Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
MoMA, et all
Today was MoMA day. By chance, we happened to run into an Elmira alum, Chris Josephs, who now works at MoMA. We could have missed him if we were a few seconds off in either direction, but fate smiled upon us, and we caught up with Chris--a business major at EC who got his MFA in Museum Studies and now works for MoMA. He worked his magic and slipped us into MoMA, VIP style, past the line that seemed to go on forever. In no time flat, we were taking in "German Expressionism", the latest, greatest show that MoMa has to offer, as well as "Picasso's Guitar". These shows gave us a lot of food for thought. Picasso's Guitars were multi-media and were a continuation of his own brand of abstraction, cubism in particular. We caught a closer look at his sketchbook, which served as a source of major inspiration for us. As you may or may not know, on this trip, we are required to keep a sketchbook, and fill it each week. Anywhere we are, we can be seen sketching--at a restaurant, on the subway, in the park, in our loft, museums, stores, etc. We keep these visual diaries as a record of our time here. Here's an example of a sketch from imagination:
Picasso kept a sketchbook, which was on display, that consisted of linear sketches on graph paper, as well as collages. He glued things into his sketchbook, which is a really great concept, and is something that some of us are already doing. This is the idea of the collective unconscious rearing it's head, yet again. On the last trip, there were words and ideas, such as "analog", that were "in the air", everywhere we went, these things were repeated and clearly a part of a zeitgeist. There is no doubt in my mind that there will be a continuity of that during our time here.
The German Expressionism exhibition gave us a lot to ponder. Art during this period varied greatly from Germany/Austria to America, and it was never so obvious as it was today. Weimar uncertainty clashed with graphic minimalism which went against the flowery, decorative, art nouveau of the belle epoch. Here is the MoMA link, you'll definitely want to see this show: http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1103
Over the past couple of days, we have seen some truly wonderful art objects, but the best thign of all is that we are here, in the city; we get to experience New York in the spring. Take a look at some recorded observations.
We've hit galleries in Chelsea, the Museum of the American Indian, MoMa, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On our way to the subway from MoMA, we were privy to an annual occurance that has ever happened in the course of Project Dumbo, the Day of Solidarity. This is a day to remember union workers who have recently passed. These are people who build and maintain our city. Here is the link for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which advertises the service which we saw today: http://www.local3.com/?q=node/5142
Picasso kept a sketchbook, which was on display, that consisted of linear sketches on graph paper, as well as collages. He glued things into his sketchbook, which is a really great concept, and is something that some of us are already doing. This is the idea of the collective unconscious rearing it's head, yet again. On the last trip, there were words and ideas, such as "analog", that were "in the air", everywhere we went, these things were repeated and clearly a part of a zeitgeist. There is no doubt in my mind that there will be a continuity of that during our time here.
The German Expressionism exhibition gave us a lot to ponder. Art during this period varied greatly from Germany/Austria to America, and it was never so obvious as it was today. Weimar uncertainty clashed with graphic minimalism which went against the flowery, decorative, art nouveau of the belle epoch. Here is the MoMA link, you'll definitely want to see this show: http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1103
Over the past couple of days, we have seen some truly wonderful art objects, but the best thign of all is that we are here, in the city; we get to experience New York in the spring. Take a look at some recorded observations.
We've hit galleries in Chelsea, the Museum of the American Indian, MoMa, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On our way to the subway from MoMA, we were privy to an annual occurance that has ever happened in the course of Project Dumbo, the Day of Solidarity. This is a day to remember union workers who have recently passed. These are people who build and maintain our city. Here is the link for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which advertises the service which we saw today: http://www.local3.com/?q=node/5142
Monday, April 25, 2011
We have arrived
So it begins, Project Dumbo 2011.
