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.

During my trip to the museum, where me and Jackson were viewing the art together, I found two pieces of art that really stood out to me.

The first piece of art that stood out to me was A View of the Two Lakes and Mountain House, Catskills Mountains, Morning by Thomas Cole. Me and Jackson both liked this painting because we felt like we were on the journey with the man standing in the middle. It was almost like we were seeing the scenery through the eyes of the man, and we could almost see the landscape in front of us because of the amount of detail to it.

 

The second piece of art that stood out to me was Before the Storm by Richard Mayhew. This painting stood out to me for one reason in particular. It stood out to me because when I looked at it, I got nostalgia. To me in particular, it almost looks like you are looking at the trees through a window during a storm. The blurry view you get from the painting is made because of the amount of rain going down on the window, thus making the landscape outside almost blurry-like.

In conclusion, I liked my trip to the museum, and I actually found art that stood out to me, making my trip enjoyable.

 

On Tuesday, 10/15, I was whisked away on a bus from CSI to the Brooklyn Museum for Macaulay’s traditional Night at the Museum event. There were various pieces of art that I found intriguing, but ultimately the experience itself was more interesting.

I thought that these images were interesting because while they are all the same person, the photo on the left seemingly represents them in a more feminine manner, due to the absence of facial hair, as well as the presence of longer hair. These are features that are typically associated with femininity. The photo on the right contrasts this, and shows the subject with shorter hair and a mustache, which are features heavily associated with masculinity. In the image in the middle, it is revealed that the images around it are portraying the same person. Half of the person’s image has these feminine features, while the other has masculine features. This could be commentary on the duality of humans as individuals and how conventional preconceived ideas of gender may not be an accurate description for individuals in society as a whole. It could also be commentary on how perception can impact one’s perspective and there are multiple different angles to look at not only images, but also situations.

I felt that this was interesting to me because the calligraphic nature of the piece exemplifies how we as a species have developed over time, in aspects such as language and communication. There were multiple pieces similar to this one, and I found it interesting that this illustration-like form of communication is believed to have had clear meaning in the past, when art is generally seen as something that is up for interpretation, and carries multiple messages depending on the perspective of the viewer.

The experience of being granted the ability to explore certain areas of the Brooklyn Museum with my Macaulay peers was an interesting one. At first, I thought it would be easier to move around since the museum was closed off to the rest of the public. However, I ultimately found it difficult due to the large number of students. I feel that this event was a great opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation regarding the art and other exhibitions with both like-minded peers and peers who had completely different interpretations and ideas regarding them. I feel that having these conversations was helpful for us to get to know each other’s mindsets and ideas better, which is important for us to further or knowledge and learn more from one another, even if we disagree.

To reiterate, this experience, though not particularly what I anticipated, helped to enrich my understanding of my peers as well as view some works of art and exhibitions that I have not encountered in the past.

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.

The first thing I was looking forward to this night was reuniting with my high school friend. I found him with one of his friends he met from Macaulay that I didn’t really know who he was at the time. We went to the auditorium, and I was excited to see what the museum had to offer after they said we were one of the first groups being exposed to this new floor they were working on. Although the art pieces were visually appealing, they didn’t really communicate anything to me.

 

1. Canopic Jars and Covers of Tjuli

When first seeing this, I saw a nice detailed sculpture of heads representing gods on top of the jar lid. After reading the description, I learned that they stuffed organs in them, which was shocking. This reminded me of a funeral process I learned about in AP World History. I don’t remember specifically which culture it was, but before mummifying the dead body, they took out its organs and stuffed them into a jar. I think this perfectly represents the question they shared in the auditorium, which asked something similar to “what if descriptions change beautiful sculptures into violent art pieces”.

 

1. Cartonnage of Nespanetjerenpare

This art piece showed how the definition of red was different back in the day. When I first looked at this, I thought it represented someone evil and intimidating because of the red skin color, but according to the description, it represented resurrection, permanence, stability, and endurance. This shows how colors had different meanings back then.

 

Other than these art pieces, none of the other ones caught my attention as much as these two. The greatest thing that happened in this museum is that I realized my high school friends Macaulay friend was Polish, and he knew how to speak it, so we instantly became friends. Other than that, I didn’t really enjoy the museum aspect of this trip.

When I first arrived at the Brooklyn Museum, I saw a big YO sculpture.

