Category Archives: Place-based Learning Reflections

Gugghenheim museum

Giacometti art design

According to the museum’s website it is an internationally renowned art museum and one of the most significant architectural icons of the 20th century, the Guggenheim Museum in New York is at once a vital cultural center, an educational institution, and the heart of an international network of museums. Visitors can experience modern and contemporary art, lectures by artists and critics, performances and film screenings, classes for teens and adults, and daily tours of the galleries led by museum educators. A NYC architectural masterpiece, the Guggenheim museum is home to one of the finest modern art collections in the world.

The collection focuses on Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions throughout the year. The museum was established by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in 1939 as the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, under the guidance of its first director, the artist Hilla von Rebay. It adopted its current name after the death of its founder, Solomon R. Guggenheim, in 1952.

I chose this museum because I knew it is one of the most famous in NYC. I love contemporary art and modern art and was really excited to how it looks outside and inside. I knew about the museum from word of mouth, I remember a costumer of mine was telling me how amazing her visit was at the museum and she had such a great time, since then I always wanted to go there. The admission is not free, the cost of the ticket is $25 for adults, $18 for students and seniors with a valid ID and free for children under12. The closest transportation by the museum is train 4, 5, 6 and the bus BxM2. More than one million of people visit Guggenheim every year. The visitors are mostly adults with a little presents of children. My comfort level was good, I felt welcomed and the stuff was nice and friendly and I passed the line very fast.

When I visited the museum there was a special exhibition attributed only to a preeminent artist of the twentieth century, Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966) which investigated the human figure for more than forty years. This comprehensive exhibition, collaboration with the Foundation Giacometti in Paris, examines anew the artist’s practice and his unique aesthetic vocabulary. Featuring important works in bronze and in oil, as well as plaster sculptures and drawings never before seen in this country, the exhibition aims to provide a deeper understanding of this artist, whose intensive focus on the human condition continues to provoke and inspire new generations. I never heard about this artist and I was very impressed by his art. I learned that he mostly seen his project when in sleep to bring it to reality the next day. The website of the museum is user friendly and shows the hours, the process, the directions, history and explains the exhibitions, overall is a great website .I would recommend anyone to visit the Guggenheim museum in NYC, it’s a great experience and a lot of fun.

 

Brooklyn Heights Tour 6/26

Dear Professor Phillip and classmates,

The following link is of our powerpoint pictures of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade tour:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1g5mQyK0Y5-VgHvRwpEA7-_w9esPnPnOKsXKkwHjM9cA/edit?usp=sharing

Group Members: Donna Chow, Johanna Ortiz-Bustos, (Mei)Kounthida Phansourivong, Katherine Batallas, and Alex Bilodid.

Hope you all enjoy.

Thank you.

Downtown Manhattan

On June 26th, for our class tour we went to Downtown Manhattan. We first start the tour by meeting at the “Staten Island Ferry Station” at 11:30 A.M. After everybody arrived, we proceed on with the tour by walking to one of the most famous shire in New York known as “Shire of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton” who is the first born American saint. 

After the professor explain and talk about the shire importance. We then walk to “Fraunces Tavern”, which is approximately 10 minutes away from the shire. Known for its history of hosting secret meetings to plan for the revolutionary war and give aids to American prisoners. Fraunces Tavern is listed on the “Designated Landmark of New York City” in 1976, and “National Register of Historic Place” in 1719. We then take turns to go inside of Fraunces Tavern and take pictures. Before we headed to the next location we walked pass a street called “The Stone Street” which is known for its cobbler stone and also one of the oldest street in New York City.

   

The next location that we are heading to is the “National Museum of American Indian”. As we were walking we saw the “Canyon of Heroes” on Broadway Street which is a historic location for the ticker tape parade.

   

As we were walking to to the New York Stock Exchange and The Federal Hall, we walk past a historical park called “Bowling Green Fence”. We also walked past the “Charging Bull” (symbolizing the stock exchange in the financial district of New York), and the statues of a “Little Girl” (in honor of international women day). Once we arrived at the New York Stock Exchange and The Federal Hall, I notice a beautiful chandelier inside one of the building. I later learned that the chandelier was donated by J.P Morgan.

