Month: September 2017

For my academic blog, I went to the Museum of Modern Art also known as MoMA at Manhattan on Friday, September 8. I have been to other museums but this was my first time at MoMA. The first thing that caught my eyes was the helicopter that was hanging in the midair. In addition, I saw many artworks and galleries collection from some of the most famous artists. One of MoMA’s collection was Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. A lot of people was surrounding that most recognized artwork. The first time I was introduced to van Gogh’s The Starry Night was when I was in middle school in Pennsylvania from my art teacher. She talked about the story behind it and we also learned how to draw that piece of art using oil pastels and other art supplies. That was when I learned that this painting was not van Gogh’s original Starry Night, his original piece is called The Starry Night Over the Rhone. There were also a Pablo Picasso’s collections such as Guitar that was made from cardboard and Three Musicians. One thing that astonished me was The Mud Muse by Robert Rauschenberg. It was mud that was control by the sound which makes the mud bubble and jump. It was very impressive. In addition, I saw a sculpture of a 36-foot-tall rose in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. Overall, I had a great time at MoMA with my friend.  I would recommend those who never went there to take a tour around and explore.

For my Academic Blog, I chose to attend UCLA (United Chinese Language Association) GIM’s which was interesting and funny. By just reading the name of this group some of you might think that you have to either know Chinese language or be a descendant of this ethnicity to become a member. But as the saying suggests “Don’t judge a book by its cover” I would like to tell you few things about this club that everyone should know. Well, it’s not only about communicating with folks who speak the same language but more about learning their traditions and culture that the club strives to promote to students on campus. Besides, you don’t need to be from China or be Chinese to join which might be a typical stereotype but being curious about learning their heritage and participation is enough to be a member. Personally, during Convocation Day the only club I was interested in joining was archery but ended up joining UCLA that I do not regret. At the club, I became friends some members and VP’s with the same interests and hobbies. At last, I’m not going to describe the GIM’s itself because some other members might have had did it already so instead I will tell few things about the picture below. I took it last Thursday in a club room where for a couple of hours after the event some of the members were talking, playing on a musical instrument and even singing. And to be honest were stunning and at the same time entertaining. It’s not the best picture that portrays all of the people who were there during that day. In fact, I recorded a couple of videos but aren’t going to post it without the permission of its participants. 

For my Academic Blog I decided to go to the Museum of Modern Art short-term (MOMA). I’m really not into museum and places that has information about the past.The past is very boring for me because i am the type of person to keep moving forward and see what the future holds.Most of the museums in New York City are free for the young ones like me who are under 18 and should most definitely take advance of it because once you have to start paying you will regret the opportunities of going for free. Overtime i go to a museum i often try to find a seat however,this museum had me on my feet for most of the time i was there. Mostly because it was art, art that has a lot of meaning behind them. Art interest me and it always catches my attention. I went with couple of my friends so we had a lot of say about each art either negative  or positive. The day i went they were offering everyone a tour of the place and explaining each art. I wasn’t interested because i knew it was gonna take a very long time and it was a lot of people and i don’t wanna be stuck in one place for too long. One of the art that was very interesting for me was “Starry night”by Vincent van Gogh that was placed in MOMA in 1989. This art was talked a lot during my High School years and i wanted to know slight more about it. I went to several museum and this had to be my most favorite so far because you can see how much meaning a picture could hold. I suggest everyone who hasn’t gone there to give it a try.  Here is a picture of me and my friend.

A long long time ago, there was a movie called the Night at the Museum. I saw it when I am still in primary school. It is fun movie and I love it. Later, I found out that prototype of the museum in the movie is the Museum of Natural History, and I decided to visit if I got a chance.

Although I have been in U.S. for almost 4 years, I never visited the Museum of Natural History until today (I know this ridiculous as I live close to New York, but it is true). With a Baruch student ID, the museum is free (suggested donation is $18). I “donated” some as I don’t want to embarrass myself and I began to explore the museum.

I try to find all character that appears in the movie, but only a few of them are exhibited in the museum. However, I had found my favorite character, Dum Dum (I remember it as Dum Dum in the movie). it is actually an Easter Island Head. In the movie, it is full of wisdom and always guide the leading character. In reality, it appeared both majestical and mystical.

Besides things related to the movie, there are still many interesting exhibitions. For example, dinosaur and many ancient creatures fossil are exhibited in the museum. The Big Bang theater will introduce you the creation of the world and our insignificant. There is also a mummy exhibition right now(require another ticket). Anyway, it is definitely a good place to spend time.

I went to the American Folk Art Museum after last Friday’s class, it was located near the Lincoln Center; it is a free museum for everyone, small-size but plentiful. There is a gift shop on the left of the front door of the museum, I didn’t buy anything there but I stayed for a while to see all those creative products like handmade books, jewels, and all kinds of accessories. The old lady who took charge of the gift store was nice and friendly, she says hello to everyone entered the museum, and chatted with some frequent people, it looks like she was totally enjoyed this kind of life- slow but quiet.

And Then I went to the inside of the museum, the exhibits that surprised me the most was the quilts that the soldiers used during the war time, most of the quilts were owned by the British soldier, made in India. The quilts were still in good condition, they were of excellent workmanship and still as colorful as new. The interesting thing I noticed was the quilt can be separated by their owners’ hierarchy. Also, I saw a fancy quilt- it mounted with luxurious precious stones like pearls, rubies, and sapphires, maybe it’s for a higher-ranking military officer. The gallery about quilts taught me pieces of knowledge about history as well because when I saw the introductions of those exhibits, I was able to know which war they had been to with their owners, how did the war started and how they ended. I learned a lot besides the textbook.

Quilts are excellent handicrafts, they not only gave soldiers a comfortable environment to relaxed and kept warm but also an inheritance of the treasure that generated from craftsmen. I really had a perfect time in the museum, if some new handicrafts are exhibited, I will definitely go to the Folk Art Museum again.

For my academic blog, I decided to attend the exhibitions at the American Museum of Natural History. I always appreciated museums because of the vast knowledge and abundance of things I’m able to see and learn about. It was a wonderful experience and I enjoyed everything the museum offered. The moment I walked in through the doors of the museum, I was intrigued by all the different halls and cultures of the world. The different types of halls I went to were the Hall of African Mammals, North American Mammals, Big Bang Theater, Birds, Primates, etc.

My favorite part of the museum was watching the Big Bang presentation at the Hayden Big Bang Theater. We had the chance to look into a concave screen to view a 3D dynamic flight of the virtual universe. It was extremely interesting and I learned about the different galaxies, stars, and planets. I also learned that dark energy is a mysterious force counter to gravity that dominates the modern universe.

Another part of the museum I liked was the fossil hall of dinosaurs and mammals. There, I got to see various types of vertebrate animals that are existing as well as extinct. My favorite exhibit of the dinosaurs was the Tyrannosaurus rex, or the T-rex. I learned that the T-rex had a walking speed of 3-6 miles per hour and that their arms were weak. All advanced tyrannosaurs had only two fingers on each hand, which I found interesting. In addition, I learned that it was possible that these dinosaurs may have hunted in packs based on their track ways and footprints.

Overall, the American Museum of Natural History was really fun and entertaining. I liked all the exhibits and enjoyed learning about the different types of animals and people in our history. I would definitely recommend this museum to anyone if they are fond of history.