I love her

I have always wanted to take a book apart this was...I mean I have dissected and added but not like this.

Red and Beige are my Favorite colors

Enron Response

Again, this documentary has presented the viewer with information that is disturbing though very mandatory. It helped me recognize the way that business men play with the stock market. I think that the most apt statement throughout the documentary is that this is a tragic story, not about numbers, but about people. The reporting that goes into making sense of this mess of numbers and people is extraordinary. This documentary helped capture the people behind the numbers, and as such the man behind the curtain. The deception is immense and as such the reporting needs to be sharp.

REaction to Taxi video

This documentary was at once, disturbing, informative, well put together and necessary. I watched the entire thing in one sitting with my headphones plugged in. I only came up for air once. Watching it was horrifying. Though I hated what I was seeing and what was slowly being unraveled in front of my eyes, I found it necessary and mandatory that this awareness and horror be presented to the greater public. I sat through the entire documentary with the hair on my arms standing straight up. In short, my reaction was disgust but in a way that information and action can help. My most poignant thought that I came away with concerns the levels of power and the trickle down to the actual source as apposed to the people receiving the message. The men in suits, the clean cut, well dressed men who run this country are the ones ok-ing the atrocities that happen in grimy, dusty, metal cages.

Weird Music

Remember the Green Day album American Idiot? The one that came out way back in 2004 that sent teen punks into waves of headbanging frenzy? Well, it's back. But, in the form of a Broadway musical. I haven't quite formed my opinion as to whether I find this to be a really cool adaptation of music that helped form a generation...or an odd abomination of faux punk music put on by faux punk actors. Generally, I am swaying toward the later opinion. The production almost seems to be a commercial and capitalistic venture, since the album came out back in 2004 and, as far as I know Green Day has been somewhat dormant. It seems to me to be a money maker. I do commend the whole business for being rather innovative, as best described here, the show has its definite upsides and can be quite powerful. I just haven't fully warmed to the idea. Though, I think plenty have. It would be interesting to hear from a true Broadway affection-ado and a true Green Day fan, who feels betrayed and who is exhilarated?

Treat yourself to a Street Fair

This morning, I woke up and casually glanced outside my window like I do every morning. I do this mostly to check the weather or idly watch a stranger walking their dog. But today, as I peaked out the window facing 8th avenue, I found a street fair. I am always pleased when I happen upon a street fair, but never actually think about tracking them with a schedule. But as I meandered through the fair smacking my lips and devouring corn, crepes, and fair lemonade, I decided I might just become a follower. Why not? The food is tasty and the novelty of casually strolling in the middle of the street is almost too good to pass up.
I have become even more appreciative of the fairs after learning that some may be cut as part of Mayor Bloomberg's budget. I've decided to enjoy a street fair here and there while I still can. I just hope they don't cut the extra good street fairs, like The Feast of San Gennaro Festival. Even with the cuts, street fairs are a huge part of city life and they add that little perk to waking up and finding your street has been picked to host. It is almost better not to follow the schedule and leave the whole business up to chance.

Role Play: Museums

This week, The Rubin Museum of Art Teen Program took a trip to a Hindu temple in Flushing, Queens. This temple is situated in a vast American Indian community, and we observed the worshipers feeding, anointing, and speaking with their deities. It was an amazing sight to see the statues we have at the Rubin in their original and everyday context. It is important to let viewers understand the context of the art.

Museums have historically come into play within a community as an informative institution enlightening its audience on their own culture, as well as other outside cultures. This idea of museums has changed a bit, allowing for a more commercial look, but, I think that it is still the museums main role to educate. To educate, the museum must be open to making its art accessible and informative to all.

I once read in an article on colonialism, that colonizers wanted to impose a sense of community among the people to ensure revolts would not happen. One of the ways in which the colonizers imposed a sense of false community, was by creating museums for those who were colonized. This insured the colonizers safety by showing the colonized, in false pretenses how wonderful their own culture was. Though this particular instance shows the museum as a forced institution, this is not always the case. Museums help us understand the context of art in our society in a very real way.

