difficult trying to tune her out and keep up with her pace. She constantly told us what she and others thought about them and felt was interesting. Sure, the insights were nice, but it didn’t give us room to think and figure anything out on our own.

The night at the Brooklyn Museum was the exact opposite of my previous experience. We were allowed to roam the exhibits open to us (I wish the middle eastern one was open!) at our own pace and leisure with people we chose to explore with. Not only could we look at any of the works of art we wanted to, but we could also try to figure them out for ourselves. Being pushed to discuss it forced us to view other perspectives and think critically. We also had to look at individual works in great detail, something I’ve never tried or had the time for. It was neat to be able to see everything close up and not have a chaperone pressure us by watching over us like a hawk. I enjoyed having the freedom to do as I please and getting to see and hang out with the other Macaulay students. The overall environment was also fun. Everyone was doing the same thing so we didn’t feel uncomfortable talking to one another or ourselves about art and it was interesting to see which groups veered to which paintings and sculptures. After exploring everything and completing our assignment, we were free to leave whenever and pick up free food on the way out! I also got to meet some new people and stay out of the house past my bedtime. ˆ_ˆ Even though it wasn’t a sleep over, it was a pretty gnarly experience over all. I think I may have even started to like museums.

P.S. That text-in-your-response-to-the-following-question thing in the beginning of the event was hilarious and way rad.

My snapchat story during the Night at the Museum was “Who knew art was fun?” with a picture of a painting. (I’m not sure if you know what a “snapchat story” is so I’ll explain it to you: A snapchat story is when you post a picture on snapchat between 0-10 seconds that all of your buddies on snapchat are able to keep replaying for 24 hours.) Anyways, I’ve never been a huge fan of visual art. Paintings have always seemed dull to me and, throughout my childhood, I’ve always found school trips to museums rather boring. I kept getting e-mail after e-mail reminding us about this “exciting” first trip that all the Macaulay students would have together, but all I could think was about how I wished it was anything but a museum.

Then, I arrived at the museum. My whole outlook instantly changed. I noticed how many Macaulay students there were that I’ve never seen  before and it seemed like a great opportunity. Sitting there in the last row of the auditorium (or whatever room we were all gathered in), I felt like I was part of something truly big and important. That’s when I decided to give this night a chance. The funny comments that were being posted on the board also helped me get more excited, because it lightened up the mood a bit.

Then came the recorders. Oh, no. I hate my voice. This can’t be happening. I’ll just be quiet the whole time. OMG I have to find a group of six people?! Do I even know six people in Macaulay?! Whatever, I’ll just be the loser that has to be placed in a group because I didn’t know enough people. >>>These were the thoughts that were infiltrating into my head. If you didn’t notice, I was becoming a nervous wreck. Now that I look back it, I really can’t understand why. I’m embarrassed about how anxious I got, because it was actually an incredibly fun night!

I ended up knowing six people from Macaulay! (Yay me!) I also ended up actually speaking up into the recorder (Yay me again!). I didn’t want to let such an experience float away because I didn’t appreciate it in that moment of time.

Discussing the art was actually really fun. It stopped looking like kindergarteners just sat there and made a rainbow. It started having meaning to me. I stopped questioning why the art pieces were in a museum and started questioning what they meant and what the artist could’ve been thinking. It just felt like creative fun. A game, perhaps. You’re making up a story that could be so far from the truth, yet it could also be exactly what the artist was going for. I was in a group with people that I had previously met, but I’m glad to admit that I feel like I truly got to know them better and made new friends. My first experience making new Macaulay friends! How exciting!! It truly was. It also really encouraged me and led me to believe that every Macaulay event would be great because if I enjoyed a museum with my peers, I know I could enjoy anything.

Discussing the art was kind of like storytelling. It brought out a lot of interesting factors to the art that I never would’ve noticed without my peers. This event made me look into art in a deeper fashion. Then, there I was throughout the night noticing interesting aspects, too. It was a great feeling and the time really flew by that night. My group had finished our assignment so early but we stayed in the museum anyways because we were just enjoying it so much, and enjoying each other’s presence too. My group was really special because we took advantage of both aspects of the night: a) looking at art and having a great time doing it b) getting to know your peers and really connecting with them. My fellow Macaulay members found out so many things we had in common that night, while each one was a shock.

Another very awesome factor of the night was that we were able to have the museum all to ourselves. It made me feel like we were the ones running the place. We could’ve been the curators after hours discuss the art chosen in the museum. Or we could’ve been like VIP guests, because who else gets to be in a museum after hours?

It made me feel special. It made me realize how worth it my struggles throughout high school have been. I was part of something elite. At least, that’s how I look at it!

I’d like to thank Professor Ugoretz for setting up the perfect evening for an intro of school year. He did a really great job. I also think the other professors that participated did as well.

I definitely consider that night a success. If there was a category for successful night, I definitely would’ve selected it!