This may sound brutal, but works like these are what made me always dislike arts, and English class. Starting with Scenes of a Latin Quarter, I feel like it was a bit basic in the sense of it was a classic struggling artist situation, and the writing style used was just not my style. Rent I felt indifferent about, the message of people trying to find their identity in a time where the world was much less accepting was a good message, but I just really dislike musicals and find it quite irritating. Finally, the opera was boring, annoying to hear, and quite frankly pointless. I understand, it takes a lot of talent to sing at such a high pitch, which I respect and acknowledge, but opera just seems so pointless.

First, a similarity in Rent and Scenes of a Latin Quarter is the theme of friendship. In Rent, they are all struggling with the feeling of being left out, financial issues and also the fear of the ongoing AIDS epidemic. In Scenes of a Latin Quarter, all the characters are aspiring artists who struggle to even get a meal on the table. In the end, they all work together to try to overcome these problems, and although there is conflict within their respected groups, they work through the conflict to resolve the issue. Both pieces also used art as not just a way of income, but an escape of reality, of worrying about illnesses, or worrying about paying rent, it was a way of expressing themselves.

I am very ill informed on operas, but in the lectures one of the more appealing operas was the one where they only used a piano, the piano was beautiful and much less irritating than the opera! I am glad now that operas are more affordable and people of varying financial status can watch, not just the upper class.

Although these 3 pieces of art weren’t my style, I still receive the message as intended, and takes a lot of talent to make any of these pieces.

First off, the trip we took that Sunday was the first time I’ve ever been to the Macaulay building, I thought it was pretty cool it was very cozy and it was nice to finally see. The commute was not bad, the crowded subway was awful though, people breathing on me is just not a great feeling, but it was cool to see my moms old office on 66th street, she worked for ABC.

When I read the play, I said it was weird, what is the point of this? However, after we had the chance to meet with the writer and the cast, I realized that the play is actually beautiful, it reflects greatly the duality of society and nature, but also the emphasis on sins, as the wife said she will create 1,000 monsters, as Thomas was too pushy on having a kid and she was not comfortable. I did not like Gil that much when reading, but when listening Gil was an enjoyable character who was a good source of comedic relief in a scary situation.

Just one complaint I have is not knowing the true meaning of the rabbit. As the writer said, he based this play off of an old story of a women who claimed to give birth to a rabbit, but I still feel even in that story hundreds of years ago, there is still a meaning to a rabbit. This could definitely just be me overthinking a simple story, and looking too deep into it, but I still believe that the rabbit had to due with fertility and there is a deeper meaning to it.

All in all, it was a great experience to speak to the talented actors and the writer. This is probably something that will never again happen in my life and thankfully Macaulay made it possible.

I knew the Night at the Museum would be a great day once I took a wonderful 30 minute nap after eating some delicious pizza (thank you Lisa and Anita). The second I walked in I took a picture of the giant wood statues of the KAWS figures. I find it cool when I see something of my generation in a museum. A day like the N@TM made me even more thankful for being in Macaulay, showing how much that the program truly cares about the students, you won’t find that at any other college in America.

Being with the other Macaulay students was cool, I met new people and also saw familiar faces. I did the first assignment in a group with Jackson, we used the painting of 2 African Americans with their homes wrecked from a flood, showing how the impoverished areas are affected by natural disasters.
This picture is from the Brooklyn museum website I didn’t take the picture there.

The work by myself was a cool picture of a Native American man with a gun in his hand and he was riding a horse. It turns out that the man was a failed businessman who was moving west because of the recent westward expansion, and he was going to become a rancher.

The Night at the Museum was a great experience and I can see why it is hyped up early on in the year, to be able to close out a museum for the students. The use of group activity and solo activity was a great way to get the students engaged in the art.

The Counter is the first ever show I have been to, and to be frank, I walked in there with the expectation of it will be boring and I won’t really care or be affected by the show. I ended up being entirely wrong, I actually really enjoyed the show and was amazed how the director was able send such a strong message using just one set and only 3 actors.