The one thing I have noticed while working at the Rubin Museum of Art is that it is not enough to simply view the art as it stands in the museum. This is especially because of the museums quality of art and its roots in the world. People really want to understand what the deities and tapestries meant to the people who created them and the people who still use them in ceremonies. Some of the historical context can be provided by the wall text, but at some point the simple use of words as an explanation fails us. I think that it is extremely relevant to keep art in museums grounded in some sort of real world context, or the museum will lose its audience.

As for the larger museums of the city and world, it is astonishing, to think about the money and power that are poured into these institutions. It is an amazing thing, but only if the main purpose of the museum as an intuition of education is being honored. If the museums exist only to complete business transactions, something is amiss. I understand the need to generate money, but it would be an amazing thing if museums could do this, while still upholding their main purpose. This was my problem with the Tim Burton exhibit, for example. As I was walking through it, I felt the industry lurking very thinly beneath the surface. I love Tim Burton as a moviemaker; having grown up with many of his animations I cherish his work. However, the exhibit was far too gimmicky and aimed at simply selling tickets.

It is hard to distinguish what constitutes cultural context and how a museum should display this work. Because my two main problems with museums seem to be that some are inaccessible, while others, like the Tim Burton exhibition are aimed at tourist marketability and irk me. However by aiming at this general crowd isn’t that keeping a museums art within the context of society today? I think that there must be some happy medium in between highly sensationalized art, and that of the lofty and inaccessible art, which requires extensive research to comprehend.

Living in Chelsea has its ups and downs. On the upside, the community is rich and wonderful. I have my favorite places and people. On the downside, I'm stuck in the dorms. Though I do reside in the Penthouse, I suffer messy roommates, clogged sinks, and ant infestations.
I try to make use of my neighborhoods amenities, and as such I often find myself strolling through the 25th street Garage Flee Market. The idea of a market, in general, is an old favorite of mine. It appeals to my collector sensibilities, and is much more intimate than a store. When I am home in Buffalo, I often spend Saturday mornings at the farmer's market, collecting fresh fruit for the week. So it only seems natural that I would hit the 25th street antique market, because it combines things that agree with my disposition. The market contains several different stalls, all offering something fun. Some vendors are high end collectors and others offer costume jewelry and knick knacks for a fair price. Many flock to this spot, because it is known as a hot spot for fun and collectible things to look at. If you aren't in the market to buy antique chandeliers, maybe something as simple as a pin for 5 dollars will suffice.
The antique garage is a venue worth trying on a lazy Sunday in Chelsea. The reviews are pretty positive. However, if you are not into antiques, or collecting things, you will probably be turned off. One problem I have when I visit the antique garage seems to stem from fatigue. I am overwhelmed with so many things within the first few minutes, that I experience sensory overload. I would go when you have enough time to browse freely.

Madison Square Park Jumpers

I am extremely affected by the weather. This weekend, it cooled off, leaving me to squeeze my sun burnt legs back into tights. My sister decided she should visit me this weekend. Being at a loss for what to do with her in the wake of the cold weather, I let her lead me around on a seven hour shopping adventure.
We did pause in a sunny spot in Madison Square Park. In the shadow of shake shak and the massive line it accumulates, we ate our street vendor hot dogs and looked at the neighboring buildings on the skyline. I pointed to a few statues I saw standing atop buildings surrounding the area. I had heard about the show, but was unclear how to feel when perceiving it. The show is called "Event Horizon" and features statues of the artist himself, Antony Gormley perched around the flatiron district. The show has been a little controversial, only because people may perceive the statues as potential jumpers, ready to fall to their deaths. The statues, when I first viewed them are slightly eerie, if not for their jumper quality, for their looming presence on the skyline, as if the statues are watching the city. However, Gormley says the event is meant to be a celebration. It did seem to have this effect. As I was looking at the statues, I saw several other people stop and point up, realizing their environment, as Gormley stated "and quite quickly they would register their environment in a way they hadn’t before".

