On Saturday, October 7, 2017, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since I’m not an art fanatic and I don’t usually find museums to be interesting, I brought with my friend Brandi along to make the experience more fun. This was my first time at the MET and it definitely was not boring. I was impressed by the artwork that I saw But before I get to the exhibits, let me start by describing the breathtaking view on the way there. The walk on Museum Mile is very scenic and beautiful at night. We walked through an aisle of manicured trees and on the other side of them was a water fountain that overflowed but didn’t get the sidewalk wet somehow. There was also a trumpet player in a corner playing nice jazzy music which really added to the ambiance of the museum. Then we came to the stairs of the museum where many patrons and tourists sat and took selfies. At the top of these stairs, you can see an overarching view of the scene I just described.

Once we got inside, in the main lobby, there was a huge marble sculpture of an Egyptian pharaoh that glistened in the light. It was so beautiful that we had to see more, so we started with the Egyptian art exhibit. This was my favorite exhibit. Everything — the sculptures of pharaohs, scribes, and captives, the ceramic house decorations, the miniature models of everyday life in an Egyptian city, and the open tombs that didn’t have mummies in them — was so fascinating to me. I thought I had seen it all until I went into an adjoining room and saw a long black pool (maybe representing the Nile River)  with sculptures of a Pharaoh and his queen, of different Egyptian gods, and of course, of the famous Sphinx surrounding it. This room was by far the most awe-inspiring thing I had seen all night.

That’s not all we saw. We also went to the American Art, Medieval Art, and Neoclassical art exhibits before the museum closed. Overall, I had a great time at the MET. Everyone should go. And even if you aren’t an art fanatic, like me, you can still have a really good time.

Adrián Villar Rojas is an Argentinean artist. With his sculpture,  Villar Rojas interprets almost a hundred other sculptures found in the Metropolitan Museum into one dinner-like scene. He portrays these historical sculptures as a mess that is melting into a set of tables. Some interpreters believe Villar Rojas’ sculpture questions whether or not the museum workers’ choices in presenting these sculptures were culturally accurate. To pull together this massive sculpture, Villar Rojas did extensive research on the artifacts that are on display and the ones that were in archives. He then used a 3D printer to scan and print exact replicas. He merged the replicas together and finished it off with a layer of dust.

I found this exhibit in the MET the most interesting because it was a collection of replicas. This wasn’t my first time at the MET, but this was the first time I questioned whether or not the exhibits were culturally accurate. I believe Villar Rojas creatively and effectively got his point across. However, I believe the sculpture should’ve been inside. The New York City skyline in the background provided a distraction from the sculpture. No one really noticed it. If it were installed inside, I believe many more people would appreciate it for its original purpose.

On Friday, September 29th I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Ana. We were planning on already being in the area because of a picnic for Model UN in Central Park so we met up earlier to explore the museum and visit an exhibit all in one day.

We visited the exhibit on the roof garden of the Met entitled “The Theater of Disappearance,” by artist Adrian Villar Rojas. When we first walked out onto the roof, we saw white, ceramic tables and statues on a checkered black and white floor. The scene seems to be of a destroyed dinner table with the human figures being thrust into the tables full of ceramic food and broken plates and cutlery. There are also some ceramic animals, specifically cats, on the tables. Within the tables are black ceramic statues of humans. Some of them are couples engaging romantically. According to the Met’s website, this exhibition is a radical juxtaposition of normal museum practices as it combines multiple museum practices that would never be seen together. Within the exhibit are already published works of art.

Beyond the exhibit, you can see beautiful views of the New York City skyline because of its being on the roof in the middle of the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Right below the museum is Central Park. Many tourists were seen taking pictures and selfies with the Manhattan skyline in the background. Viewing this exhibit and visiting the museum as a whole opened up my eyes to the cultural adventures NYC can offer me. Walking through the museum, you walk through centuries and centuries of history.  I was able to experience this for a cheaper price because of my CUNY ID. Rather than paying the suggested adult donation price, I was able to give just the $12 dollar suggested student donation price.