The simplicity of the coffee shop was perfect fitting for the simplicity of Katy. She says how she is content with having a front porch, watching Netflix, and going on walks. However, at the end she ends up opening up the truth of what she really wants in life, but does her inability to have kids due to getting her ovaries taken out is holding her back, and keeping her in a shell. After she opens up to Paul, she ends up getting over her issue, maybe not completely, but over it enough to go talk to her ex situationship.

Paul is an extremely troubled character who at first seemed like a simple man, who just enjoys his morning coffee, but eventually opens up to Katy expressing how miserable in life is, and how every day he is living such a boring life and already knows what happens. He does not state he is depressed, but he says that he wants to die at a random time within the next 2 months so he will be taken by surprised when he dies. This is clearly a sign of depression, but he claims he is not depressed and does not need help. Paul ends up showing some positive signs of his mental health towards the end as he gets excited when he sees such an impact he’d had on Katy and how she surprised him by going to hangout with her ex.

The relationship between Katy and Paul starts off rocky, as Katy is a bit weary about it and is reluctant to say yes to telling secrets and giving each other tough talks, but these tough talks end up saving each other as the tough talks got Katy to hangout with her ex and got Paul to rekindle his relationship with the doctor. This show portrays the beauty of friendship and how important it is to have a friend to talk to and it will be life changing.

All in all, my first experience with a show was very present and I hope to see one again soon, maybe a bigger show with more sets and actors.

My trip to the Rubin first started with the dreaded commute, although the commute is not liked by many, I happen to enjoy it. I loved how on the way experiencing performers who have all different ways of representing their cultures, or showcasing their special talents. When I got off of the Ferry the first thing I saw was a large crowd rounded around performers who seemed to be mere super humans, doing flips over 5 people, jumping so high it looked like they were flying. I went to the Rubin by myself with my headphones in, I had very minimal distractions and was able to enjoy the art.

The first piece that stood out to me was the statues of the male and female Guardian Dogs, specifically the male dog stood out to me. The dog is portrayed with armor, which alludes to the fact that it is a protector, but the dog manages to look welcoming and a bit goofy. The dog has its tongue out which looks similar to my dog after she plays. The dog actually reminded me a lot of my dog which is why I took to this piece. Besides the three eyes, the bright smile and tongue out is an image that I see often when my dog wants food. However, the statue was much larger, even in a standing position the dog was about 4 feet sitting down, while my dog is about a foot tall while sitting. The dogs were used as protectors, usually at the entrance of a temple, to cast out evil spirits. I feel like these dogs do not appear as protectors, as they look like a friendly dog out of a cartoon, however this cartoon look does make sense because it is believed these dogs have “mythical powers.”

The second piece that stood out to me was the painting of the goddess of energy, Tara. The first thing that stood out was the vibrant, tropical, colors. Originally, I thought Tara was killing the man, due to standing over him, scissors and a sword in hand, and what looks like blood on her mouth, but after some reading it is said Tara is helping cure the man after he drank poison. She is appearing as a mother figure, protecting the lord as he is in such a vulnerable state. And weather the art is interpreted as I did, or by the true meaning, the piece still shows what looks like a society where women are protectors of men, as she portrays prowess while standing over the lord. Her sword, the skulls on her hair and her wings spread wide show her strength and bravery, and create an intimidating effect.
This third piece looked like it was a devil like creature named Ratka who was the supreme ruler, and the figures around the devil were subordinates, maybe his workers, or deity figures who were below him due to his great power. There is a shrine around him, as well as a crown on his head. In addition, the smaller figures around him are worshipping him which confirms that he is above them. The 3 figures on the bottom do not look like they worship him, and they have people worshipping them while Ratka had what looked like deity worshipping him. These 3 figures are still illustrated under Ratka, showing his superiority, which they probably do not like. Maybe the 3 of could combine to be equal to Ratka.

The art at the Ruben had such great magical colors, which gave the effect that almost every piece in the museum was that of a mythical decent, whether they were gods, goddesses, deity, or even a dog, they all looked other worldly powerful. I am not an art enthusiast, and I do not think I will ever be as in touch with art as many artists and art experts are, I do still enjoy the art especially the art of this museum as it was not boring to me.