This weekend, as the weather has warmed up, leaving me very pleasantly surprised, I have turned to a different kind of collecting. This weekend, my bottle and rust collections were cast aside, museums were not considered, as I turned all my attention to the outdoors.
I have become preoccupied with collecting parks. I cannot possess them, but I can certainly spend all my time in them. With the onset of 70 degree weather, I headed to my original favorite, my default: Washington Square Park. Each city park has its individual charm and charisma. Washington Square Park was the park I fell in love with first. I was living on 13th street last year, and would often walk to Washington Sq while it was being renovated. Even though the fountain was closed off, I was able to enjoy the benches and boccie court. This fall, the fountain was opened, and I was able to enjoy the park to its fullest. For me, Washington Square Park is a wonderful place to listen to music, while not being completely removed from the city. I love the architecture surrounding the park, and I tend to film the musical acts I see there, keeping a digital collection of ragtime to doo-wop. Washington Square Park has a dark history, it has been the burial grounds of yellow fever victims, as well as hanged criminals. But to me, the park is located in a wonderful neighborhood and brings together a nice eclectic mix of people. I don't even mind the looming NYU territory I am encroaching on. I love watching the college students mix with the old timers in the park, some enjoying jazz, while others enjoy acoustic guitar.
Already having visited Washington Sq, I headed to Madison Square Park, which boasts Shake Shack and is located in the chic and fun Flatiron district. This year, because I am living in Chelsea, I take my friends up to 5th and 23rd, and show them the clearing in between the buildings. When I showed my boyfriend the spot, he thought I was lying until he saw the top of the first tree. The squirrels in Madison Square Park are the highlight of these adventures. We have decided that because of the nature of their foody surroundings, the squirrels are extra friendly. All you have to do is give a quick click-click with your tongue, and the squirrels will climb in your purse and shoes. Being satisfied with my hot dog and squirrel conversation, I moved on down the street to the highline.
The highline is my newest discovery, having just opened it's the most fun to explore. The highline, an elevated train track turned park builds a community above ground level. The area is interesting and fun, as it runs through buildings, gives a beautiful view of the water, and the statue of liberty. The highline is a beautiful mix of architecture and park-like benches and greenery. There is a certain lack of vegetation, as everything is still being cultivated, but the area is a great spot to bring friends who are visiting. The highline is only a few blocks from the Chelsea Market, which is also a wonderful place to enjoy the atmosphere of Chelsea and its historic architecture and charm.
This weekend is only the start of the warm weather, and as I place my material collections on the back burner, there is no limit to my exploration. These are only a few of the city parks I appreciate, but I am sure I will find more.

Marina Abromovic at MOMA-attention whore?

Marina Abromovic is a performance artist. This month at the MOMA, her retrospective show, Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present, opened. it runs through May 31st 2010. Abromovic is no stranger to controversy. It can be said that she thrives on the inflammatory and experimental performance that she creates.
In this retrospective, several performance pieces by Abramović will be re-performed as well as one new piece. The new piece is a 700 hour performance by Abramović, in which she sits in a chair with cushions. Across from her is a table and another chair, this one without cushions. The artist does not talk. Museum goers are invited to sit down across from Abramović. Essentially, museum goers are privileged enough to engage in a staring contest with Abramović. Though no one talks, it seems there may be some form of communication, as if Marina was a painting herself. You can watch a live feed from the MOMA here.
It is unclear what viewers are inclined to feel. However, it is almost without a doubt that Abramović evokes visceral reactions from her viewers. This article explores some of those feelings. To me, Abramović's willingness to sit in the gallery is making a commentary on the way a viewer communicates with a piece of art. We see the art, but we never see the artist. I think that she is breaking down the barrier between art and the artist in allowing us to see her. However, because Marina does not talk, it takes away from this theory. I would hope Marina Abramović is speaking to this relationship, but I do not know if this is the correct interpretation. This review questions the re-performance of performance art. Which, I think is a legitimate question, because performance art at its core is ephemeral, so does it make sense to re-perform?

LEGO as Art Form

Post for Monday 3/28/10

This weekend, as the weather took a dramatic turn for the worse, it seems fitting to turn to brightly colored plastic art to feel better. In a city with so many galleries and museums, it is sometimes hard to visit the fun ones. I have been to the Museum of Sex, and many Chelsea galleries. However, sometimes a directive in the way of choosing a gallery is nice.

Take a cue from Time Out New York, and their weekend guide, visit the Agora Gallery. The gallery is located five blocks away from my dorm and I intend to visit as soon as I have the time to trip outside into the cold. Right now, the gallery is featuring LEGO art. The show will run from March 23-April 13 2010. The use of LEGO pieces in this context is decidedly more grown up than the things I used to construct.

