Month: October 2017

The Museum of Natural History has always been one of my favorite places to visit even as a small child. I went to visit the museum this weekend and, just like when I was young, I was filled with a sense of wonderment at all the things that could be found in the massive building. The last time I had visited the museum was quite a while ago and I never really had gone through the entire thing in one go before. This time when I went I had the whole day to explore at my leisure, and I managed to see everything the place had to offer. My favorite room is the one huge room with the blue whale hanging from the wall, the dim lights as well as the atmosphere that is created is absolutely amazing. No matter how many times I go to the museum I always manage to find time to lie down in the middle of the room and stare at the massive animal and the pseudo-water ceiling. The changing exhibits are really cool and I always manage to learn something interesting from them. In my honest opinion, if someone has never gone to the museum and is in NY then this is one place that I recommend visiting above any other.

I went to the Museum of Modern Art, and I wasn’t expecting anything that I would enjoy. At first I saw a couple of paintings, that weren’t anything special. They seemed to be inspired from something that would show up in your dreams. As I walked on, a couple piece caught my eye. It seemed like they just had clothes on mannequins, nothing special. But as I viewed them closely, I saw many pieces that I can relate to. Such pieces were the sport jerseys, which included Micheal Jordan’s famous “23” Bulls Jersey, which had a big significance on why I enjoy Basketball today. Also, one piece by Richard Malone, titled “Jumpsuit” featured a very unique one piece that would certainly catch plenty of looks if worn in public. Another part included some boots and heals from designer Martin Margiela, whose work I am somewhat familiar with. Being in the Museum has open my eyes, and allowed me to realize that not all art is boring, and that some may actually be relevant to me. What I learned from this experience was, I shouldn’t be so quick to cancel something out without trying it. At Baruch, I will be open to trying new things, something I probably wouldnt have done if I had not gone the museum.

For my second blog post, I went to attend an art exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Throughout my life, I have not been really the artistic type so if I saw art in person it would not stand out to me. The same would go for the Museum of Modern Art. I went there to check out their exhibits and the most interesting piece of art was the picture above. From what I can perceive it as, it looks like its saying how a person can have different faces than what they show from the outside. Though it is not related to how I am doing during my first semester at Baruch, it was the only thing that actually appealed to me. As I said above as much as the picture was enjoyable to look, the event did not assist me any way. I did not study harder because of that exhibit nor did I look at art in a different way. The only thing that I would say that this trip to the museum helped me with was getting closer to strangers at Baruch. It is not likely that you will hang out with people who are not in your group, but I went to the museum with new people that my friend’s brought which helped developed new friendships. Friendships are important because it leads to things such as connections in the future and people will be more willing to help you out if you build good rapport with them.

Back when I attended elementary school in the Bronx every year my teacher would organize a trip to the Museum of Natural History. I could remember myself excited to go every time, not to see the exhibits provided at the museum but because the trip got me out of school from working mundane schoolwork. In addition, I was able bring my Gameboy color or Nintendo DS and play on the bus ride since schools trips allowed me to do so. Other than what I listed I found the trip to the museum boring, just another attempt of the adults tried to make history interesting. The only exhibit that caught my eye was the ocean exhibit since the way they arranged the exhibit made it feel as though I was underwater surrounded with seas animals and a massive model whale hanging on the ceiling.

Now it has been almost 8 years since my last visit until October 6, 2017. I decided to visit the museum to satisfy the conditions to post this blog for my freshmen seminar class, after all the information I learned about history since those past 8 years in middle school, high school, and currently in at Baruch I have new perspective when looking at those exhibits. Unlike in elementary I had the freedom to walk around the museum and explore. In each exhibit I looked at there wasn’t one thing I didn’t have some understanding on from African culture, human origins, Hall of meteorites, Northwest Coast Indians, etc. Another difference from then and now was I looking at those exhibits, those pieces of history I felt excited. To know that each of those exhibits played a significant role in forming the world we live in at the present. I found it somewhat inspiration to see such pieces in person unlike reading about them in textbooks, then I wonder what could happen today and years forward that’ll become an exhibit in this museum. Then I stopped looking at a model of the planet Earth to reflect on myself over the past years to measure how much I have grown since my visits as a child in understanding my history, my morals, my experiences, and my choices. Then thought how I was still growing, maturing, and experiences that await me in the future. I have no idea what will happen in 10,25, or 50 years from now, how the world we live in will change, but I and everyone on this planet has a part in creating that future. Whether big or small of an impact its the combination of those impacts that makes history. If I manage to live at an old age and that museum is still around I might go back and measure my growth again, my history.

On September 21st, I went to the Museum of Natural History. I looked at several exhibits such as the Hall of Biodiversity, the Ocean Life Exhibit, the dinosaur exhibits, and more. I saw the history of people from around the world; I saw fossils of extinct animals; I learned about the history of the universe; My favorite exhibit was the marine life section. The room was filled with sculptures of marine animals such as seals, walruses, and even a life-size whale. Each sculpture had labels that discussed the history of the animal, its effect on the environment, and how humans have affected them. Going to the museum helped me realize that New York City offers so many experiences for everyone. So many resources and events are given to us and don’t even require much money to enjoy. Many people believe that the only way to have fun in the city is to spend excessive amounts of money, go clubbing, or partying. While museums might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it just shows how there are other interesting things all around the city. Going to the museum was also a great place to learn outside of the school. Being able to learn about things that you want to learn and not be restricted by a classroom guideline also helped me go through my first semester. Learning about so many new subjects in a new environment such as philosophy, anthropology, calculus, etc. can be stressful at times and can also be boring. Being forced to stick to a strict curriculum about subjects I don’t particularly care about is not exactly interesting. Being able to choose what I want to learn helped me deal with the stress. I would recommend others to go the Museum of Natural History to learn about the world.