Macaulay Seminar One at Brooklyn College

This is probably going to be the most memorable trip of the semester for me because it was the last one, how much I enjoyed it, and because I was so surprised by it. I should start my review by saying that I did not know that this play was supposed to take place in the 70s or the 80s, which is why for almost all the play, I did not get what the big deal was. I just didn’t understand why the sex change would change anything about Chris. She is still the same person with the same thoughts and feelings. But even if it did take place today, I think that the fact that Chris lied hurt more than anything. I really understood why Chris lied. She had everything he wanted and I think she was trying to hide the struggles of her past and not bring up the traumatic things that happened to her before she had the life she always wanted to avoid ruining it or being judged again. If she was kicked out of her house and only 17 by her own family, how could she expect others to accept her? I was really sympathizing for Chris for so long, I really didn’t judge her until she played her father. It was when she revealed what she did to her dad to her brother that I realized that these characters aren’t ideal and that everything is not black and white. I think the thing that made these characters so real was that they had both good and bad qualities. They were only human. Even until the end of the play, I was really sad for Chris because I think it is naïve to believe that the family would live happily-ever-after, especially during that time period, but I was feeling bad for Chris until the end because at the end of her therapy session, I was wondering if she would have gotten the sex changed if she felt that she could have been a gay guy during that time and find someone to love her.

I do not remember who brought it up in class first, but I definitely agree that some of the language in the play was offensive. Every time one of the characters said the “f” word, I would cringe or wince. It is such a vulgar word and even the way the actors delivered the word, you could tell it was out of a place of disgust, which was just so harsh.

For some reason, I thought it was really selfish of some of the family members to make the situation about them. For example, Tony was very concerned about himself and if he is gay and concerned about the fact that he was with a man. During his confession scene, I realized he probably did not want Chris’s secret to get out because of what people would say about him too. Even the son Joey was kind of selfish. I thought his reaction was selfish as well. I thought that he left the family to join the military because he couldn’t take knowing that his step-mom was a man. I feel like his reaction was impulsive and I feel like he wasn’t thinking about how running away might affect his family and was just concerned with himself.

I think it was Alex and Cale who mentioned it, but they said that the playwright tried getting the play recognized years ago and no one would touch it. This got me thinking about other works of art that in the pass would not be acceptable. It really made me sad to hear that this play and probably other art forms that are considered inappropriate go unrecognized because I feel like the arts are supposed to be this open and honest way of communicating the truth, even if it a truth we do not want to see.

I had never been to the NY Historical Society before or knew what it was. It reminded me to the other museums we have been to or that I have seen in the city, except this one was more high-tech and combined this idea of ancient beauty with technology of the future. I just really loved the idea of know that the Macaulay student made history on October 11 because our pictures were documented and presented in an exhibition for people in the future to see. I feel like this makes our pictures mean so much more.

However, I was really disappointed with the size of this exhibition. The room was supposed to house a little less than half of all the Macaulay students. It was crowded and tight, and if you have read my other reviews, you know that I am not a fan of tight and compact spaces. I have to be honest and say that I did stay at the exhibition for more than forty-five minutes. I just wanted to circle the room as quickly as I could. But it took time to see every picture because there were so many of them and they were all so small. I would have liked to seen the pictures blown up and hung up on walls like they would be in other art museums.

I enjoyed seeing the creativity of the other Macaulay students. It was really interesting to see why they and how they grouped certain pictures together. I really enjoyed the mini-Manhattan with some of the train lines running through it, made-up of our pictures. It was also really cool to see the use of filters and the orientation of each photo in its presentation. One curator thought that the pictures were more interesting upside down, and I definitely agree. I also really appreciated the slide show. I can tell that the curators put a lot of time into making the exhibition. Aside from the creativity of the student curators, the creativity of the other Macaulay students was also really lovely to see. One student took a picture of these butterflies that was really beautiful and serene. Another took a picture of ice cream. However, like myself, the most popular subject was the city. So many students took pictures of Manhattan and I think that we did this because there is so much to see in the city. I know I took my pictures because I love the way the city looks when I’m on the ferry and when the sun almost creates this silhouette of the city, it is just a breathtaking view.

