NYC Art Trip by Joshua Kelly, 04
It was an early morning since we had to leave at 4am, but it was all worth it once we got into the city. After a short cab ride from the airport, securing our bags at the hotel, and a taste of some real New York style pizza, we embarked on the first of 3 full days of art-seeing. Although seeing the art was a great part of the trip, one of the things that I enjoyed most was just walking around the streets of New York figuring out how to navigate and becoming acquainted with the subway system. This trip really allowed for both academic growth and personal/life growth by allowing us to gain great life experiences inside and outside of the museums and galleries.
Our first stop was at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) where we looked at everything from the great masters of Renaissance painting to contemporary art of the past few decades. Being able to see so many of these works in person rather than projected on a screen from low rez images was breath-taking – the ability to actually see the brushwork on paintings gives a whole new experience to art.
After the MoMA we were able to take a little break back at the hotel before visiting the New Museum. The show on display there was much more contemporary. It was a great experience to be able to see very challenging and controversial work in person. Seeing work that your see every year in Art History in person finally is a great way to improve your technique and appreciation for the masters of old, but seeing work that challenges your thoughts and forces you to not just accept what is in front of you is a really great experience as a student. It causes you to be so much more critically minded about your own work and pushes you to go the extra distance while working on your own personal projects.
We ended the day by exploring New York City a little more and finding some good cuisine. It was a little frustrating to first try and figure out how to sit a group of ten or more people at a crowded restaurant on the streets of New York, but we eventually figured out how to navigate the dining scene; although it is still a bit too pricy for my liking.