Art

One of the main reasons why we love NYC so much is all the great opportunities to see art. It seems like every time we go, there's always a major show I'm dying to see. This time it was Francis Bacon at the Met, and James Ensor at MoMA. There were smaller shows too, Fashioning Felt at the Cooper-Hewitt, and Ray Johnson at Richard L. Feigen & Company (if you don't know Ray Johnson, you should see "How to Draw a Bunny" a fantastic documentary on him). Another fun thing we always do is take a ramble in the art gallery district in Chelsea. You can pick up a free directory of all the galleries and the work they feature. It makes for a great, free afternoon, and we get to see what's happening right now in the NY art scene.

One of my favourite pieces was at MoMA, an art installation called "Measuring the Universe", by Roman Ondak:







"Over the course of the exhibition, attendants mark Museum visitors' heights, first names, and date of the measurement on the gallery walls. Beginning as an empty white space, over time the gallery gradually accumulates the traces of thousands of people."

This short video shows the artist explaining the ideas behind his work.





I couldn't resist being measured up for posterity. I was excited to participate in this lovely piece. I can now officially say that I'm in the Museum of Modern Art. Maybe not in the way that I had imagined, when I dreamed of one day becoming a famous artist...

I always come back from NYC feeling nourished creatively. Art-making seems more fluid there, more intrinsic to everyday life. I find it difficult maintaining my artistic drive while stuck in my 9 to 5, but I really feel a deep need to spend more time making art. Maybe even at the expense of other things like knitting. I haven't talked about this here before, but my ambition in life has always been to work as a serious artist. But apart from studying fine art in university, and showing/selling a few pieces here and there, I haven't found the courage yet to really make it happen. I find it scary.

I think my love of NYC is a way to keep that little creative flame alive.