As we all know by now, I can never get enough of the New York skyline. And apart from the more recognizable buildings – the Empire State, the Chrysler Building, Freedom Tower – I also love the aesthetic of the other properties, from apartment rows, downtown streets and olde homes. Tonight I headed to a …
Read MoreTag / Art
December 4, 2013
…was overwhelmed at the Center for Jewish History
You know me, I love a good museum. But today I went to one that was far, far over my head. Ryan and I nipped up to West 16th Street to the Center for Jewish History – an appropriate choice, I thought, as Hanukkah is reaching its end. And the building is a nice looking …
Read MoreNovember 30, 2013
…was baffled by the Broken Kilometer
Remember when I saw that bizarre room filled with nothing but dirt a few months ago? Well, I recently discovered there was another permanent art installation right by my office by the same people, artist Walter De Maria and the Dia Art Foundation. So I thought I’d pop by. At lunch time, I danced my …
Read MoreNovember 16, 2013
…saw the Frick Collection
Saturday = Tourist Day. Today I went to the Frick Collection, an art museum on the east side of Central Park and the sort of place that features on tourist ‘to do’ lists. But while it’s a famous spot, I had zero idea what would be inside. As it turns out, it’s filled with recognizable paintings by the European masters, …
Read MoreNovember 14, 2013
…cheered at an art battle
A week ago, Ryan noticed this graffiti underway in a building near his office at Bryant Park. After a bit of sleuthing, he found out it was to celebrate the upcoming ‘Art Battle U‘ where student artists paint live on stage. So we bought tickets. The battle was held tonight at Webster Hall – and …
Read MoreNovember 8, 2013
…visited the Morgan Library
All year I’ve struggled with museum opening times. There are hundreds of museums and galleries across the city, but most close by 5 or 6pm, shutting us workers out. Thankfully I’ve begun to realize that they don’t ignore us entirely, because a handful throw open their doors late one night a week – and entry …
Read MoreNovember 6, 2013
…checked out the ‘Heroes’ mural
This afternoon, kids and community members put the final dabs of paint on a massive 3D mural honouring the city’s 9/11 heroes on the Lower East Side. I had hoped to make the ribbon cutting ceremony, but unfortunately I couldn’t escape work in time. But not to worry because the mural was still waiting for me when I finally got …
Read MoreOctober 16, 2013
…saw Art in Odd Places
If you take 14th Street and walk across the city, it’s sheer madness. The street, which is one of the widest downtown, sweeps you past neon chain stores, four-lane roads and the mania of Union Square. And for this week only, it also takes you past an array of outdoor art – but you’d better …
Read MoreOctober 12, 2013
…visited The Cloisters
Today I jumped on the subway and about half an hour later, I was in Europe. Or so it seemed. I visited the Cloisters – a museum in Fort Tryon Park in Washington Heights that’s built from European architecture dating between the 12th and 15th centuries. The building and its gardens – which are part …
Read MoreOctober 11, 2013
…visited the Mosaic House
If there’s one thing I really love about New York, it’s that it welcomes and celebrates peoples’ quirks and differences. You see everything here. And over in Boerum Hill, this even extends to homes. On Wyckoff Street, just off the Bergen Street subway stop, all of the properties are neat brown-faced buildings. All but one …
Read MoreOctober 9, 2013
…saw Madison Square Park’s tree sculptures
I had a date with Katia after work tonight so I had to scuttle to a new thing ASAP. Thankfully this is Manhattan, so finding a great, quick experience nearby wasn’t too hard. Madison Square Park has a new outdoor art exhibit and I wanted to see it before it started getting dark out, so …
Read MoreOctober 6, 2013
…visited Socrates Sculpture Park
I think I’ve found my favourite park in New York: Socrates Sculpture Park. As well as giving plenty of green space, the park in Astoria, Queens exhibits sculptures and multimedia installations. Nearly 30 years ago, a sculptor wanted to build the park on what was then a former landfill, and a group of artists and local youngsters helped him. It was …