Ah!! I just had to express my happiness from going to Carnegie Hall. It was my first time and I really enjoyed it. It was really beautiful, regal, and as big as I was expecting. The structure of the hall looked like that of the opera house, which makes sense. The music really filled the entire room, besides the harpsichord. But I really enjoyed how each instrument was really heard and none, besides the harpsichord, was really overpowered by the others. The musicians really put on a performance because for some of the performance, I remember specifically in the season Winter, their entire bodies were moving, not just their arms. It was as if their entire bodies were involved in the music they were making, and this was really enjoyable to watch. I didn’t imagine performing to be such a physically demanding act, especially since most of the musicians were standing for the whole time. But I think Jeanette was the one who brought up the question in her review of Carnegie Hall: who is the real artist Anne Sophie Mutter or Vivaldi? I have heard the Four Seasons many times, and by different musicians and artists too. I knew going into Carnegie Hall that I was going to enjoy the performance because I love the Four Seasons. But did I like it because of Anne Sophie Mutter and her ensemble of students, or because Vivaldi composed the original music?

For some reason, I thought it was ironic that Anne Sophie Mutter was in the center of the performance in this beautiful bright yellow dress and her students were behind her dressed in black. For some reason, it was as if this was done to make her the showcase of the performance, but I would have appreciated it more if her students were. I felt like they were meant to act as her accents and I would have really liked the personalities of her students to come out a bit, rather than the performance be focused around Anne Sophie Mutter. But I do understand that she is the ringleader of the act and that she is recognized as one of the world’s best violinists. She is a Grammy Award Winner and I see people paying for their tickets to see her, not necessarily her students. I think this is why she kept walking off stage and then back on several times, which I did not understand the reason for until we discussed the trip in class.

If you read my review of the opera, then you know that I do not like to be seated in a closed space and not have much room to move. This was really the only thing that I did not like about Carnegie Hall. The seats were so much closer together and there was less legroom than at the opera. As soon as I sat down, I was uncomfortable and knew that I was going to have to deal with it. I really tried not to let this ruin my experience, because it did at the opera, and I’m sorry if making a big deal out of nothing, but small, confining spaces are my pet-peeve, and I honestly am terrified of them. But this was the only thing that threatened my experience at Carnegie Hall.

I want to start this review with the good things I got from this trip. It clicked in my mind when we were discussing the trip in class that food as an art form, like any other art form, involves passion. Every speaker at the food talk was very opinionated and ardent about the food and the discussion, and this really appealed to me. I assume that chefs who spend so much time, effort, and creativity on the food they prepare to be passionate about the art they are creating. When we were talking about how much food means to us, culturally, I brought up my personal connection with my grandmother and my sister. When I was younger, we would prepare rice and meat and roll them into grape leaves together. Whenever I think about grape leaves, see them, or even eat them, I automatically associate them with my grandmother and the memories I have of her making them with me. I think food is one of those art forms that we use to define different cultures, but I can’t help but wonder if we underappreciate this as art. I never thought about the food I have at home as art before this trip. As for the actual food discussion, I really appreciated how there was at least one speaker who kept mentioning the history of the food and how the food immigrated to New York with the people. I also was intrigued by the idea of the food almost “evolving” over the years. For example, the same dish probably will not look or taste the same in Israel as it does in Manhattan or look or taste the same today as it did 30 or 50 years ago.

Now what I did not like about this trip was that the discussion was meant for a specific audience that was well versed in Jewish culture and food. I would have learned so much more had I known what the speakers were talking about. I think if the discussion spent a few minutes trying to introduce audience members who did not know much about Jewish food to the culture, the discussion would have been more effective and I would have been more engaged in the conversation. I honestly apologize if I am being rude or harsh but the name of the event is, “Five Boroughs Food Talk.” I think that the Symphony Space is hosting a series of food discussions. At least I hope that is the case, because the particular one we went to only talked about Jewish food and predominately only in Manhattan. For some reason it really bothered me that almost all of the conversation was about Jewish food in only one borough. I think it would have been interesting to hear about how the food varies across the boroughs and explore the reasons for this and perhaps relate it to the immigration patterns.

I definitely learned a lot from this trip, but I cannot say that enjoyed the physical trip. I felt left out and almost excluded from an inside discussion, and I do not think that the speakers meant to do that, perhaps because they anticipated a specific audience. I think the best word to describe this trip for me is “frustrating.” However, what I love about most of the trip we go on are the questions they bring up. We brought up some of them in class. For example, who is the real artist, the person who prepares the food or the person who makes the recipe? Does the food have to look nice for it to be considered art? Is this art form closed off to those who cannot afford to eat out or explore different ethnic foods? I love it when these trips bring up these debatable questions that have no real right answer.