My name is Hillary Irvine and I am a returning veteran of the trip. After only a few days, I can already say that, thus far, the trip has been a completely new and organic experience. Coming back to Dumbo was sort of like a homecoming, which speaks to how well associated and integrated we become with the neighborhood during our time. We rolled into town, unpacked the vehicles and hit the town. Marc made reservations for us at Superfine, a mainstay, and undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in Dumbo. We saw a few familiar faces, such as Tanya and Carolee, the owners/masterminds of Superfine--a place where the vibe is always good and the food is second to none.
Saturday was Christmas, and by this I mean Marc lets us loose in the art supply store and we are figurative kids in a candy shop. This was the result, an eight plus foot receipt.
We returned to Dumbo, overwhelmed with glee.
On our days off, we are free to make the city our playground, and we are never at a loss for things to do. On Saturday, we decided to amble about Chinatown. I'm always taken back by the overstimulation I experience in this particular part of the city. The hustle and bustle of the street vendors, crowds of people on the streets rushing by, the smells of the fish markets, the melting pot of cultures and languages--it never ceases to amaze.
As a returner of the trip, I can say that during the span of the month, we become very well oriented with the city. I had the opportunity to pursue summer jobs while here last year and came out of Project Dumbo with a paid summer internship, but I would not have been prepared to do so without having the knowledge and the experience that this trip provides. Having lived in the city for nearly five months this past year, I was turned on to a few fantastic city staples, like Joe's Shanghai, home of the soup dumpling. Six of us wandered through the streets of Chinatown to Pell Street, where we waited in the line at Joe's. While we were there, we also had a chance to grab a bubble tea, which some folks never had before. It was a day of firsts for most, but definitely not the last time for all.
We were all quite sated by the soup dumplings and took Duke Ellington's advice to "Take the A Train" back to Dumbo. I gave my cohorts a continuation on an informal tour of Dumbo, paying close attention to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, where we grabbed some waffle cones and hit the park. It's sublime
to eat ice cream and watch the Manhattan skyline glow across the scintillating river.
My name is Hillary Irvine and I am a returning veteran of the trip. After only a few days, I can already say that, thus far, the trip has been a completely new and organic experience. Coming back to Dumbo was sort of like a homecoming, which speaks to how well associated and integrated we become with the neighborhood during our time. We rolled into town, unpacked the vehicles and hit the town. Marc made reservations for us at Superfine, a mainstay, and undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in Dumbo. We saw a few familiar faces, such as Tanya and Carolee, the owners/masterminds of Superfine--a place where the vibe is always good and the food is second to none.
Saturday was Christmas, and by this I mean Marc lets us loose in the art supply store and we are figurative kids in a candy shop. This was the result, an eight plus foot receipt.
We returned to Dumbo, overwhelmed with glee.
On our days off, we are free to make the city our playground, and we are never at a loss for things to do. On Saturday, we decided to amble about Chinatown. I'm always taken back by the overstimulation I experience in this particular part of the city. The hustle and bustle of the street vendors, crowds of people on the streets rushing by, the smells of the fish markets, the melting pot of cultures and languages--it never ceases to amaze.
As a returner of the trip, I can say that during the span of the month, we become very well oriented with the city. I had the opportunity to pursue summer jobs while here last year and came out of Project Dumbo with a paid summer internship, but I would not have been prepared to do so without having the knowledge and the experience that this trip provides. Having lived in the city for nearly five months this past year, I was turned on to a few fantastic city staples, like Joe's Shanghai, home of the soup dumpling. Six of us wandered through the streets of Chinatown to Pell Street, where we waited in the line at Joe's. While we were there, we also had a chance to grab a bubble tea, which some folks never had before. It was a day of firsts for most, but definitely not the last time for all.
We were all quite sated by the soup dumplings and took Duke Ellington's advice to "Take the A Train" back to Dumbo. I gave my cohorts a continuation on an informal tour of Dumbo, paying close attention to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, where we grabbed some waffle cones and hit the park. It's sublime
to eat ice cream and watch the Manhattan skyline glow across the scintillating river.
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