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I will be living in NYC for another eight months or so, and I really want to enjoy all the things about NYC that make this city such a great mecca for the arts. Being a poet, singer, budding singer-songwriter, and performing artist, in the past I have found art museums and galleries to be excruciatingly boring--to the point where I found it more interesting to strike up a conversation with a security as I rested my poor aching feet in a huge museum in Chicago once upon a time. I want to challenge myself on this idea that museums are boring, to change that notion in a fun and hopefully enlightening way.
Truthfully, the only museums I have ever really enjoyed were the Children's Museum in Brooklyn and the Museum of Science and Technology in Chicago--both truly a blast, I think because they were spectacularly visual and they were interactive. I also enjoyed performing at the A.I.R. Gallery in Chelsea, during the opening of an exhibit. It was nice actually meeting the artist and listening to her stories and the ideas expressed in some of her works. So, my next question is this: Are there any museums here that offer more interactive experiences, such as lecture-discussions, "art talks," poetry readings and music to enhance the experience, or workshops (sketching, painting, etc.)? By answering this question, you will be helping me to add to my NYC "bucket list." No, I'm not kicking the bucket, far from it. Just going out with a bang. I am creating a new life for myself in Madison, Wisconsin, that will likely involve frequent visits to NYC. So, you might also be adding to my list of NYC must-do-or-see list--for future visits. Something about this city...
Other than the traditional places (the Met, MoMA, Guggenheim), my favorite is definitely the Frick Collection. It's smaller (and more manageable, I think) with some great work from the non-traditional old masters like el greco, de Goya, etc.
Also check out the Whitney and Guggenheim as they have some pretty interesting exhibits sometimes. Check on each of the museum websites for gallery talks/music/etc.
The Queens Museum has model of the whole entire city of NY. :: The Panorama of the City of New York - About Panorama (http://www.queensmuseum.org/panorama/about.htm - broken link)
You are asking an interesting question: what museums or galleries are interactive and more involving? If I understand correctly, you are not interested in visual arts, or being a passive viewer?
Most exhibits indeed belong to this kind - viewing paintings, pics and objects you aren't allowed to touch.
1) There are many activities in the large museums like Moma, the Met. Check their schedules.
Oberon, thank you. Nice list. It's not that I don't appreciate the visual arts, but more that I don't appreciate being a passive viewer. I learn or experience the arts best interactively. (This is how I teach and perform as well.) There has to be a way to make the art communicate or come alive, so to speak. I've been on two tours of the Tenement Museum, for example. They began with a film and discussion of the history of Lower East Side immigrants and then gave us group tours of the buildings, the apartments, which displayed photos, artifacts, and other visuals. The tour guide told us the stories of real people who lived in these tenements. I think you get the picture. lol. I think art could be presented in a similar way, not simply encased behind a glass for passive viewers. I am sure there are many people who love this process. It's just not for me. This is New York City. There have to be more creative exhibits.
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I am creating a new life for myself in Madison, Wisconsin, that will likely involve frequent visits to NYC. So, you might also be adding to my list of NYC must-do-or-see list--for future visits. Something about this city...
