Freshman Seminar Fall 17 FRB

Located on Fifth Avenue, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has always been one of my favorite and most frequently visited art museums. Ever since I was a child, art has been my outlet and my escape. Museums always gave me inspiration and also tested my amazing ability to get lost. Although the Met is a familiar place, I learn something new each time I went, and always leave with a calm and content feeling.

Usually, I’m a visitor of the Greek sculptures and the abstract art, but this time on September 25th, I observed the European art from 1250-1800. Since I never really looked too much into art from this time period, I didn’t have many expectations other than paintings of Jesus Christ and maybe some landscape art. After getting lost trying to find the correct gallery, I turned out to be correct about paintings of Jesus Christ and landscape art. However, because I had seen some of these paintings in my Art History class, I wasn’t completely lost.

Because many of the paintings were related to each other in terms of theme and structure, my experience was enhanced by my previous knowledge. Even though most of the paintings were of Christ, they each were different, representing him anywhere from childhood to adulthood, and portrayed him in different ways. Some paintings depicted him in a stiff way, with a hard to read facial expression, whereas a few others showed him in the arms of Virgin Mary as a baby, playing and having fun on her lap. The artists also used elements of light, shadow, contrast, and pyramidal structure to illustrate how they viewed holy figures and were also influenced by the historical events in that time period as well as the popular style.

By stepping out of my usual routine and my comfort zone, I gained a new experience while learning to appreciate different kinds of art, not just the ones I’m used to and already admire.

On September 20th, 2017, I observed a triptych in the Metropolitan Museum of Art for an analysis essay assigned by my art history professor. As a famous tourist site, there are a lot of visitors in the museum. However, the museum is commodious enough to hold the large number of visitors exploring art works there. The museum is divided into different zones according to different art origins and time periods. Art pieces are placed in a reasonable order so that they are not too close to each other that they influence the effect of viewing. Next to each art piece is the museum label giving information about the work. From my observation, the museum labels only give a brief introduction of the art works and leave space for the viewers’ own interpretation. Since art works of the same period and origins are sorted into one zone, it is easy to become dazed by the large number of art pieces. Of all the paintings hung on the wall, I encountered one exquisite triptych protected inside a glass box, standing out from all the others. It is small but as I took a closer look, I was surprised by the tedious details included inside (Quoted from my Museum Response Paper). I spent quite a bit time there observing the work and decided to write about how it awed me. After my observation, I took a walk around the museum to view different art works. It was astounding how by switching between different parts of the museum could lead to completely different auras and cultures. The experience felt like a journey to the world and a travel in time. It broadened my horizon and taught me not to limit myself to only one possibility as in one single museum exist civilizations from around the world and even from decades ago. Overall, my experience in the Metropolitan Museum of Art is enriching and memorable.

On September 26, I attended a Evidence, Analysis, and Claims Workshop. I expected many people to attend but instead there were only seven individuals. I also had expected that the people who would be attending, would be freshman so I was surprised when some of the students said that they were already graduates.

When I arrived, I thought the workshop was going to be a strict lesson that wouldn’t leave much room for discussions.  When the professor entered my idea changed when she acted so care-free. She made us introduce ourselves and talked in a casual tone.  She wanted to learn more about us and what we were hoping to learn in this workshop.

The professor begins with the basics starting with definitions of the words evidence, analysis, and claims. While these are words we were really familiar with, she uses these definitions to relate and connect them to each other. It gave us a better idea of how these three words can be seen in a text.

When practicing to recognize the use of the three words in a text, it became obvious that identifying the claim was not so simple. It was very easy to mix up when the text was using analysis versus a claim.

The lesson focused on being given evidence and coming up with our own analysis and claims. One of the examples is a pie chart on Stop and Frisk data. Given this information we came up with analysis like “Stop and Frisk does not correlate with arrests.” We were able to come up with a claim based on that which is “Stop and Frisk is an ineffective policy.”

Although the words evidence, analysis, and claim seem to be simple, this workshop made me realize how essential they are when reading and writing. Being able to recognize the use of these words in a text can really help the reader understand what the author is trying to say.

