The play in itself is absurd upon the first reading. Half the cast was drunk and unable to fully come to terms with the extent of the situation and humor and alcohol was their only way to cope. However, the author found a unique outlet to convey the gender roles, stereotypes, and oppressive expectations of women at that time. The sheer horror was a stark contrast to the humor the other actors brought to the scene. Nevertheless, reading the play is one thing and being able to experience it is another. Being merely a few feet away from the actors was an incredible experience to see them interpret the work and bring it to life in their own unique way. More than that, being able to talk to the author, understand his work from his perspective, and have a glimpse into his mind to understand the creative choices he made was an incredible experience. Asking him about his work to understand it in its purest form without it being hindered by outside interpretation was an opportunity that is rare and that I am incredibly grateful for.

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.

My experience surrounding The Counter play began long before I actually sat down in my seat to watch it and fully immerse myself in the performance. To elaborate as my peers and I discussed how we would get to the play we organized a bus trip and decided to travel together. Therefore, though the commute was over an hour and tedious, having my new friends with me made the trip not only tolerable but enjoyable in their presence. However, as we talked throughout the entire drive, we formed premonitions about the play and created inherent dissatisfaction and disappointment with the play prior to ever hearing an official synopsis of the play or giving the work a chance. Many of our concerns surrounded the fact that this play was off broadway, was not a musical, and had a slow and unentertaining story line.

I can now proudly admit that my preconceived notions of the play proven to be very wrong. Despite the fact that this play had one setting, their play on time and light transported us into their universe where through we were bound to a window into the characters’ lives set in the diner, we were able to connect and understand the characters’ fears and dreams. Additionally, in my opinion it was irrelevant to travel anywhere else as this is the only place the main characters interacted and grew their friendship. This diner, though seemingly simple and bland at first can be interpreted as so much more. it is symbolic for the characters’ newfound friendship, new beginnings, and a place of inspiration to face one’s fears and truly have the strength to live fully. Moreover, this diner perfectly captures the beauty of human nature.

This particular piece of protest art very bigotedly and ignorantly portrayed a blatantly Jewish caricature covetously clinging on to the globe with the title, “Their Homeland”. This was the front page image of a French newspaper in 1893. This image portrays how Jews at this time were believed to be a parasite claiming possession of any and every land they come to simply declaring their right to it, as it is their homeland. When in fact the truth is that Jews were forced out of every land they escaped to due to global religious persecution and expulsion since the beginning of their existence, whether it be from the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Yemen, or England. This influenced the vast hatred for Jewish individuals and the idea that there was a necessity for eradication of the Jewish population. In fact, during the French Revolution in the late 18th century, France was the first country in Europe to emancipate its Jewish population. This idea in France had a profoundly sickening impact on the entire continent, most notably in Germany in WW2 which resulted in one of the most horrific and evil genocides that claimed the lives of over 6 million Jews, some of which were my passed family members, French Jews. Today, we look at this protest art as a window into that disappointing time in history when hatred was unconcealed and proud. We stare at this piece in disbelief and shock how something like this was ever so overt. Nevertheless, we fail to notice or perhaps desire to be blind to the fact that antisemitism is still alive and stronger than ever in different forms such as in modern memes, which is especially hurtful as we know the history and effects of our hatred. Yet, we are willing to relive and sacrifice replicating it. To add, France today has the third largest Jewish population in the world, behind those of Israel and the United States. Notwithstanding, antisemitism is growing and more Jews experience antisemitism, online, in person, through both physical and verbal violence.

At first glance, the MoMA may be regarded as an extravagant waste of square footage, filled with merely a collection of splatters and errors on a canvas by artists who failed to achieve conventional acclaim. Instead, to compensate for their lack of traditional talent and to inflate their fragile egos, they decided to invent a unique section of art such as realism, cubism, abstract, and modern art. Entering the MoMA, this was my rigid and unyielding opinion that was extremely stubborn to change. My skepticism was only solidified as I explored the first floor, where the galleries seemed to merge into one single, unremarkable blur. I was unaware of the profound depth that modern art was capable of encompassing, and it was only until I reached the sixth and fifth floor when my understanding began to shift. Until that point, I maintained that in order for art to be considered beautiful, it must conform to my limited and narrow notions of what beauty is in order to be defined as art. 

However, as I continued to explore the museum, I began to realize how art has the power to unite people. Though they may understand the piece just as little as I do, they sat together, stared, pondered, and discussed its potential significance. It became evident that the essence of art lies not solely in immediate reactions or understanding, but in the curiosity and connections that it is able to foster. Therefore, alluding that true beauty in this world is not always obvious or plainly evident as one may wish it could be. It will rather emerge through the process of shared exploration and interpretation with another human being and as we immerse ourselves into the art, we become an extension of the original work that now transcends the confines of the frame.

One of the first exhibits I experienced at the MoMA was the entrancing Deodorized Central Mass with Satellites by artist Mike Kelley. This piece features stuffed animals clustered in a cellular arrangement of one “central mass” and 13 “satellites.” In 1987 Mike Kelley began to make sculptures from stuffed animals, which he described as “the adult’s perfect model of a child”: cute, clean, and ultimately devoid of sexuality. However, Kelley’s plush toys, purchased secondhand from thrift stores and yard sales, were discarded and soiled from use. Seemingly beyond redemption, they are darkly humorous monuments to lost innocence and repressed trauma.

