Category Archives: Assignment Four – Community

In the middle of September two tornados ripped through parts of Staten Island, Brooklyn, and queens. They left behind a slew of debris and worry, though only one death was reported. The Town of Bayside, which received a storm of 110 mph was left a mess, but, as was the story miraculously, nobody was too badly hurt if hurt at all.

It was an ordeal for me as well, this Storm. I was left stranded in manhattan with no idea what was happening. The National Guard moved everyone out of Penn Station on 34th street, which is not something you’ll see very often in a lifetime. Most of all no trains seemed to be moving to and from any other borough. I was beginning to have a terrible feeling about things, that I was in the middle of something catastrophic.

I arrived in the darkness learning very little. It was pitch black and Bayside was a messed of broken branches, tree trunks and snapped power lines. I could tell though, that things were bad but not as hectic as it could’ve been. The next morning I went around Bayside to see how its residents were doing and came away with the knowledge that though this was some powerful that ripped through town, it wasn’t something that was going to or would hurt this community.

Communities are formed from the commonalities that a group of people share whether it being a location or even common interests. My community assignment is on the community that has been created by car enthusiasts and how it brings different people together. I began my set of photos with some pictures I took at a car show in New Jersey. What really caught my eye while taking the pictures was the amount of diversity that was present. There were people of different ages as well as nationalities huddled around cars having conversations with each other. At another time or place, these people would be strangers. But at the car show, these seemingly different individuals have something in common and there is nothing strange about that. As the photos progress I show some car enthusiasts taking their pride and joy cars to the streets.

For many, the world of art is something that the general public vaguely knows of and can grow to appreciate in their own right. However, the art community is a tight knit group that only those who are completely dedicated, can enter into.

The people in the art community are those who visit multiple gallery openings in a month. They travel in groups with their artist friends and rather than go out to a movie, they will visit a museum on their weekends.

Whether it is appreciating art by observing and critiquing, interacting with the art itself, or creating their own art through another piece’s inspiration, the people in the art community enjoy the medium in every aspect. And for that, it is a large, but also slightly exclusive community.

Woodside, Woodside,
Where you can find all races, ages, and cultures in sight,
Some happy little ones with their smiles so bright,
And some strangers’ gloomy faces oh so fright,
Yet, the next generation holds their pride.

Woodside, Woodside,
The blend of religions, jobs, and beliefs,
Asia meets Latin and Irish ‘good time’ all beneath,
With tolerance and acceptance,
Jewish, Christians, and Muslims live in peace.

Woodside, Woodside,
During rush hour people dash like wind,
Yet, those five-cents collectors patiently wait in line to cash em’ in,
Barbers in uniform skillfully shape the hype and make the scene.

Woodside, Woodside,
Graffiti skin of art signifies it all,
Woodside walks of lives stand proud and tall…

Comic Con

Comic Con is one of the largest annual events held on the East Coast.  In the last several years, it has been held at the Jacob Javits Center.   This event brings together comic book, fantasy and sci-fi fans together.  You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy these things.

As this event seems to be extremely popular, I went that Saturday to check out the hype for myself.  When I arrived, it seems like Halloween had come early.  There were so many people dressed up as their favorite characters from movies such as Star Wars to comic book hero like Spiderman.  The thing I found most interesting was how invested these people are into the characters.  If I didn’t know better, I thought these people really did believe they were these characters.  I was surprised at just how approachable these people were.  Girls would happily pose for pictures as much as the guys.  They were in the zone and appeared to enjoy the fame their superhero/villain brought them.

Along with all the costumes, there was a great deal of merchandise throughout the arena, and it was interesting to see just how lucrative the comic book/fantasy world is.  The whole event is where fans can meet up with each other face to face (instead of via computer) to talk with each other and the creators of their comics and I found this to be a great show.

Aside from attending the Comic Con event, I also went to a comic book store the following week to see what these people are like when not in costume.  Surprisingly, they are quite shy and quiet.  No one really wanted to talk about Comic Con or how they were dressed.  It seemed like they were embarrassed to talk about it and just wanted to be left along to read their comic books.  The costumes brought out another side to these guys that you may never get to know otherwise.

In the United States, New York City is the number one most visited city. Although its has rich history and thousands of tourist attractions, millions flock to Midtown to “see the sights”. This includes the Ladies mile, which stretches down Fifth avenue from 23rd street to 60street, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, to name a few. This community of tourists migrate from landmark to landmark  regardless of the hour or temperature.