 

I’m usually not the type to visit museums, but one day, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and visit one of the most prestigious museums in New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but also because it was something I was required to do to complete my assignment for my Art History class.

As I was approaching the museum, I was immediately greeted with the loud atmosphere of people. There were so many tourists and New Yorkers visiting the museum to enjoy the different works displayed. Since the admission was at a flexible rate, this gave the opportunity of everyone to visit.

The museum was divided into many sections based on the time period, the types of different art, whether it is a sculpture or painting, the country of origin, and topic of the art work. I was intrigued by the sculptures displayed in Greek and Roman art sections and the variety of topics being painted in the European Paintings (1250-1800). There were many sections in the European Paintings regarding Christianity. The paintings were based around Christ and Virgin Mary. Although the paintings represented similar ideas, they all had their own charms.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and it is a place where I would not mind visiting again to appreciate the history displayed in art form whether it was a sculpture or painting. Many people take the pleasure of learning about the past through works of art.

Last Tuesday, September 26, I attended one of the panels for the International Conference of Undergraduate Research at Baruch College with my friend, Amy. The International Conference of Undergraduate Research, short for ICUR, is an event held annually providing the opportunity for students in different universities around the world to share their research paper with a central theme. I heard about this event through my history professor who offered extra credit for those who went and wrote a response paper on it. Initially, I went for the extra credit, but also because I wanted to get some insight as to how other undergraduates conducted their research projects.

My expectations for the conference was completely different from the reality in regards to the physical environment. I had in mind this picture of a huge conference room with hundreds of people that I would have to arrive early to assure there would be space. As I entered the room, I was surprised to see that the entire room would be videoed. In total, there were about 13 students and 10 faculty members. After going through countless technological difficulties which prevented us from connecting with the students from the UK, the panel started.

The theme of the session was spaces, communities and culture. One of the speaker’s research topic was on the “Analysis of Volatility in US Equity Markets in years 2007-2014 in the framework of FOMC.” To briefly summarize it, the purpose of the paper was to focus on the effects of the stock market and the public’s responses since the Great Financial Crisis that occurred in 2007-2008. The FOMC also known as the Federal Open Market Committee controlled the interest rates and held meetings that released minutes [the details of the discussions] and statements to the people and the press. Did the release of these documents directly affect the volatility?

Helen’s research was conducted by gathering data using different tools and techniques. By analyzing the changes among statements, minutes, control days, and meeting days, she was able to discover things she didn’t expect. Her advisor assisted her in the process, and the most difficult aspect of the research to Helen was actually organizing and developing the quantitive data into visual charts and diagrams.

Because of this workshop, I got to learn about the procedures of how research was conducted, available resources, and even possible future research topics to consider.

I attended the ‘Underrepresented Majors’ meeting yesterday [October 3rd.] The event was targeted mainly to those whose majors do not get addressed frequently enough and are underrepresented in the Baruch community. My intended major is Political Science and yes, I am very aware that I chose to attend a school who is recognized for its business-related programs and majors but Baruch is among the best, if not the best, CUNY which is why I chose Baruch. Although I decided to go to a school who’s best known for business I still believe that my intended major, Political Science, and all other ‘underrepresented’ majors should be discussed and have access to the same amount of privileges, luxuries, resources, etc. that business majors are given. Not many people showed up to the meeting (how ironic!!!) but a small open-discussion was carried between those who did attend. We discussed how it is we could gain greater attention and how to professionally present ourselves. I feel that because of the lack of people who attended the meeting, it wasn’t as effective. This is only my first semester at Baruch so there wasn’t much I could contribute to the conversation since I’m not taking an major-related classes. I cant really say if I believe the Political Science major and other Weissman majors are ‘neglected.’ I do, however, look forward to more meetings in the future to discuss how we, as ‘underrepresented’ majors could improve our academic experiences at Baruch because that is ultimately here for, to gain a degree in a specific major. In order to improve my academic experience at Baruch, I have the obligation to actively advocate for my major to gain visibility and improve the experience because underrepresented or not there is always room for improvement and academic development.