As these repurposed stuffed animals, now given new life, hung over us, we couldn’t help but become immersed in this moving display. Especially fascinating, I noticed that it was adults, in particular, who were deeply in awe and obviously affected by the piece. Where most art portrays an idealized version of the human body, leaving the spectator breathless and in adoration of the nude, Kelley’s work offered a stark contrast,  an opportunity to rather confront and move beyond the objectification so prevalent throughout art history. Only when we are able to stray from these desires and revert back to a state of simplicity, when we were essentially pure, are we able to appreciate his art and enjoy a moment of respite, thus, momentarily reconnecting us with a more unburdened part of ourselves, still naive to the evil of the world. Through his art, Kelley gifted us a moment of peace, a chance to breathe, take back our stolen innocence, and in a sense, forget our pain, even for just a moment, thereby, offering us a fleeting escape from the pains of adult life that we were so violently forced into.

Moreover, I found it remarkable how the artist is able to understand the audience so well (perhaps due to the fact that he is also touched by it, as this work is able to speak to a multitude of individuals) and create a piece, conceived so brilliantly that it is able to symbolically and physically intertwine with us. When engaging with the art, the spectators are able to reflect on their lives, thus coming to grips with their lost innocence. And where the animals were at first beautiful, suspended symbols of childhood and a once pure life, they soon become us and we become one with the piece, now draping the room, dark monuments to lost purity and trauma as we confront our memories and come to terms with our own vulnerability.

Another piece that deeply resonated with me was René Magritte’s The Lovers (1928). The longer I contemplated this work, the more ways I was able to interpret it. Its mystery only heightened my fascination with the piece as it invites each spectator to uniquely ponder it. Thereby, giving them the freedom to elucidate it, and infuse it with personal significance and relevance to their own life, just as I did.

At first glance I found that the painting suggests that we are blinded by our desperate desires, leading us to push and impose the illusion of our greatest longings upon others or to selfishly embrace a distorted vision of those closest to us. After meditating on this work for a few minutes, I felt an impending revelation that perhaps The Lovers are trying to warn us of the unease in being unable to unveil the depth and truth of even the closest people in our lives and consequently constraining us to love a lie fed to us, an illusion of who they truly are. This poses a compelling question and leads the audience to wonder whether or not we truly connect with the people in our lives, or merely entangled in a web of illusion and a facade they force us to believe and love? Furthermore, the work explores the paradox of our yearning for love while grappling with the fabrications from our partner, as despite it all, we long and hunger to be wanted and accepted. For this reason, we push forth despite the pain and suffocation accompanying the mystery in our partner and secrets they may hold. Their true intention may be concealed, nevertheless you accept what is being offered in the moment due to the comfort in the passion they offer and the solace in their deception, despite knowing that you are alone in a partnership, trapped, and struggling to breathe.

On the other hand, this piece may be speaking to another human struggle, the opposing side to the initial deduction: the inability to open up to one another. Though we are desperate for a genuine connection, we are haunted by our past mistakes, thus, making it challenging to trust ourselves to be honest and vulnerable with our partners. As a result, we persist in concealing ourselves under layers, unwilling and unable to reveal the essence of who we truly are.

Another piece that spoke to me was Marc Chagall’s I and the Village (1911). I was able to connect to his piece due to the striking parallels between our background and life experiences. Both Chagall and I grew up Jewish and have a shared connection to the Soviet Union. While Chagall emigrated to Paris, my parents fled their home, to the United States of America, to escape religious persecution. Nevertheless, our different paths did not hinder our ability to both be nurtured in an environment rich with Jewish culture and values. 

Chagall’s piece vividly and brilliantly encapsulates these values through its portrayal of peaceful connection, which is brilliantly displayed. Furthermore, his work manifests the gravity of creating a respect for coexistence with animals, thus reflecting a profound and pivotal part in Jewish tradition, the practice of keeping kosher. This therefore serves as a reminder of a deep sense of reverence for life, the environment and every single being that inhabits it. This mutual dependence is signified by the lines connecting the eyes of the peasant and cow which is fractured and fragmented through the visual language of cubism. 

Although I may not fully grasp cubism or find it particularly engaging, its ability to relate itself to a greater issue, deeply rooted in my heart, allows me to appreciate the style and message being conveyed in its entirety. To elaborate, Chagall’s approach, while abstract, powerfully and effectively communicates themes that are personally touching and proves that Chagall is especially skillful and inspirational in expressing profound concepts despite his fragmented art  through the universal language and. understanding of human emotion through the eyes. 

Leaving this museum, I felt transformed. I exited a different and perhaps a bigger person than I was when I first entered. Though it was difficult for some pieces and perhaps impossible for others to be interpreted, I was able to mostly recognize and appreciate beauty in minute details. To expand on this notion, this experience instilled a new ability to notice and appreciate the subtleties of the world around me. Thus, making me realize that in order to be truly grateful for what I have, it is crucial to recognize the significance in everything that encapsulates us as we are living and breathing art. Art imitates life, we are surrounded by a canvas and we paint it with our individual, vivid experiences and realities and we must always remind ourselves that artists simply allow us to revel in the art that is implicit in our own lives.