The night at the museum was an extraordinary experience and an opportunity I am so grateful to have had. Being part of Macaulay is such a privledge as this college cares so much for deepening the appreciation of the arts and exposure to it in its students. In doing so, we become well rounded individuals as we understand the window into time that art offers. A chance to learn from past mistakes and better humanity as we step forward as the next generation and potential leaders of this country. Art is traditionally repressed and only granted to the elite in society. Macaulay allows us to break this barrier and not only have the chance to beat witness to it, but also be a living part of it through our connection with it. As we undestand the arts and its impact on the world, we form a connection to it, thus, extending its reach and passing the responsibility unto us to continue its message and heed its warning.

Being from Brooklyn my whole life and only recently moving to Staten Island, I have been to the Brooklyn Museum close to 6 times. However, I’ve never seen it in such a light. The atmosphere changed drastically. I couldn’t pinpoint why. Perhaps it was due to the people I now surround myself with during this trip that changed the meaning and experience. But one thing was definite, the museum has changed dramatically. The layout of it changed since 2023 when I last visited the museum. The paintings were in different parts of the museum, paintings that I once recognized on display were hidden in the archives, and paintings that once stood tall were notably at my eye level or below. As I rested my aching feet and sat at a bench with a few friends, I couldn’t help but notice that there was another member of ou conversation, a man painted and hung on the wall at 2 feet tall. The meaning was incredible. Where this white man, a slave owner and colonizer once stood tall above its visitors 2 years ago, allowing him to continue to demean and look at people as below him even after his death and inhumane actions, the museum took the extraordinarily creative matter into their own hands and put him down at last. Which I thought was extremely notable and brave. As we see history through the window of art, it is also our responsibility to not let certain art be portrayed in idolized light. It is our mission to bring justice to the victims of the past and one way we can requite them is by lowering those who showed them no mercy but for some reason continue to stand tall and glare below their visitors centuries later. However, it is important to not get rid of it completely as otherwise history will repeat itself if it is not on display for us to learn from and grow as a humanity.

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