On September 15, I went to the The Metropolitan Museum of Art because of my Art history assignment.  This was a great experience and I wished that I would  go to the museum again. The met museum is one of the world’s largest and finest art museums.  It attracts so many people come to visit. They might have different races, different faith and different purposes，but they are all attracted by the reputation of the Metropolitan museum. I believe everyone who comes to New York would also like to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Moreover, the admission is flexible. I can pay whatever I want to pay. This is another reason why I am interested in The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The architecture  is so fancy and  many delicate sculpture heads are decorated above the gate. The appearance of this museum also attracts me. I think the exterior of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is like an old-styled palace.

There are so many different sections and exhibition inside the museum. I stayed in the museum for the whole afternoon. We saw many different artworks such as Greek and roman Art, Modern and contemporary art and European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. There are a great number of distinctive styles of artwork like baroque，Gothic and so on. The wall colors ,lighting and arrangements work together to make those art pieces  being exhibited in the best way. Every single detail has its reason. Proper lightning can let the painting showing its original color in a better way. In addition, suitable wall color can make the art piece blend into the environment so that we can have a sight. These paintings and sculptures are so lifelike and fascinating

By this experience, I know more about art history.  Visiting museum is such a funny way to learn.

“Why are there so many Starbucks stores?” I thought on my way to MOMA, Museum of Modern Art. I decided to go to this museum because I personally enjoy going to various exhibitions and of course, I had to blog.

When I first walked in and received my free ticket, I felt great. This meant I could go to many museums for free! Anyway, I decided to go to 5th floor and make my way down. As soon as I arrived to 5th floor, I found many people gathering to see this one painting, The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. I joined the crowd and took a picture of this famous painting.

I saw many familiar paintings that I have seen from textbooks, articles, Instagram, and etc. on 5th floor. Pablo Picasso’s paintings were very abstract, and Claude Monet’s paintings of water lilies and flowers seemed very realistic.

One thing I really liked about MOMA was that there were combinations of contemporary art, painting and sculpture, architecture, and designs. People who do not enjoy paintings could go straight to the contemporary art section. Also the building itself was not too big compared to the MET, Metropolitan Museum of Art, so it was much easier to explore and encounter various types of art. I noticed there was a cafe on 5th floor, which created friendly and more relaxed atmosphere.

I would like to visit more museums that I could get free admission with my Baruch student ID such as Brooklyn Museum, Museum of the Moving Image, Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, American Museum of Natural History, and Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay & Lesbian Art. I realized how privileged I was to attend college in New York City so I could cherish this opportunity to learn more about art and different culture.

That’s me ↑

A few weeks ago, my friends and I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art because of the assignment from Art History class. I was very excited because the museum is the biggest and most famous art museum in the US. As we got there, I noticed that the museum was quite big. The building took a lot of space. The stairs in front of the museum are very wide and high. Many visitors who just finished their visits of the museum were sitting on the stairs.

Inside the museum, there were many people visiting the arts. Everyone there was quiet and orderly. The artworks were displayed in different galleries. They were sorted by different nationalities, different time periods, different artists, and different styles. The themes and the main ideas of the artworks could be found easily because each artwork had a label which described its background and some details about the artwork. The museum also used different arrangements in different galleries to show the artworks better.

My task was to visit the European paintings from 1250-1800, but I not only visited the European arts but also visited other countries’ arts like Chinese arts, Japanese arts, and Egyptian arts. I saw a lot of arts such as porcelain, bronze tripod, kimono, tatami, and mummy from different galleries. I also visited the rooms of European nobilities in Middle Ages. The rooms are arranged just like the time period of the Middle Ages. The lights were dim and soft. They use the lights which looked like candles instead of bulbs.

This trip to the Met is unforgettable. I not only saw a lot of wonderful arts in the museum, but also learned some history behind the arts. This visit brought me both joy and knowledge.