Carmen:

This girl is the bomb dot com. She’s feisty and not afraid to boss people around. Honestly I fell asleep in the second act and regret it. During the first act I was a bit confused because when I would try and lift my eyes up to see what was happening, I’d miss out on some of the words so I’d just read the screen. I didn’t realize that about half of it was repeated multiple times. It would hurt my head to look up and down so after my nap, I would just look at the play or just my captions and keep up like that. Anyway, the opera amazed me because of so much skill that was needed. The cast has to be able to sing and project while acting and remembering lines and portraying so many emotions. It was cool to listen to something in a different language. When our seats moved around, I loved Jeanette’s commentary. What was the most amazing was the fact that they didn’t use microphones and even in the back, we could hear everything they said clearly and the amount of children in the play that they trained to act all at the same time. It must be super hectic back stage. I mainly liked the experience more because it was so different. Everyone was very into the play and wasn’t afraid to shush us if we spoke.

Ballet:

This was probably my favorite trip! Never had I thought ballet could be more than something you’d see in black swan. I laughed, felt sad, and was awestruck throughout the night. I love visual art and watching them dance in sync amazed me. We had great seats (I sat next to Professor! :)) and could see every movement. I loved how they made everything look so simple—“Art is something difficult made to seem easy.” The thing I liked the most was that unlike the opera, the story line was much more easy to follow along with. I never felt lost. I feel like a lot of it had to do with the fact that they didn’t have to speak so I didn’t have to follow with so many senses. It was long enough for me to enjoy it and understand the work of art, but still short that I was left wanting more.

I’ve never really been a fan of comics and never thought they could be a form of art. I tried getting into anime when I was younger and could never understand it. However, this trip was very cool. I had expected to just look at superheroes and talk about their powers. I’m kind of glad we didn’t focus on that and talked more about the political aspect. No offense to any fans of marvel or anything, but this seemed more important because it raised awareness of certain issues. I also learned about cos-play, which was very cool. I wanted that outfit so bad. It takes being a fan to a whole new level and its not even Halloween! Although I felt like the first comic about the teacher felt like she was just advertising Columbia, I like how it showed that anyone could be a comic book artist and how they could be made from just about anything. It was interesting how what they talked about then, is actually what can happen and be talked about now. Often times I felt like the guide would impose her views on certain comics too much, but she was passionate and I respect that. She does what she loves and was excited to share her knowledge on it. I also enjoyed traveling to Columbia before hand with Cale and Josh and meeting Alex’s family member afterwards.

One of my favorite trips we went on. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that our seats were so close so we could actually engage in it. Honestly, with the other performances, I’d lose interest quickly because my eyes would be strained. This one talked about such a controversial topic and brought my attention to a situation I had never even thought about. I liked how they utilized every aspect of the small space they had for the set. It was well thought out. My favorite part that I really thought the acting was perfect was when the son got into a brawl with his father. I could see their veins popping out on their necks when the yelled. It was awesome. I wish I had read the paper they gave us earlier. I thought the whole play was set in modern day, so I felt very angry that they threw out derogatory words like faggot. I was also upset that the mother allowed her “family” to call her that and didn’t stick up for herself. Also with this show, the audience was older which surprised me. I usually associate older crowds as less open minded to things like this. (That’s just me being ignorant. I’m sorry.) I wanted to know an ending so bad! I feel like the whole shebang would not have happened if she had just been honest! I don’t know what I’d do if my significant other told me he had been lying to me since he met me. I’d feel betrayed and hurt that I’d been made a fool out of, but I love them, or had loved them. It was upsetting because I felt awful for the kids. Although they said they didn’t care, this news changes everything. If their friends find out, they could be ridiculed for the rest of their school career and be traumatizing. It’s nice to know that their love for their mother transcends all of that. I’m very glad to have gone on this trip since it inspired half of the class immediately after. I think that’s what makes art good—if it provokes thought or inspiration.