Artist Nathan Sawaya's show just opened and it is surprisingly refreshing. Although a bit fantastical, I think the LEGO art is a fun escape, especially from the rain. My boyfriend, a LEGO snob, did not care for the art. I think it is quite fun. As Sawaya himself said, “I am seeing children and families who have never stepped into an art gallery in their lives being drawn in because of my work.” The artists work has caught the attention of CNN back in 2007 when he first became known. In this article he gives a voice to his skill. The show, which runs through April 13th is worth a visit.

Eye Spy

My mother is moving. Which means, she is leaving the house that we have lived in for 20 years. This leaves my sister and me to do the dirty work of purging 20 years of collective pack-ratism from our new lives.

My father and mother moved into our house in the suburbs of Buffalo in 1989, shortly before having me. My father sold his boat, and my mother planted flowers in our new yard. The house was shortly filled with plastic and Barbie Jeeps and all sorts of baby oddities. Then came my real collector years, in which I would raid antique stores for bottles, trinkets, ge-gaws, and anything with a tassel. I also love socks, vintage clothes, and my collection of Vogue magazines dating back to around the year 2000. Combine these obsessions with a 20 year period of living in the same room that was never fully cleaned, and problems are created.

My father moved out back in the 2004 period of time, taking his button downs and some tools with him. My mother moved her clothes into his closet, successfully occupying 3 closets. She describes these closets with purpose, explaining that she has her work clothes, her play clothes, and her gig clothes. My father has since bought a condo in the city center building, and has procured a walk in closet. My sister and I have space, but it doesn't include any plastic from our past. Strictly teenage. The condo is adult. Our house was for kids.

Packing up 20 years of my life in one week was at the least...interesting. At the most cathartic, and at its worst sad. Our knew house is a statuesque Victorian, built in 1868, it boasts 12 foot tall ceilings and a killer history. I divided things up into categories, Art/Writing, Memories, Memorabilia 1 and 2, and Knick Knacks (which included such things as vintage cigar boxes and broke 35mm cameras i can not give away).

The week went slow, with over 100 magazines to sort through, and daunting amounts of papers to place in boxes, I woke up late most mornings. I would get to work on the fun stuff, leaving the more serious piles of garbage to the end. Mostly, I got caught up in trying to savor the last few days alone in my room, instead of making it easy for myself to move into my new room. Toward the end of the week, things got more serious and a bit frantic. I shoved masses of magazines in garbage bags, wanting to get to my personal files.

Last night, my friend Erin came over for our traditional farewell meal of lasagna and chocolate cake. After dinner, she followed me up to my room. She is pragmatic and exacting. We moved the finished boxes to one side and set to work on the childhood years. We sorted the pictures, math tests, and drawers full of rock collections. Then came the things my crafty Nana (grandmother) has made me. Things I cannot throw out because I know someday she will die. She knows I cannot throw these things out, that is why she dispenses them so freely. The cloth covered boxes stay, the wall paper covered coffee can she claim works well as a garbage can, goes. Lastly, we sorted the art supplies. She let me keep pieces of twisted metal and rust for future projects. Also, I saved a while box of vintage glasses from being dumped. Erin doesn't know.

This morning, as I was in the process of being late for my bus, I took post it notes and left my mother post-its of what to do next. On a few piles I wrote "Use your Judgment". I will never see these piles of things again. It's ok.

Jewels: A Spectacular Ballet

Blog post for Monday 3/5/10


Last Saturday, my roommate and I got dressed up and headed to the Lincoln Center. We were going to see the New York City Ballet performance of Jewels. We sat in the fourth ring, as our tickets were only 20$, but even from up high in the fourth ring, the ballet was sensational, leaving us both with chills. The fourth ring allowed us a kind of cozy feeling, as we sat back and watched the curtains open on first the emerald, then the ruby, and lastly the diamond performance.
Jewels, a renowned ballet choreographed by George Balanchine, who was the co-founder of the New York City Ballet. Jewels is a three act, plot less ballet. The main concept of this ballet revolves around three different jewels: Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds. Each act has its own unique feeling and uses different composer's music to portray the different moods. The ballet portrays the three different feelings masterfully.
Each feeling reflects the way in which Balanchine felt about the stones he chose to use. The Diamond act, which is, in my opinion the most beautiful, shines in its clarity and technique. The ballerinas are beautiful and nimble, using their bodies to suit the music and feeling of the act. The emeralds, which start off the Jewels performance, are clean, pure, and innocent. The dance gets the audience ready for the ruby performance. Which is overall the most dramatic and moody feeling piece. The ruby piece, though the diamonds were the most clean and concise, were the best, I think, at portraying the overall feeling and meaning of Balanchine's intent.