I was eager to see what other surprises might ensue. The moment I stepped into the museum, I saw two ginormous statues of what appeared to be KAWS.

All of the Macaulay students then went to the auditorium to listen to the guest speakers. We were discussing the purpose of a museum and what makes a museum a museum. I found these questions to be very existential and possessing a deep meaning.

When I went to the fifth floor, I saw a really colorful painting consisting of a man and a woman arm wrestling. I really liked the colors of the painting and the message really stood out to me, because I identify with the AAPI community and I found the oppression and struggles in this painting to be incredibly powerful. It reminded me of the one war artwork saying “woman can do it too.” I really liked this piece of art. It is honestly one of the most immaculate pieces of art I have seen with my own eyes, and I think that it should be universally considered pulchritudinous.

Overall, this experience was amazing. I would recommend this to everybody. It was truly one of the best Macaulay experiences so far.

I do not like rushing the art experience. This is because I think there is potentially a wealth of material to explore within a painting which can often take several minutes to uncover. Regrettably, I experienced the dissonance between this approach and that of my peers at the Night at the Brooklyn Museum. 

The group assignment created a certain pressure to analyze a piece of art within a specific time frame. However, there was more than enough time to complete this task free of any stress. The reason I felt a time crunch in spite of the allotted time was because my fellow students wanted to move on to other paintings. I could understand their frustration. I do not think one needs to discuss all levels of depth of a painting, from visual to the conceptual, in order to extract value from it. The issue arose when my fellow attendees did not seem intrigued at the prospect of having an-in depth conversation about any of those points of investigation when it came to other paintings. Roblin Meeks might say they want to look at paintings, but not see them.

The lack of interest in meaningful engagement on the part of my classmates is quite an unfortunate circumstance because when we did discuss the painting for the group assignment, they shared insights I never would have considered.

 

The painting we focused on in the group assignment was Southern Landscape (Southern Flood) by Eldzier Cortor, which was made in 1944-1945. The story of this painting is that there has been a flood and the black couple have been neglected by their society as they are left bereft of everything while their town is swept away. Those I was working with pointed out that there are telephone poles in the water which also resemble crosses. I was able to build on this astute observation of theirs. I believe that the drowning of the crosses conveys that either the institutions of the religion have failed to produce equality for black Americans, or that society has allowed its prized religious ideals to be destroyed by its racial caste system. A connection which my classmates made that resonated with me is to the biblical splitting of the sea. The flood waters are depicted in the painting as the barrier between the now-destitute black Americans and intact houses. The painting essentially claims that one would have to split the sea in order to reach safety. This connection further supports the idea that there is a massive gulf which must be crossed between the racial discrimination which currently exists and the equitable state of being that one ought to strive for.

 

Once we moved on to other pieces like the one above, I was perturbed by the unwillingness of my classmates to attempt to gain a more sophisticated view of art. This piece is Four Genders Were Born… by Nanibah Chacon (2022). The artwork engendered bewilderment and amusement on the part of my classmates. I can completely understand their feelings. What I cannot understand is why they did not seek to understand the work on any kind of deeper level. It is true that the painting is highly provocative. It appears to show a serious misplacement of genitalia. My initial response to this artwork-much like my classmates-was one of shock and revulsion. I wanted to look away. This is because the subjects appear to possess a deformity. However, the deeper understanding I garnered from this painting is that genitalia does seem to lack the significance it is traditionally ascribed in determining one’s gender. I observe a clear male and female in this painting even though the genitalia has been swapped. The facial features and the remainder of the body produce this gendered effect. Consequently, what this painting communicates in the bigger picture is that gender is nuanced and contains a myriad of characteristics aside from genitalia. Gender may be strongly associated with genitalia. That is why the image feels wrong. However, in contrast to conventional wisdom, gender is far more complicated than what is under one’s pants or dress.

I eventually found a buddy with whom to explore the museum in some depth for the remainder of the time. 

The above painting, Shifting the Gaze (2017) by Titus Kaphar, speaks to a common theme throughout the fifth floor collection: giving artistic expression to those whose voices are suppressed. This work merely involved painting white over the white figures in a Frans Hals painting. The purpose of this choice is to highlight the exclusion of those groups of people who were long neglected in art. I think this artistic decision is a grand idea. Every single individual deserves the opportunity to benefit from the value of art, which means that all groups should be included in the artistic conversation. The fifth floor contains a plethora of art made to tell the stories of indigenous people, minority women in prison and the black experience, among others. Telling these stories is essential because when people see subjects who look like themselves represented in art, they will feel included in the artistic dialogue and thus better able to benefit from any of the ideas fleshed out in the artwork. There was an entire section on the fifth floor dedicated to paintings of wealthy, white people who could afford to commission portraits of themselves. The purpose of including these is to demonstrate the contrast between the historical exclusivity which characterizes such commissioned art and the potential enriching impact that art can have if it emerges out of a wide range of backgrounds.