When I first heard about this trip, I think it was the one I was most pumped about. It was about food and was curious as to how food could become art. I was kind of down in the dumps when I heard we wouldn’t be trying any and we’d only be talking about it, but it didn’t matter, I love learning about different cultures. I noticed when we sat down we were the only younger audience members in the crowd. I thought a lot of it had to do with the fact that it was a school night, but when I think back, I think a lot of has to do with what was mentioned in the talk. As generations go on, we lose our culture and the newer generations don’t care as much. I felt as if those in the crowd were trying to learn to prevent it. This was pretty much the only part I understood about the talk. I was kind of upset about that because I really wanted to learn about Jewish food. They spoke as if everyone in the crowd knew about what they were talking about and not everyone even if they were Jewish, knew. I just wish they could have explained some of the meals better because I thought it was meant to be for all people. Afterwards I realized that it was mainly focused on the city instead of the five boroughs. I didn’t mind, I just wish the title didn’t give us false information. Of course, they did have a time restraint. I liked the advertising the man did at the end. That was clever. I also like how they clarified between kosher and Jewish food because I always grouped them the same way. It’s like saying Uzbek food and halal. Two completely different things. The last thing I’d like to touch on that I wouldn’t have noticed if someone from the group I commute to and from events with hadn’t mentioned was that the Jewish food they talked about wasn’t what she had known as Jewish food. What area is this Jewish food specific too? I was left with a lot of questions and feeling confused, but I’m glad/ hope the rest of the audience understood and learned the differences. They were the ones who wanted to and could preserve their culture better.

Overall, I agree with Sally when she says “I guess in the end I came to the talk expecting it to go one way, but was disappointed since I left the talk not knowing about much more Jewish food then I had started with.”

Although I went to see this exhibit the first weekend it was assigned, I never posted about it because I lost all my footage from that day! I was kind of excited to go to the museum just because it was a trip to the city and I got to see two classmates. Although it was raining, I didn’t want the bad weather to effect my day. We went to the exhibit and I was surprised at the amount of people that went to see all of his work. I didn’t think this guy was that famous honestly. I liked ho his work wasn’t titled, but it gave the location where it was taken to offer some sort of context, but still let our imaginations run free. Some shots I thought were phenomenal—specifically, the one where the man is in the telephone booth talking to someone. I like it because you can see his facial expression clearly and can feel the emotions he feels. You can almost tell a story out of it. I also really like the one with the elephant because when I was looking at it, an older woman next to me couldn’t tell it was an elephant and had to ask the person next to her “Is that an elephant?” It made me realize that not everyone can see the image right away or in the same way that I do. I felt like some of his candid shots really deserved to be placed in the museum because not everyone could take those photos, but a lot of them felt redundant and not so special. Some of the photos I felt almost angry for being in the museum because I feel like had anyone else been in the location he was to take pictures, he or she may have done just as well, if not better at photographing the scene. Overall, it was different though. I never knew candid photography could be considered art and how popular it was. The exhibit was pretty crowded. After we enjoyed some other art in another exhibit and much of it had to do with religion. I thought it was interesting because neither one of us followed that religion, but still found some of that art to be beautiful. We went to go get some extra credit food but the wait was roughly an hour and at that point it was pouring, so we got some pizza instead and discussed philosophy and our lives. I really enjoyed getting to know my classmates. I talked to Heather for the first time that day and made a new friend. So, thank you Garry Winogrand and thank you Professor Ugoretz. 🙂

This was honestly the best performance we had probably gone to all year. It was an amazing trip to end on, and I loved how close up to the stage we were. Watching the different actors do the play was amazing, being able to see all the emotion the put in made the performance so believable.

The story behind it was such a shock too, this was the only performance we had seen where we basically didn’t know what would happen and it was an amazing surprise. At this time and age, the LGBT community is grown and more accepted so it was interesting to look at a performance placed in a time where it was strange to be part of the community and resulted in you being outcasted. The whole plot behind the story helped to put on an amazing show so that you wanted to stay awake to watch. The ending I feel could have used more closure since we never knew how the son and family ended up. The fact that most of the crowd was people from a generation who probably grew up looking down on those who are now considered LGBT was interesting, since they most likely knew some context to how the show would end up, and truly wanted to see a performance with something that some people today still seem to look down upon.

In the end just going to that amazing performance was an amazing last trip to see art, aside from our finals, and it was incredibly enjoyable. I really loved being able to be in this Macaulay seminar semester with all of you guys, and I hope we can all enjoy what our later seminars hold for us.