Metro Art Access NYC

A very sobering experience at the memorial and worth reflecting on. A very powerful space/place. Another highlight was listening to Monique’s testimonial about her dad—of course it was sad, but it was good to hear Monique’s familiar voice as she told a wonderful, sweet, and funny story! 

So glad we took the Staten Island ferry after that intense collective response. It felt good to be surrounded by people, sunshine, fresh air and optimism! And all of you look amazing in those PINK T-shirts! 
We walked back-up town finding a green space oasis here and there. Little parks tucked away all over the city—which were perfect for grabbing a snack, coffee, drink, and relaxing as we made our way up into the center of the beast! After 50 long blocks of exploring, we finally took a cab up to 96th street and enjoyed an evening walk across Central Park.

-G&P 

   
     

                 

Over the past several days our class has visited a number of museums and in doing so have experienced exhibition spaces which employ the stratagem of the classic white box, a space designed to accommodate the aesthetic of any artist, and tailored spaces designed to showcase the work of one artist. The Whitney is a fantastic example of the white box as its white walls beautifully displayed a variety of sculptures, projections, paintings, and more. But the general consensus within the class was that the Whitney left something to be desired, that is, it did not feel like the works on display were at home within the gallery. In comparison the Noguchi Museum, a tailored space built and funded by Noguchi himself, formed a cohesive unit with all of the work within. Each sculpture seemed as if it had stemmed from the floor and blossomed where it stood. Nothing looked out of place. But, in keeping with this idea of a tailored space, I wonder what people thought when walking through the 9/11 memorial? How would the memorial have been different had all of the walls been white? Would the emotional responses ellicited been the same? Would things have looked out of place or out of context? Could the exhibition travel or would the artifacts begin to appear as kitsch if removed from ground zero?

-J.L. Gazabat

The 9/11 Memorial was a complex experience. We all have our own memory of this day. Its crazy for me to think of that actually because I still never understood my personal impact from it until I was reminded of everything in the space. I love the sky mural of remembering what color the sky was on that day. It was so powerful. Maybe because it would’ve been my role in it the experience, I would’ve been a witness. One of those people in the images that had to watch from the street. It was a lot to handle to see all the differeny perspective of the victims, witnesses and the the people that came and helped. I did respect that they try to tell everyones story.
Sam

Late night adventures have been great. The most unexpected surreal surprise so far for me was stumbling across The Stonewall bar last night. I was attracted just by their massive Pride flags at first and then the sign that read something like “Come see where it all began.” The Stonewall riots was what broke open the doors do the gay rights movement. It was a perfect experience to be able to come during this week of history. I told the man in the photo I learned about the riots in my LGBT film class and he thought that, that was incredible. He was excited for us to be able to experience this moment in history together in New York.

I definitely thanked him.
Sam

Train ride from Beacon was amazing. Something memorable for me forsure. It reminded me of Washington skies and I havent been on the train since I was little. This was definitely the highlight of my day.
Sam

We went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum today and it was hella depressing. I didn’t think that I would effect me very much but it threw me into a weird and kind of shitty mood for the rest of the day. This whole class has been filled with going to museums all day and looking at great art and having all of these amazing experiences and by now I am physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. Then seeing the memorial today just pushed all of that even further to the edge. Since I was only a small elementary school kid in Spokane, WA when the 9/11 attacks happened, I wasn’t smart enough to really understand what had happened, nor was I close enough to experience any of the real terror of the event. Today it was kind of like experiencing the whole thing for the first time. A lot of the imagery that was on view I had never seen before and since we were at the actual spot where the attacks occurred it made it feel very real and much more tangible. Hearing and reading quotes from people on the day of the attack was so powerful for me and seeing the videos and photos of just how much damage they caused and the impact on the city, nation, and the world was indescribable. It made me think about how I read tragic news stories everyday and how things like these attacks happen all the time around the world and how callous we become to these atrocities and loss of life. Visiting the memorial was important and I’m glad we did it because it is easy to see a number, but it’s hard to be faced with the actual damage. It gave me a more complete perspective on the event and I was certainly effected.

-Beaudry Allen

A few from Dia:Beacon and one of the One World Trade Center. I love that building.

-Beaudry Allen

Dia: Beacon was a much needed escape from the city. I think we all were missing the green space and someone commented on how it was the first time they had heard birds chirping instead of sirens wailing, which I hadn’t even realized. Taking the train out there was great, the hills and sky were spectacular and made it feel like we were home again.

The space was amazing and really lent itself to the large installations and exhibits that were on view. I particularly responded to the work of Robert Irwin. His use of light and scrims in the installation titled Excursus: Homage to the Square^3 was really fun to walk around and gave me ideas about work that I want to produce. I see his work as an abstraction or deconstruction of the essential elements of photography being light, contrast, and framing and I want to explore these elements in a similar manner. It also continues the theme of me responding to 3-D work more so than 2-D, so that has to be significant. I guess I need to start sculpting or something.

-Beaudry Allen

Yet another adventure! Grand Central and the train trip added a layer to the week. It was fun to get out of the city and breathe some fresh air-surrounded by minimalist art and green space! Also impressed by another great  student on-site presentation!