Here is a video of San Francisco's Ballet performance of Jewels.

The International Center of Photography: Surrealism at its Best

Blog for Monday 3/5/10



Recently, my roommates and I tripped out of our Chelsea apartment, and down the street to the International Center of Photography. The Center is located on 43rd st. The exhibit we were going to see is called, Twilight Visions: Surrealism, Photography, and Paris. We were rushed for time, but we were still very much interested in seeing the Twilight Visions photography exhibit. The exhibit was quite intriguing, Theresa Lichtensten guest curated the event and drew from several different surrealist photographers of the 20's and 30's. The exhibition focuses on photography in Paris, at the time of Twilight. As the wall text states, twilight visions focuses on the dreamlike quality twilight brings to the photographs. The photographs highlight the new avant garde style that was emerging at that time. The relevance of the exhibition to Paris and the 20's and 30's speaks for itself as you walk through the several photographs, films, and books. The overall feeling of the exhibit is characterized by a feeling of newness and magic. The historical context of this exhibit places us in the aftermath of World War I. The multiple angles used and the different techniques used to capture images echoes the movements in Paris after the war. I thought the exhibition was successful in its examination of a specific time period and genre. The exhibition will be up through May 9, 2010. Though this exhibition will not offer any new or modern forms of art, its look back into history, with a fresh focus on Twilight Vision does the photographs of Paris and its subject matter justice. As you look at the photographs through the lens of Twilight Surrealism, and the War, you can feel the magic that these still frames embody.

Collections #2

I have become increasingly interested in the idea of Art Therapy. I am taking an Art Therapy class this semester and it seems to be crossing over into all aspects of my life.
This week in class, among the slush and snow that has been taking over much of the city streets, we sat in our seventh floor classroom and composed drawings. The drawings were to be a response to how we felt after we had discussed our moods with the group in class. After reflecting with my group, and declaring that I had had a wonderful day, I tried to make a response mirroring my feelings. I chose the colors grey, black, and red to work with. Then because I felt as if these colors were a little too cynical, I chose a teal. The teal, in all its swimming pool vivaciousness ended up being the most off putting part of my entire response piece.
I am most comfortable with the colors grey and black. It is becoming clear that Art Therapy is much less about others analysis of your art, and much more about how you feel before, while, and after you are creating it. It becomes about your point of view.
This feeling of exploration within art is not an unfamiliar one, but seemed to reach a high point as I walked through the Tino Sehgal piece at The Guggenheim, last week. The exhibition took on a life of its own, as it guided you through an individual journey. The exhibition consisted of people or as they were referred to "tanslators" of Toni Seghal's vision. There was no artwork placed on the walls of the Guggenheim and these translators were the living, and breathing exhibition. As we entered the first spiral, we were approached by a child, who we soon realized was part of the art piece, and as they guided us up the museum, they began to ask question about progress. As soon as they felt we had answered their questions sufficiently, the next translator would swiftly intercept us, asking us more questions and provoking us further. It became clear that as we made our own progress up the spirals, the translators became older, and thus the theme of life cycle was realized.
We became the exhibition itself, and in a fleeting moment we recreated what the exhibitions expectations and boundaries had been before we arrived. The exhibition loosely reflects the idea of the life cycle, but just like my grey and black charcoal drawing suited me better, the idea of life is only a suggestion as you walk up Frank Lloyd Wrights architectural spirals.
This idea of perception and therapy is reflected in much of society. Yesterday, my roommate's mirror, which was hung haphazardly on the wall fell. The news struck me and I immediately wondered who would be punished with the seven years bad luck. However, Monica, my roommate cleaned up the broken glass and kept the particularly fractured pieces for an art project. The pieces of broken mirror presented her with a fresh idea, like Sehgal's exhibition presents us with a new interpretation every time we walk through it, in essence, creating it anew. The same happens in my Art Therapy class, as we discuss different methods of therapy. Our perceptions of creation change. As we draw, we are no longer pressed to draw literal representations of figures, rather, shapes take their place. Creation is allowed to become more simplistic because we are no longer worried about form and content. We are slowly breaking down the barriers of what we knew, and replacing them with what we have learned. Our modes of expression are different. In this way, collections are also pieced together as barriers are broken down, creating more room to play with concept and creation within a collection.

