My Visit to the International Center of Photography

I recently visited the International Center of Photography. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you enjoy photography and a bit of history you may want to check it out. Some reading is required and there are many small photo reels, so definitely bring your glasses if you wear them.

The ground level floor of the center contained pictures from the Spanish Civil War. What I liked about the exhibit was that the succession of pictures told a story like a history book. (The photograph on the left of the woman breast feeding her baby during a political speech is a famous shot by David Seymour.)

The bottom floor contained pictures from the Cuban Revolution beginning in the late 1950s with focus on Che Guevara. I liked the Cuban Revolution exhibit more than the Spanish Civil War exhibit because photographs were used more as an artistic form of political speech. Many solo shots of Che were featured because his face became a symbol of his beliefs.

The International Center of Photography has rotating exhibitions which is a great way to get people to return. There is one exhibit in particular that I would love to see, the Avedon Fashion traveling exhibit. It's currently at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts until mid-January 2011. If it came back to the NYC Center I'd definitely return to check out the post-WWII era fashion photography by Richard Avedon. (One of his 1967 photographs is featured on the left.)

The International Center of Photography is a different experience than going to a museum, but I enjoyed it. I'd just recommend looking at the list of current and upcoming exhibits so you can visit when the exhibits that are of most interest to you are on display.

Check out the International Center of Photography website for more information.

Volunteering for New York Cares

This past weekend I completed my first project with New York Cares, the city's leading volunteer organization. I decided to sign up with New York Cares when I realized that I actually have more free time now after having finished up with school even with a full-time job. As a student my work was never really done. Not only was I a full time student but I also had an internship and was involved in several other extra curricular activities. There was always more reading or studying to be done for one class or another, so it was often difficult me to fully enjoy myself on weekends with the nagging in the back of my mind that I still had work to do in advance of classes on Monday. Now that I don't have work to do on weekends, that frees up my schedule tremendously, and I figured that it was time for me to give back and make good use of some of the new free time I've acquired.

There are numerous different projects you can sign up for with New York cares including: reading to younger kids, teaching older adults basic computer skills, practicing English with immigrants, working at soup kitchens, playing bingo with the elderly at old folk homes, and raking/gardening work. For my first project I decided to go to East Harlem to play sports with over a dozen first and second graders.

I wasn't sure what to expect with the volunteer project, and I was definitely a bit nervous about traveling all the way to E. Harlem by myself and trying to find where the school was located, but my newest thing since moving to NYC is to challenge myself on a consistent basis and force myself to try things that I'm originally uncomfortable or hesitant about. I'm not really used to playing or even being around young kids, but I figured that since sports are something I'm familiar with, that would be the easiest way to be able to relate to the kids.

Overall, I had a pretty good time. The kids were, well,...kids. I forgot how hyper and rambunctious they are! Boy do I wish I had that much energy. They were running around as if they had an IV of Red Bull coursing through their veins. We started off the day by breaking into teams of 4 and having relay races to get warmed up. I was with one other volunteer and two second grade boys. I cheered on our team and encouraged everyone to run as fast as they could so we could win. I tried hard not to laugh when one of the little boys flagged down the male team leader and "whispered" in his ear that he didn't want to be paired with girls for the relay race. His attitude quickly changed though when our team won, and I finally got his approval. I then spent the next two hours playing soccer and football with the boys. They were aggressive little ball-hogs and liked to make up their own rules as we went along, but I just went with the flow of things, and the time passed fairly quickly.

By the end of the two hours I was exhausted and definitely ready for a nap. I'd like to commend anyone who works with young kids because, as cute as they can sometimes be, they sure require a lot patience, and you must always stay alert while keeping track of each individual. I really do believe that it requires a special sort of person to be able to teach and supervise young children. I feel like it's like life guarding on land.

During the last hour I spent with the kids, the other volunteers and I helped them make a healthy snack. I'd occasionally find myself simply observing the kids interact with one another. By the end of the three hours I was becoming familiar with their distinct personalities, and I thought it was cute how quickly seemingly attached they became to some of the volunteers in such a short time. Their innocence and vulnerability was so refreshing. It made me reflect on my own childhood.