This past Thursday, my friend asked me to come check out her Hindu Student Association club and I realized I could kill 2 birds with one stone and write about it for my blog post! When I walked up to the 2nd floor of the vertical campus, I was greeted by many smiling faces. I was pleasantly surprised at how welcoming and friendly everyone was seeing as to how I stood out in a pretty obvious way. The girls at the stand automatically offered me mango juice (which is one of my favorite things ever) and asked if I wanted to participate in any of the activities they had. I took some time out of my busy and overwhelming day and painted on  a small canvas. I found that this activity helped me clear my mind and calm me down. After I left, I felt reenergized and ready for my next class.

Once I read the posters that they had, I found that they are accepting of every background and simply want to teach others about their culture. Their mission is to appreciate the coexistence of all different kinds of faiths. I was so happy to see this because there has been so much hate in our world recently that it is refreshing to be around an environment that is so open and accepting of others. Once I started to think about it, I realized that this welcoming approach is the best way to share your ideas with the rest of the world. If a person comes out bashing others, they will never listen to what they have to say. I am very appreciative that Baruch has all of these opportunities to help us expand our horizons and further improve our lives aside from academics.

Please excuse this photo bc I really don’t know how to picture ::)))))

For my blog post, last Monday I decided to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This museum was built back in the late 1800s. As one of the most visited art museums in the world, the Met consists of more than two million works. Art works from all around the world from modern American paintings to ancient Islamic art have all been collected into this one museum in the heart of New York City.

For my visit to the museum I toured around the European section. I’ve always been interested in European history mainly because of my family’s origin from Spain. However I saw myself more interested in the art works and sculptures from England, France and Italy. While touring around the many rooms filled with beautiful paintings, I stumbled across a long hallway filled with dozens of sculptures. I noticed that many of these sculptures were created in many different type of media. Some were made out of ceramics and some were made of metal. Some of beautiful art works that I saw were the famous Bernini’s bacchanal sculpture, and Gandalfi’s painting of the Execution of Saint John the Baptist. I was fascinated by the progression of the arts as I saw the dates on when the sculptures were formed. Not only was the art work inside the museum extremely inspiring, I was also very inspired the museum exquisite architecture.

My visit to Metropolitan Museum of Art’s was extremely intriguing and I would recommend anyone in the area to visit. However, I would advise to take a friend. Originally, I was planning to take music theory next semester (because it is a requirement), but I think this trip to the met has inspired me to learn more about the history of art from all around the world. So I have now decided that next semester I will be taking art history.

This past Monday, I took a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of art. The Met have a different exhibit on every floor of the building, and there was alot to look at and explore. However, there was one exhibit on the 3rd floor that got me very interested and intrigued to look at, The asian art exhibit. Walking into the exhibit for the first time, I learned so much about the past history of some of the art that was present in the museum, and how it impacted in some way in Asia.

The collection of the Asian art that was presented at The Met, which is estimated at 35,000 artifacts, date back to the 3rd millennium B.C. to this present day. This exhibit alone is probably one of the largest displays I have ever seen in a museum. One artifact that caught my attention the most was the Knotted Dragon Pendant. The pendant comes from China and the shape of it has a dragon in the middle with a rope wrapped around it. Just how unique it is and how creative the Chinese artists were back in 3rd century B.C., is truly impressive and remarkable.

Another thing that caught my eye in the exhibit was a Chinese altar set. I first looked at it, and just thought it was just a thing that you can see anywhere, but I couldnt be anymore wrong. The description of the altar set said that this special altar cane from China’s bronze age at it’s highest peak. These two artifacts are two of many that were displayed in the exhibition inside The Met.

Overall, I had a great time exploring the museum, looking at different exhibits, and exploring the Asian art that was on display. I would recommend this museum and this specific exhibition to anybody who is interested in going to the museum in the near future.