Macaulay Seminar One at Brooklyn College

[quicktime]http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/ugoretz14/files/2014/09/Movie-on-9-10-14-at-9.52-AM.mov[/quicktime]

[quicktime]http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/ugoretz14/files/2014/09/vidly.mov[/quicktime]

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.

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

[quicktime]http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/ugoretz14/files/2014/09/Movie-on-9-9-14-at-12.16-AM.mov[/quicktime]

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!

Brooklyn Museum of Art Entrance

When choosing Macaulay honors we were promised impressive events to begin to meet new people and to experience new things that many of us have not done before and if we have it is unlikely we did it in our free time. To begin these events the Macaulay Honors class of 2018 kicked off when we visited the Brooklyn museum of Art. Originally i was a bit wary with the idea of going to the museum; not because i dont like museums but because I dont truly think i know how to appreciate certain kinds of art. Prior to this event my criteria for looking at pictures was if it looked cool (Psychedelic like Jimi Hendrix) , or had a nice landscape of nature. However, when being put into a group that essentially required me to interact with people about some art that i have either only talked to a few previous times before or nothing at all it really opened my eyes about the cliche that a picture is really worth a thousand words so i really enjoyed the whole day and event.

**Disclaimer Night at the museum was a good movie i just dont like Ben Stiller except in the first meet the fockers movie and along came Polly**

ana luiza introduction

I happen to absolutely love art. Traditional art, that is. I love detailed works that show countless hours of effort, skill, and taste – classic paintings and sculptures. I like museums, but the one place I always avoid there is the Modern Art galleries. It is painfully frustrating for me to go from seeing gorgeous landscapes or lifelike portraits to standing before a large white canvas with a blue dot on it that the artist didn’t even deem important enough to center. It drives me crazy to think about what possessed someone to create such a work of “bla”, and what bothers me even more is thinking who in their right mind decided it was memorable or special enough to showcase so prominently in a museum.  When I am dragged/forced/guilted/tricked into visiting contemporary art exhibits, I usually find comfort (and joy) in sizing up each work and imagining the insanity of the artist and Museum curator who were responsible for bringing this dreadfully boring work of so-called art to the public attention.

Now, I am not going to tell you that after this “Night at the Museum” my views have completely been turned over, and I now love modern and traditional art with equal vigor. I’m sorry, but that bicycle hanging on the wall by the entrance the the gift shop still doesn’t look better than a Starry Night.  However, because of the task we were given, I had to give each painting, sculpture, or miniature monkey, a real chance. For that night, in my mind, all art was fair game.  And because of that night I now see art differently.  I look for meaning even when I don’t see it right away and search for ways to resolve my questions rather than dismissing the art altogether. (I have also stopped assuming all modern art dealers and curators are insane.)

What surprised me that night was that my favorite work of art from the whole three hours I spent there was pretty contradictory to my favored artistic style. It was a glass box that had inside it a straw fedora, an old-fashioned bicycle horn, some glass bottles, and a few other vintage accessories.  I don’t even remember the title or the artist but I loved it because when I saw it, I also saw a scene in my head. The setting:  The summer sun is bright. The sky is cloudless and breezy. A green meadow with tall grass that is dancing softly in the wind. A dirt road through it. The subject: A woman in a white sundress and straw hat rides her bicycle leisurely enough that she can simultaneously sip lemonade from a glass bottle. The bicycle has a horn but it sits unused because she is the only one on the road.  Peaceful. Quiet. Serene. I loved that the art spurred my imagination to spin a story and it led me further to my conclusion that art is not necessarily defined by effort, materials, or skill. Maybe it is truly defined not just by the thought process that preceded its creation, but also by the thought process that it inspires in the mind of the viewer.

To be completely honest, my reaction upon hearing about the “Night at the Museum” was not exactly a positive one. I thought of it as a drag, a hassle, and just another night to spend without my friends who chose other colleges. However, once I actually arrived at the museum, my perspective completely changed. I must admit that the enthusiasm of the Macaulay staff was quite contagious. I could sense the inviting energy from each professor and suddenly I realized that I was actually happy to be here. While having little experience with analyzing art, I didn’t have any personal assurance that I would be able to participate in a 6-sided conversation. I’m pretty sure all the times that I have visited museums were not by choice and were simply school trips. On these school outings, I didn’t really have an incentive to appreciate the art. The only art I knew was “arts and crafts,” and to 10 year old me, the artists in these museums didn’t really understand that concept. So, yeah, you could pretty much call me a “museum virgin.” Being one, I couldn’t help but worry that I would have nothing to say and wouldn’t be able to contribute any interesting input. Putting this fright behind me, I sat in my seat and faced 500 other brains who have probably had way more art experiences than I have.

As we lined up to collect our tape recorders, I joined a group of 6 students who pretty much shared the same enthusiasm as me. We were nervous how our recordings would come out and if we would even be able to say anything at all. When we first started recording our conversations, we found that:

1) we were clearly talking over and interrupting one another

2) and we were trying so hard to interpret the art that it came off forced and unoriginal

However, as we continued through the maze of this museum, we found that our patterns drastically changed. We waited patiently for our group members to finish speaking before jumping in with our own input. We also started asking more intriguing questions; these questions weren’t just directed towards each other, but also toward the artist. We constantly asked: “Why would he do that?!” and “What do you think he was feeling when painting/sculpting this?” We carried conversations of both agreement and disagreement and found beauty in art’s debatable factors.  As a group, we shared a variety of emotions throughout this experience, such as anger, happiness, sadness, and confusion. In a way, this experience helped us bond and get to know each other a lot more than we would in class. It also helped me to slowly come out of my shell and be able to speak freely without any doubts in my opinions. I realized that it was alright having little experience with something like this because there’s a first for everything.

Analyzing art started to feel natural to me. It’s about speaking what’s simply on your mind and, at the same time, accessing a part of your brain that you don’t do on a daily basis. I have definitely come to appreciate this activity and am most definitely no longer a “museum virgin.” I sincerely look forward to the upcoming events at museums!