     

Before we arrived at our final destination of the tour, we visited the “Trinity Church” which were close for renovation but we were still able to enter into the graveyard area where they buried Alexander Hamilton and his wife together, and Robert Fulton (known for his successful development of steamboat, the Fulton Street was also named after him). After the Trinity Church, we walked to the “9/11 Memorial”.

   

Let’s Take A Trip To DUMBO Park

DUMBO Park which stands for down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass has become a very popular spot in Brooklyn throughout the last couple of years. Before it became one of the most visited places in it was once of the busiest commercial and industrial places in the waterfront of Brooklyn. Today it is used to attract outsiders and residents for a place of relaxation, activities, shopping and photo taking.

 

Jane’s Carousel is a classic 3-row machine with 48 exquisitely carved horses and two superb chariots

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the image above we see Jane’s Carousel which was created in 1922 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. This carousel was originally transfer from Ohio to what is now Dumbo Park. It operates everyday except Tuesday and the ticket to ride on the steel horses are just $2.

 

The Park provides beautiful views right over the Brooklyn Bridge and gives the advantage of being able to get on a boat to the other side of Brooklyn. As a tourist you will find many amazing things to do on your tour around Dumbo because it’s such a beautiful and relaxed ambiance.

 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

A few weeks ago, our class met outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art and waited for everybody to arrive. While we were waiting, I took the time to admire the details of the architecture, decorations, and water fountain displays outside the property.

Once we were all inside, we with Roberto, the director of food and beverage operations at the Met.  He explained to us that the 10 different cafes and restaurants were independently owned and lacked structured, but he now oversees them as part of one group, Restaurant Association.  We got to see what was formerly a members-only restaurant, that is now open to the public. Some perks for members now include a 10% discount on the bill and reserved seating overlooking Central Park. From there, Roberto took us to the rooftop, which had a bar with refreshments, some artwork, and amazing views of Central Park and skyscrapers in the distance.  I would have stayed out there all day if I had the time. 

From there, we moved on to a guided tour. We had a very large group, including our class and others, so at times it was hard to hear the tour guide and see the artwork. We saw examples of both Greek and Romanc sculptures, as well as some very interesting sculptures from the Pacific Islands, one was a 14-foot-tall freestanding musical instrument, the largest known in the world. My favorite part was the Thomas Hart Benton exhibition; part of his mural is pictured below. Before our tour wrapped up, I enjoyed seeing works of Van Gogh, also pictured below, as well as artwork from the Baroque period. I found it very interesting that Van Gogh would paint on each side of a canvas, as supply and funds were low.

I would like to go back to the Met to spend more time in other exhibits and on the rooftop, as well as visit the Met Cloisters sometime this summer. 

Museum Visit: The Museum of the City of New York

Within the past year or so, I’ve been wanting to visit the Museum of the City of New York. I have always been fascinated with the history of New York City, and I never knew this museum existed until I saw an advertisement for it online. When I started this class in June, I learned from one of my classmates about Museum Mile, and I decided to visit it that night.

The Museum of the City of New York is open 362 days a year, and closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. Adult admission is $18, students and senior citizens pay $12, and anyone under the age of 19 is free of charge. The museum is normally open from 10am-6pm, but for the Museum Mile event it was free to enter between 6 and 9pm.

I took the train from school and missed my transfer, so I ended up having to walk from one side of Central Park to the other to get to the museum; it was a nice evening so I didn’t mind. The museum is, however, a short walk to the 6 train on Lexington Avenue, and the property even has ramp access, a wheelchair lift, and wheelchairs to borrow free of charge. They also have sign language interpreters for guided tours available upon request.

