Freshman Seminar Fall 17 DWB

FRO Blog Post #1

Today I went to the Museum of Modern Art, or MoMA, to look at some of the pieces being exhibited. I didn’t have any idea what was on display. I walked around the block beforehand, but didn’t see any posters or advertisements beckoning passersby inside like there are with other museums. That might’ve been due to the ongoing construction/renovation on part of the building though. After getting a ticket and a quick bag check, I took the escalators to the highest floor I had access to (higher floors seemed to have been roped off in preparation for an upcoming exhibit) and stepped into the nearest gallery. From behind a wall I could see a crowd of people gathered around something, more than around any of the surrounding pieces. Their reasoning became clearer once I turned the corner. Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” alone on the wall with spectators forming almost a semi-circle around it. I snapped a quick photo to commemorate the surprise encounter. Other things that stood out were the scale of some of the artwork and how much noise there was. From needing multiple walls to display one piece, devoting a whole area to a bubbling rectangular (or square) vat of grey liquid that echoed and splattered, or just a projection on the floor. There were even interactive sections where visitors could draw both traditionally and digitally or build and design architectural features. Encouraging active participation instead of solely showcasing works definitely wasn’t expected. Overall the experience served as a cool visual reminder to get lost instead of pushing to find something.

Leave a Reply