I thought it was cool how the play was being read at the Macaulay building. The actors were really good, and the screams from the actress made a very realistic start. I think the liberties the actors took as they were reading it made the play easier to understand. For example, the actress reading the part of the midwife making the character seem extremely drunk for the second half of the play made the absurd things she was saying make more sense. In my initial reading of the play, I disregarded the one line about her being drunk so that made the play not as easy to understand. I also think the emotion used by the actor reading for Joshua also added another layer of depth to the play. It allowed me to infer what the character was feeling a little better than when I read the play. I think having the actors reading the play also made it easier to understand due to the absurdity of the situation. While reading the play I found myself struggling to understand the meaning behind it whereas watching the same play, things were clearer.

 

I think that the Q and Q with the writers and actors was interesting, but I felt that it didn’t add much to my understanding of the play or the arts as a whole. I did agree with the sentiment that artists are sort of forced to make a decision between pursing the arts full time or not. I liked the advice from the actress playing the midwife that was general, and about how you can pursue your goals without risking everything to do so.

 

Overall, I would say it was an nice experience to see the play read in this way. I also enjoyed the insights the writer gave on the play and art as a whole.

The night at the museum was an interesting experience. I think it was really cool to have almost the entire museum only open to us. First we went to the auditorium to listen to the guest speakers. They brought up interesting questions about what a museum is. I liked that I was able to meet people from different CUNYs. I spent the majority of my time on the fifth floor.
There was one room dedicated to LGBTQ artwork.
I found it bold to use a lot of nudity within the artwork. It was definitely an exhibit that was meant to celebrate people’s differences.

There was also a room with a bunch of chairs. This was not as interesting to me since they were all similar styles.

 

I think the trip was a cool experience, but I probably would not go on my own to a similar event.

I went to Art Lab at Snug Harbor with a couple of my friends. I think this made the class more enjoyable. It was my first time oil painting, and it was definitely the most difficult medium I have ever worked with. The instructor was very helpful and showed me how to color mix since mixing the oil paint is a little different than other types of paint. I decided to paint a bunch of tomatoes in a paper container. It was very difficult to paint the shadows, since the oil paint layered itself in a way I wasn’t used too. I think my painting came out decent for a first try, but I’m interested in trying something like this again. Overall, the class was a really fun experience.

The trip to the theatre was a long and interesting one. The theatre being located right off of times square made it seem more prestigious.

I felt that the play took a while to get me interested, as the first half seemed very repetitive. I did find it cool how they utilized the lights to make a day and night cycle. The set design was also really cool, especially considering it took place in one small set. I liked the use of the frosted window as a way to show a character’s exit. I think I also felt a little bored with the idea of there being only two characters for the majority of the play. It made it seem like each part was extremely drawn out.

In terms of story, I did not get most of the jokes and saw it as a sadder play. I think the acting was really good especially when the male actor recounted his experience taking care of his dying family members. I thought that the inclusion of his affair was a little sudden, and was surprised it was a major plot point. It was still very emotional, and I think it was the best acted part of the play. I think the ending being ambiguous was a little confusing, since the story felt like it was just starting to ramp up. The sudden ending had me thinking that there would be a continuation and that the ending was not finished yet.

I think I liked Paul’s character better than Katie. I felt that she switched up her opinion on two major events way too quickly, with no explanation. At first, she absolutely refused to poison Paul, yet as the story went on, she seems more open to doing so without reason. Secondly, she criticizes Paul for his affair with the doctor initially, yet she later supports him in trying to rekindle the relationship due to them having chemistry. The sudden change of heart was pretty confusing and made her character a little unlikable.

Overall, I think the play was an interesting experience and I definitely enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I think this play could have some improvements, especially with the ending, but overall, it was a great experience to go with friends.

This photograph is protest art from the prohibition era. It was meant to show how government oppression would be met with resistance. It was extremely important as the prohibition era led to a surge of protest through the illegal sale of alcohol. It resonates now as government oppression is always a prevalent topic. It can also connect to the recent efforts for state governments to ban/unban the use of things like cannabis. The main discussions with those arguments also relate to the same points made during the prohibition era, to some extent.

My visit to The Rubin started off with something I was surprised with- there was actually a line of people waiting to go into the museum. I was surprised since the museum only contained nonwestern art and there were no events going on at that day. There were six floors in The Rubin, and my group decided to start on the top floor and work our way towards the bottom.

(1- The stairs of the Rubin, 2- The Rubin banners)

The sixth floor contained mostly Himalayan and Tibetan art. All the art on this floor was very recent and made within the last five years. This floor was by far my favorite due to the level of most of the art displayed. The first painting I saw was an oil painting. It was created by a female painter looking to connect her heritage with her current city of London. I found it interesting how a lot of the paintings on this floor dealt with the heritage of the artist.

(1- Love for the London Pigeon Deity, 2- Chants of a Monkey Mind, 3- The Protectors)

My favorite paintings, mostly due to the level of artistic talent required to make them, were Whispering Whistle and A Crime with Mother. I specifically like the style of Whispering Whistle, and how the artist attempted to convey the working class as not only respectable, but desirable. I enjoyed A Crime with Mother due to its hilarious social commentary as well as the little easter eggs the artist included in the painting to make it feel more personal.

(1- Whispering Whistle, 2- A Crime with Mother)

My least favorite exhibits are pictured below. The first one is a digital rendering of deities. I felt that it seemed less like art and more like photographs of video game characters. The scond exhibit was diamonds arranged on glass. It was very cool to read about the process of how the artist made the exhibit, but the exhibit itself is nothing I would call art.

(1- Binary Wheel, 2- Glass Blown Sculpture)

The fifth and fourth floor had plenty of sculptures, and even a shrine that I could walk into. There were also a lot of figures, with some being centuries old. I found them pretty cool to look at and enjoyed those floors as well.

(1- Shrine)

The third and second floor had a notable decrease in quality. It included an “interactive” exhibit where you would hit a gong and lower it into water to view the movement of the waves. I would hardly call this art though, as it seemed more like an elementary school science project rather than any form of art.

(1- One of my friends at the gong exhibit)

The second floor included a really useful guide to viewing Himalayan art, though I feel it would have been better placed at the entrance of the museum.

The first floor had very few exhibits and was mostly used for dining and a gift shop. It did have a really cool exhibit though, which depicted a modernized version of Ganesha’s mouse. I think it was a perfect example of modern art being influenced by ancient tradition.

(1- Ganesha sculpture, 2- Ganesha’s Mouse)

Overall, my trip to the Rubin was more fun than I expected. That being said, I probably would not have gone on my own as I tend to enjoy art that solely utilizes skill, rather than the viewer trying to find some deeper meaning. This notion had me feeling bored at the majority of the exhibits, as they required the viewer to have some outside knowledge to understand the paintings. I believe art is at its best when any viewer can find meaning without having to read paragraph long blurbs next to each exhibit.