Read MoreOctober 4, 2013
…tracked down a Banksy
My fellow countryman Banksy is causing a daily frenzy on the streets of New York. The artist has started a month’s ‘residency’ in the city, and every day this month, a new work will crop up somewhere – causing fans to sprint through the streets to be the first to see it. Today I tracked …
Read MoreOctober 3, 2013
…spotted an animation from the Q train
Ryan and I were traveling on the Q train from Brooklyn to Manhattan tonight when he told me to look out the right-hand-side window. Before I knew it, I was looking at a colorful animation created by panels on the walls underground. Check out the video: As you can see, we slowed down halfway through, …
Read MoreSeptember 27, 2013
…went to the Dumbo Arts Festival
Today I headed to Dumbo for the third time this week. So I know my photographs are getting a bit similar – but let’s be honest, can you ever get too much of this skyline? I went there to check out the Dumbo Arts Festival – a free three-day festival scattered among the streets and …
Read MoreSeptember 19, 2013
…got the dirt on the Earth Room
New York is full of bizarre things – sheep sculptures at gas stations, zombie parades and loos with transparent walls – but none as bizarre as what I encountered today: A room filled with nothing but 280,000 pounds of dirt. At lunchtime, Hayley and I headed a few blocks north to the Earth Room at …
Read MoreSeptember 18, 2013
…saw sheep grazing in Chelsea
I grew up surrounded by fields of sheep and cattle, but since moving to New York, the only animals I’ve seen are small dogs and bigger rats. Thankfully a new art space in Chelsea has brought the farmyard experience right to the heart of the city so that New Yorkers don’t miss out. ‘Sheep Station’ …
Read MoreSeptember 8, 2013
…visited the Museum of Sex
It’s been a bit of a hedonistic weekend – a gluttonous picnic, gorging myself at the Vendys and a fair few beers last night – so this afternoon I decided to continue the theme with a trip to the Museum of Sex. I had expected the museum, which is at Madison Square Park, to cover …
Read MoreAugust 19, 2013
…found a Picasso in Greenwich Village
So far this year, I’ve managed to track down some impressive works of hidden art – art which thousands of people no doubt walk past every day without knowing they’re so close. Today I found another piece I’d never realised was there before – although this one was a little easier to spot. After work, …
Read MoreAugust 13, 2013
…saw sculptures made from Lego
After work, I headed to the Discovery museum at Times Square with Dave – the biggest Lego geek I’ve ever met – for an art exhibit of works made entirely from the teeny plastic bricks. The Art of the Brick is showcasing the handiwork of Nathan Sawaya until next year. Sawaya is a New York-based artist and famed …
Read MoreAugust 9, 2013
…went punk at the Met
I’ve got a couple of days off and have nothing planned apart from making the most of New York activities. Today I finally fulfilled my months-long aim of going to the Met; it’s somewhere I’d avoid completely at weekends. And even first thing on a Friday morning, the place was heaving. I made the trip …
Read MoreAugust 7, 2013
…touched the Berlin Wall
New York is packed so tightly with art and history that sometimes it’s easy to overlook a real winner. Tonight I popped up to Midtown to see one of these giant gems: A section of the Berlin Wall. The fall of the Wall is actually one of my earliest memories. I was only three at …
Read MoreJune 21, 2013
…trekked to graffiti Mecca
Tonight after work, I jumped on the E train and, to my surprise, was in Long Island City only 25 minutes later. It was my first trip out there and worth it to see one of New York’s hidden gems: 5 Pointz. 5 Pointz – a nod to the five boroughs – is known as ‘graffiti Mecca’ …
Read MoreJune 3, 2013
…felt inspired by the Drawing Center
Another rainy day. Another cancelled event. But thankfully SoHo is brimming full of places to shelter from the drizzle. Today I nipped to the Drawing Center just in time to catch its Giosetta Fioroni exhibit before its close. Even though I walk past the gallery most lunchtimes, the glass-fronted space blends in a little too neatly, so I’d …
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