Elevator Debacle Brings Community Together

New York- Ultimately fostering a sense of community among those students affected, an elevator in the 20th street dorms with a history of problems recently caused several students to be trapped inside.
Many are protective of the community being fostered at 20th street, so much so that when asked to comment on the elevator problem, Ashley, a resident adviser in the building declined to comment because the problem to her is minute and inconsequential among the many positive activities being encouraged among the students. However, according to the students, it seems that the elevator, with its quirks and troubles may have united the community over minor inconveniences.
Talking with Hayley Theisen, an office assistant at the residence hall, as well as one of the students stuck in the elevator, it became clear that bitterness about being jammed for an hour in a metal box is about the farthest emotion she feels. Theisen explained that several staff and students stood on the other side of the elevator to keep her company for nearly an hour while the problem was being fixed. She said, “It was sweet in an unfortunate kind of way."
When asked if she was traumatized by the event, Theisen was honest in saying that, “I did not take the elevator for about 4 weeks, but I don’t have nightmares!” Theisen’s only musing about better procedure materialized when asked if she was debriefed after the event, “I was told nothing,” she said, “I know the maintenance crew and I knew they wouldn’t let me die, but it may have been different if I didn’t work here.” Theisen noted that, the building does a good job of keeping the students informed and aware of fire precautions and risks, but the elevator seems to be an issue much more shrouded in mystery.
The maintenance crew, though generally forthcoming, is not allowed to speak about the technical issues in the elevator. Upon calling the company ThyssenKrupp, The elevator troubles began to become a bit clearer while talking with a supervisor of the Manhattan branch, Dan, who withheld his last name, he read through the call sheet information saying, "I can’t tell you a lot, but from what I have here, it looks like all the incidents are happening at night, which means something.”
Dan suggested, that this problem could either be triggered by a change in power in the building or, a more likely theory that the doors are being held open too often, causing the sensor mechanism to weaken. Dan’s final prognosis of the elevator debacle came down to mechanics, “It’s a machine, sometimes one piece is disrupted and it takes a while to figure out what is wrong”.
Michael Corbett, the 20th street Residence Hall Director commented, “The complaints have been minimal, thankfully”. He is secure in his opinion that the staff and security of 20th street is made up of responsible people, and whenever there is a problem, everybody reacts promptly and correctly. Corbett says, “The elevator is not without problems, but when there is an issue everyone is aware and alert”. When questioned about the fact that there is a Facebook group from 2006, titled F**k The 20th Street Elevator, he acknowledges its presence on the web, and says, “at least there are only seven members, and no one has joined since 2007!”
Sarah Westervelt, a member of the 2006 group says, “I think its just a bad elevator. I don’t think anyone tampered with it on purpose. People did get trapped in there. It used to have problems all the time, I can't believe the elevator at 20th street is still acting up.”
The situation can be realized through the support from residents. The students of 20th street are overwhelmingly supportive as of late and understand the issues with the elevator to be only a minor obstacle in their day-to-day lives. Freshman Aaron Sprat says that he, “Hardly ever takes the elevator, and I know the people who do, it doesn't hurt to get in some exercise.” And Amanda Clark, a sophomore at Lang says, “It's inconvenient, certainly, but they're always fixed pretty promptly. I feel like an elevator breaking down isn’t terribly uncommon. I would think that maybe the checkups on the elevator should be more routine, considering they've stalled several times already this semester."

The Museum: Affecting and Being Affected by Society flubs

Living in New York, I have become increasingly aware of the issues of gentrification, the stance people take on gentrification, and my own participation in this phenomenon, one museum takes note and reacts with a witty exhibition.
The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts has taken notice of the gentrification, and aims to make a commentary on its absurdities through an exhibition showcasing gentrification's affects. Often, the communities at large are quite vocal about their views of the mess gentrification has caused and are speaking out to that end. I find it refreshing that a museum has chosen to make its voice heard among the crowds of debates and lectures. Surely the more awareness people can circulate about the causes and affects of gentrification, the easier we can fix the problems.

