I was not able to visit the Museum of the City of New York, but luckily the museum also has various digital collections that showcase the highlights of New York. I explored Grand Central Terminal and its history through the Urban Archives. Grand Central Terminal portrays the essence of New York City as it is the central hub that is a part of the lives of tens of thousands of New Yorkers on a daily basis. Grand Central Terminal’s Main Concourse showcases a ceiling mural of the night sky with constellations, passageways, restaurants, and many more aspects that embody the meaning and experience of being in New York. Grand Central…

In reference to Stuart Hall’s essay “The Spectacle of the Other,” Puccini’s intricate opera Madama Butterfly stages the image of the Orient (the East) in binary opposition to the Occident (the West) through the emphasis of cultural stereotypes. These differences in the cultural stereotypes are illustrated in the duet “Love Me, Please” between Pinkerton and Cio-Cio-San. Cio-Cio-San shows the stereotype of a naive, heartfelt Eastern woman who is deeply intrigued by Western culture. Pinterton on the other hand shows Western dominance and even entitlement which again highlights the significant contacts that Hall mentioned and they are evident here in power and norms between the two different cultures of Pinkerton and…

Even at first glance, every object and artwork at the New York Historical Society has significant meaning and a deep history associated with it. Each collection and hallway shows a chapter of a history book in a unique, timeless, and touching way. Dr. Kelly Aliano’s knowledge of each of the stories associated with these artworks was truly impressive as it is often strenuous to properly deliver these historical stories associated with powerful people such as George Washington during the World War and the suffragettes as they fought for women’s rights. Specifically, the stained glass mural showcasing the Suffragettes movement immediately caught my attention for many reasons. This mural is at…

When I was in the fifth grade, I heard about the Hamilton musical for the first time when my teacher played the song “Alexander Hamilton.” Immediately, the song caught my attention much quicker than any of the explanations my teacher gave. I was in awe of how clearly Hamilton’s background story was given in the song and how captivating this was for the audience. Hamilton’s ability to persevere and change the country for the better despite being referred to as a, “bastard,” and being degraded for years of his life is inspiring and even enlightening. Specifically, the lyrics, “There would have been nothin’ left to do for someone less astute,”…

When seeing car-grass-screen-2 and car-body-screen-2 by Tishan Hsu, this artwork immediately caught my attention. I was not dazed because of the beauty of the artwork, instead I felt as though it interrupted the aesthetic of the High Line. After seeing so many flowers and plants, car-grass-screen-2 and car-body-screen-2 brought me back to modern life and the moment where flowers and green scenery are scarce, and it was all replaced by technology. The two figures hold elements of screens and technology that did not exist when Joel Sternfeld took the original photos of the High Line. The material and shape of the artwork seems unrealistic like a foam material whose shape…

The art piece, Hope II by artist Gustav Klimt depicts a pregnant woman, likely in her third trimester of pregnancy, as she bends forward slightly towards her pregnancy belly. Her facial expression shows one of sorrow and concern as though she is in deep thought and preparing herself for a painful or upsetting outcome.A skull peers out from behind her belly in the place where the baby’s head would be. This skull is seemingly emphasized as its tints of green and blue stand out from the glittery gold background and the red, yellow, and orange colored robes. The robes themselves are made up of a combination of intricate designs and…