Because it was a special event, there was a large group waiting outside to get in for the 6 o’clock start. There were people of all ages and backgrounds, but I saw mostly adults, and very few small children. I took my brother, my aunt, and my cousin along with me to visit. I felt that we blended in with the crowd, and the staff was very welcoming to all the guests entering.
With nearly 205,000 objects in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York, it is easy to get lost in the history. The very first exhibit I walked through was called “New York at its Core,” an overview of the history of New York City from the time it was discovered by Henry Hudson in the early 1600s. From there, I read about the Dutch settlements, the shift from New Amsterdam to New York, Revolutionary times, the Civil War, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, and photos by Jacob Riis, all the way to the fiscal crisis, the blackout, the origins of hip hop, and more. One thing I learned at that exhibit, and that really surprised me, was that Alexander Hamilton was born in the Caribbean. After walking around the exhibits on the main floor, it started to get very crowded.

While I spent most of my time on the first floor reading all the history of New York City, I did spend some time at nearly all the other exhibits, including “Through a Different Lens,” Stanley Kubrick’s Photography, “Beyond Suffrage,” an exhibition of women in politcs, and “Activist New York,” which included at least a dozen activist movements in the city and country. At these exhibits I learned that the very first Planned Parenthood was opened in Brownsville Brooklyn in 1916 and that Stanley Kubrick took more than 12,000 photographs in his five years as a staff photographer before directing movies.
Much to my surprise, the museum was opened by a Scottish-born writer, and housed in Gracie Mansion in 1923, and moved to its present location in 1932. This year, it made Forbes’ list of “Hundreds Of Fun Ways To Play In New York City This Summer”. The museum’s website is user-friendly and easy to navigate. I would recommend a visit to anyone interested in learning more about the history of our great city.

Photo-op before the exit

Sources

Manske, L. (2018, July 01). Hundreds Of Fun Ways To Play In New York City This Summer.
Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lauramanske/2018/07/02/hundreds-of-fun-ways-to-play-in-
new-york-city-this-summer/#2f9ee60228b4

Home, Museum of the City of New York. (2018, July 01). Retrieved from http://www.mcny.org/

lower Manhattan toure

   

I really enjoyed my tour of lower Manhattan on Tuesday. It was my first time visiting that area since I moved to New York. It was interesting to see some of the older buildings and how they are being preserved and incorporated into the modern buildings. I also get to see how the Fraunces Tavern is used as part museum and part restaurant. According to Wikipedia. Com, Fraunces Tavern is a landmark museum and restaurant in New York City, the location played a prominent role in history before, during and after the American Revolution, serving as a headquarters for George Washington, a venue for peace negotiations with the British, and housing federal offices in the Early Republic. It was really good to see such beautiful historic building preserved and not demolish and replace with big meaningless monuments. Inside was small but felt cozy and welcoming at the same time.

 

  

Bull on wall street and the little girl

I was also happy to finally get a chance to walk down Wall Street and see the statue of the Bull. I didn’t understand what the term “Bull of Wall Street” meant; this trip gave me a better understanding of the term. I also like the statue of the little girl and the way she stands up to the bull. Although the two statues were designed by two different people and have no relation to each other, it really tells a story and should remain there. The statue of the little girl represents power and straight.

It was my very first time to the 9/11 memorial site which is very sad to say since it was such a dark day for us all in the USA. The site was breathtaking and sad at the same time. Just by standing there looking at all the names of all the people who die that day, I couldn’t help but feel sad.  The design with the waterfalls reminded me of Niagara Fall. The sound from the waterfalls really gives off a relaxing and mournful feeling at the same time. It really felt like all the souls that were lost on that day was resting there.

Overall it was a really great experience for me and I will definitely go back to that area to explore a little more. I didn’t know that the Staten Island ferry was free to travel to see the statue of liberty.  I am thinking about going back to the ferry on my day off and go for a ride to see the statue.

 

 

Brooklyn heights

 

Name: Nickay Green

Method of Transportation

   

Historic landmark  

 

Restaurant  

 

Court – Supreme court of New York 

 

 

 

                                        Dodgers-related site

                               

Monuments or Statue         

 

Old Building 

old building

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work of Art

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Water 

 

 

 

 Religious Institution

   

 

New Building 

 

I really enjoyed my trip to Brooklyn Height. I was nice to see some of the older design buildings and how beautiful the architectural work was on the older buildings. The view from the Promenade was stunning . You can see that the area still have a rich history and also a lot of restaurants.