When a Collection is Musuemized

Anyone can collect, but there is a clear line that is crossed once a collection reaches grand proportions, the decision is made to display, thus a museum is born.
With the right amount of funding, and an idea to sell and attract the masses, a museum can be started out of anything. The Mutter Museum is dedicated to medical anomalies. This museum is melded with science to better educate doctors, but once its collection grew, the museum was founded. Another example, is the Museum of Sex, is positioning its prominence on the scale of museums, as it takes a collection or theme, and markets it to the public. Some Museums are dedicated to the history and preservation of a specific and select group of artists, while others are born out of the collectors fascination with only one subject matter.
I was reading recently and came across a rather unusual Banana Club Museum, which goes to show that if there is enough being collected, someone will try to market it, sensationalizing it. But, as the article reads, not everyone is going to be willing to back outrageous collections. The difference between the Museum of Sex and The Banana Club Museum is marketing and accessibility. The Banana Club Museum will not encounter as many curious viewers. Also, from a curation standpoint, the collection is stagnant, there is only so much one can do with a Banana Collection.

Collectors and Their Collections

I recently spent some time walking through a flea market in Chelsea. My urge is to pick up every old picture, every lost relic of the year before and make it my own. This led me to think about the collector's need to collect and display or organize things according to their own satisfaction.
The compulsion to collect crosses over into many aspects of society. The best example I could think of was the museum and the way an audience views what a collector thinks is important. Also, a key part of museums and their collections is what they choose not to display and what they choose to downplay. The concept that most interests me when thinking and engaging in discussions of the museum as alive or dead, as a hallowed place we go to visit stagnant art, or an invigorating environment is the collection and the collected. The collectors of things, art or relics and why these things are so important. Why is one painting valued over another? Is it price or age, and if this is real art, does it matter? The questions posed create a conflict between the institution and the art itself that is being displayed.
With the opening of the Highline, that runs along 10th avenue, the shell of an industrial institution, turned art piece and a reflection of its past has become a part of Chelsea. The Highline is just one example throughout this city of the ways people collect, display, and re-use.
My impulse is to pick up every rusty screw no longer serving its purpose in a door jam. Every wheel bearing no longer aiding the rotation and weight of an Escalade parked nearby aids my collection. My urge to collect is born of a need to salvage and display. This is my collection. My collection is a collection of things, of the industrial that is no longer in business. But is that what a museums collection is? Is a museums collection based on the art that has become of no use to anyone, so it is displayed very carefully as to preserve its dignity? I often think that my desire to collect the unused stems from my origins in Buffalo, New York, a once booming steel town, Buffalo’s steel and grain mills stand empty, but imposingly on our waterfront. My earliest memories of driving by them recall a sense that they were and still are very great, but that they are done being used for their original purpose. I was asking the same of museums. It seems as if they may be a shell of their original form and purpose, rejecting their old visions and ideology, as institutions providing accessibility and knowledge to the public by earnest needs. Instead, they turn to sensationalism and business.
In my mind, the purpose of a museum is to make the viewers feel something through art. If they cannot feel anything, the institution of the museum is no longer affective. When I walk into a museum, I feel its history. What does the collection mean to those viewers who are experiencing the museum without knowledge of its history. When I work at the Rubin Museum of Art, it is mesmerizing to me the ease with which people are attracted to these religious and historical relics of the Himalayas. I have always been drawn to them because I knew there was a story behind each symbol, position and framing of the art. The wall text does not do the art justice in the least, and the only way the general viewer is able to access this information is through a tour or if you have outside knowledge. the public’s access to museums, the openness of the collection is sometimes blocked by the exclusiveness. The insider mentality that sometimes comes across when one steps across the museum threshold is a barrier that needs to be broken down. We are beginning to see this exclusive nature demolished, however, too often no experience can be had because nothing is provided to the viewer.
Is the collection of the museum and its institutions and politics something that is realized over time? So it is not immediately available? I think that museums should be a conveyance for people to have experiences with art. The exclusion of pieces or people within a collection is to the detriment of the viewer, and ultimately the museum as alive. Because if there is no experience with a living thing, no tangible relationship, the living thing will die.