One painting which resonated with me was the above-A View of the Two Lakes and Mountain House, Catskills Mountains, Morning (1844) by Thomas Cole. This painting is powerful because of the small man looking out on this landscape in its bottom left. There is a beautiful depiction of greenery and towering mountains, but for me this is necessary but insufficient to evoke feelings of substantial agency. What provides the viewer vitality is the explorer who-stick in hand-is venturing out to the unknown to mark his acquisition of the territory. I was able to put myself in the explorer’s shoes and envision seeing this vast landscape before beginning an arduous hike.

Another painting which resonated with me was Sunset At Sea (1906) by Thomas Moran, which exhibits a glorious sunset over ocean waters. In a manner similar to the previous artwork, this painting does not alienate the viewer. The subtle way in which the image communicates agency is that there is a path shown to be seemingly open for travel through the turbulent waves. This is clear from the white reflection which flows through the valleys of the waves towards the middle of the painting. The viewer also feels as though he is being led to the sun, which is exhibited as the prominent source of power and energy. The sun blends into and almost seems to branch out into the clouds. The artist accomplishes this effect by coloring the clouds in various shades of orange depending on their distance from the sun. The viewer is made to feel like the sun has extended its influence over the other parts of the sky. Since the path through the ocean has been laid out towards this monumental celestial body, the painting further implies that it is reasonable for a person to aspire for the kind of vigor which the sun reflects on everything around it.

The final painting which appealed to me is Still Life with Fruit (1860) by Severin Roesen. Berger would dismiss this work as representing possession but I think he misses out on the value of the indulgence and luxury which is implied by such possession. The wine, the yellow grapes, and the sliced watermelons and lemons all convey exquisite pleasures and sublime affluence, even to a contemporary eye. In the case of sliced fruit, that is because one has the privilege of having food which is ready made to consume. At supermarkets today, sliced watermelon is more expensive than whole watermelon because of the additional value which the buyer receives from prepared food. Possession of such goods reflects possession of a highly desirable financial stability. My grandfather had a reputation for being a big-earner and big-spender and one of his sources of gratification was buying expensive fruit. He is who I think of when I view this image. My grandfather also loved to perform, which comes to mind in this image as well. There is the pleasure of the food and the wealth behind it which is conveyed, but there is even a performative aspect to one’s wealth, much like social media operates today. If a productive man two centuries ago wanted to show off his success, having a diversified fruit platter painted would certainly do so. I do not think there is anything wrong with material pleasure nor reveling in it. The viewer of this painting is given the opportunity to participate in not only the Dionysian lifestyle enabled by the security of massive wealth, but the pride which one can take in the pleasurable part of one’s existence. 

 

In sum, I was able to benefit from the input and company of my classmates as well as the art itself even if the situation was not ideal.

“The Night at the Museum” is a phrase that I commonly heard upon entering Macaulay. Rumored as one of the best Macaulay experiences, I experienced anticipation for this trip. Earlier in the day, I ran errands, ultimately taking the bus to campus. The weather was extremely unpleasant, as it was cold and slightly windy. After arriving, it was nice to see everyone and take a bus to the Brooklyn Museum; it felt as if I was reliving my middle school field trips.

Assyrian Palace Reliefs, 879 B.C.E.

Upon arrival at the museum, we were directed into a spacious and brightly-lit room. The first piece of art that caught my eye was the collection of Assyrian Palace Reliefs. These relics were actually the first main piece of artwork that I came across after entering the museum, and ironically, were the ones to resonate the most with me after leaving. The reason for this is because I come from an Armenian background which shares some commonalities with the characteristics of Assyrian culture. For instance, both groups were among the first to adapt Christianity, both groups have suffered persecution under the same Muslim rulers, and both groups were victims of genocide under the Ottoman Empire. The presented artifacts appeared extremely historical and therefore intriguing. After reading the description, I learned that Assyrian palaces were decorated with such objects in order to overwhelm the ancient visitors with the king’s power, revealing the supernatural world where the king existed. Those on display decorated the palace of one of the greatest rulers in ancient Assyria, Ashur-nasir-pal II, which was before the common era, showcasing its intricate nature. The carvings on these materials conveyed images of kings, divinities, sacred trees, and magical beings called apkallu (human bodies with wings and either human, eagle, or fish heads), along with inscriptions. Accordingly, the Assyrians believed that apkallu survived a mythical flood to serve the king.