While the first thing I did when I returned home from volunteering was to crawl into bed and relax for a few hours, I'm still very happy that I completed my first project with New York Cares. Isn't it funny that I feel like I took just as much away from this experience as I gave? I suppose that's what making a difference is all about in a way. When doing something makes you contemplate life and appreciate the thing you're doing, it becomes a mutual exchange with both parties benefiting.

The American Museum of Natural History

It is quite possible that I had more fun at the American Museum of Natural History looking at all of the ancient animal bones as an adult than I did when I was a little girl. I forgot how cool dinosaurs are until I was face-to-face with a skeleton of a T-rex towering above me.

Unfortunately I didn't get to the museum until 1.5 hours before closing, so I had to rush a bit in order to see the majority of displays on the four floors. It was fascinating just observing the things on display at the museum, but next time around I will definitely plan on staying longer in order to read the descriptive texts about each one. I especially loved the atmosphere in the Milsetein Hall of Ocean Life. It was dimly lit and the walls were dark blue making it feel as if I were in a giant aquarium. In addition,

"The Milstein Hall of Ocean Life is home to the Museum's beloved
94-foot-long model of a blue whale, a powerful evocation of the massive yet graceful nature of the largest animal ever to roam the planet."

Considering my love for animals, especially dolphins and whales (see previous blog post), seeing the giant blue whale in person was pretty incredible. It spans the length of Milstein Hall and looms over the exhibit from above.

I'd definitely recommend checking out the American Museum of Natural History. People of all ages find it truly enjoyable, which is often a rare thing to accomplish. What keeps the museum fresh and full of life are the changing exhibits and museum's calendar full of events. One event that especially caught my attention and is coming up soon is Adventures in the Global Kitchen: The Lure of Chocolate in which a food historian will lead a tasting while discussing chocolate's history. Sounds delicious to me!

In case you'd like more information, The American Museum of Natural History has a good website too with descriptions about the permanent exhibits, limited time exhibits, upcoming events and lots of other information.

MoSex

I recently visited the Museum of Sex on 5th Ave, NYC. I'm not sure if it was quite what I expected...but I'm not sure what I expected in the first place. Although the content was interesting, I didn't think there would be so much reading involved. I should have brought my glasses! I guess that's part of what a museum is all about though--to educate.

The museum has three floors with a different exhibit on each floor.

Action: 'Sex and the Moving Image'

The first floor focused on the emergence of sexuality in film and how it evolved over time. There were several TVs that displayed sex scenes from films throughout time that went along with the literature.

Rubbers: The Life, History & Struggle of the Condom

The second floor was divided into two separate themes. The first room had old nude pictures, art work, sexual bodysuits, a sex film made from using paper cut-outs, and other miscellaneous things. The other part of the second floor was the Rubbers exhibit. It detailed the history of the condom, while displaying old condoms, condom dispensers, wrappers/tins, etc. It also discussed the importance of using protection and recalled the syphilis outbreak in Europe that made it's way to America and threatened soldiers in combat during WWII.

The Sex Lives of Animals

Lastly, the third floor was an exhibit on the sexual behavior of animals. Long story short, the exhibit objective is basically to prove that humans are much more similar to animals than we'd like to think --animals are sexual beings that perform sex acts for pleasure and not just for pro-creation too; they masturbate and often perform homosexual acts. There was even a case of rape in which a duck smashed into a window and died in the hopes of escaping its attacker.

The majority of the information provided at the Museum of Sex were things that I already knew due to taking several Women Studies courses, a class on Animal Movement & Behavior, and a class on AIDS & Other Communicable Diseases, but for someone who may not have had as well-rounded of a curriculum, one could certainly learn a lot from it. My only warning is that you have to have the patience to read everything and have at least two hours of time to explore the museum fairly thoroughly to make it worth the $15 admission fee. But of course, the topic of sex makes the information pretty interesting to begin with, and it appeals to both men and women alike.