The Bridge, 1938

The paintings that I appreciated the most were those that resembled real life and were effective in clearly portraying specific images. For instance, the work depicting Venice was very beautifully conveyed, using watercolor techniques and portraying a place that I, myself, desire to visit. The drawing is very simple, elegant, and comforting, revealing the artist’s usage of Impressionist style and transition into Post-Impressionist application of color. The talent in this composition was undeniably evident and I enjoyed looking at the unified presentations with the section themed by water’s presence.

Afterwards, we walked to different floors and explored them. Although it was aesthetically nice to enter differently decorated rooms, I was mostly overcome with tiredness. My favorite part of the museum was the exhibited storage room, full of antiques and glassware. The displays themselves were very nice and it was cool to witness the distinctions among each setting. While one room was water-themed, another was decorated with vibrantly patterned walls, and another was all black and white; these variations were all present on the same floor. Nevertheless, I was not able to connect with the art and even found myself questioning the presence of certain items such as chairs hanging on walls. Overall, this experience was definitely very unique and will be memorable to me, despite my afterward exhaustion.

I found Tuesday’s Night at the Museum to be an incredibly gratifying experience. Although, regrettably, only two floors of the museum were open to us, I don’t suppose I can complain about that since the Brooklyn Museum was open after hours specifically for us Macaulay students, and the floors we did have access to were filled with fascinating exhibitions. Starting from the top down, I first explored the fifth floor. My most significant impression from the artworks on this floor was how diverse they were in origin, time period, etc. I found the juxtaposition of modern art with that of a more classical background very thought-provoking, as it inspired me to ponder the similarities between the two. I also thought that the fifth floor exhibits did an incredibly good job at highlighting the inequalities so ever-present in the art world. Here, Black, Indigenous, and Asian art was highlighted in a way that is so uncommon for most art spaces, as these communities are commonly underrepresented in the museum world which I notice tends to favor, for lack of better phrasing, dead white guys. I noticed a major theme of examining the reason why these marginalized voices have historically been so cast out of academic and artistic spaces and I felt that the fifth floor almost served to stress how art from historically marginalized communities belongs in a museum just as much as that from white artists.

One of my favorite parts of the fifth floor exhibit was probably that dealing with orientalism in art. As I had learned from a description on the wall, American artists throughout history fetishized Arab culture despite many of them never even having visited it. Of course, to these American artists, an Arabic scene was just generically Middle Eastern, with traditions of different countries being blurred into one vague, exotic ideal of what they thought the region was like. The same is true for East Asia as well, especially as chinoiserie came into vogue in both Europe and America. Something I noticed was that white women painted in kimonos looked modest, whereas Asian women painted in kimonos were hypersexualized by the artist. I felt that putting these paintings in the same exhibit serves to facilitate a meaningful conversation about the history of unfair–to say the least–depiction of women in art based on their race.

The third floor served as a stark contrast to the fifth, as it was filled with ancient Egyptian art. Ancient Egypt is close to my heart, as I admittedly was very into ancient Egyptian mythology as a child…in any case, I highly enjoyed looking around at the ornate tombs and artifacts. One of my favorite works was a mummy portrait from the Roman Period known as Woman with Earrings. I found myself drawn to this portrait because the woman looks so realistic. Compared to Egyptian art of other periods, I found the Roman influence incredibly apparent. Something about her, perhaps because she looks like just another woman I could see on the street, piqued my interest. She is beautiful in a very approachable way, I suppose.

If given the chance, I would instantly come back to the Brooklyn Museum. Not only did Night at the Museum offer me the opportunity to visit a museum I hadn’t been to beforehand, it also gave me the opportunity to connect with my Macaulay peers from other campuses, and I even got to reunite with some old friends from middle and high school! In summation, I believe that events such as this one are instrumental in bringing together Macaulay students from all campuses and giving us a space to culturally enrich and intellectually challenge ourselves.