Tag: Exploring the Island of Manhattan

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site 28 East 20th Street New York, NY 10003

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site 28 East 20th Street New York, NY 10003

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

28 East 20th Street

New York, NY 10003

(212) 260-1616

https://www.nps.gov/thrb/

https://www.facebook.com/TheodoreRooseveltBirthplaceNHS

Open: Temporarily closed for renovations

Admission: Free: part of the National Park System

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d143273-Reviews-Theodore_Roosevelt_Birthplace_National_Historic_Site-New_York_City_New_York.html

The Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site at 28 East 20th Street

History of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site:

From Wiki/National Park Service Pamphlet):

The house is a replica of the birthplace and childhood home of the 26th President of the United States. The house originally stood on the site was built in 1848 and was bought by the Roosevelts in 1854. Theodore Roosevelt was born there on October 27th, 1858 and lived in the house with his family until 1872, when the neighborhood began to become more commercial, and the family moved uptown to 57th Street.

The plaque of the original house

The original home was demolished in 1916 to make way for retail space but upon the death of the President in 1919, the lot was purchased, and the house rebuilt by the Women’s Roosevelt Memorial Association, which eventually merged with the Roosevelt Memorial Association in 1953 to form the Theodore Roosevelt Association. Noted female American architect Theodate Pope Riddle was given the task of reconstructing a replica of the house, as well as designing the museum, situated next door, that serves to complete the site.

Theodore Roosevelt Sr.

Mrs.Alice Roosevelt, Theodore’s mother

The row house next door at number 26, which was the twin to the Roosevelts, was used as a model and some architectural elements from it were incorporated into the replica. The twin house was demolished to make space for the museum. The restoration recreated the house as it was in 1865.

The house is furnished in a mixture of period pieces that would have decorated the house at that time period along with Roosevelt family heirlooms. The was decorated as best as the family at that time could remember. This includes the Living Room, Dining Room, Parlor, the two bedrooms along with the children’s wing. The house had changed over the years so things are not exactly the way they would have been.

The recreation of the Roosevelt Living Room

The Roosevelt Parlor Room

The Roosevelt Dining Room

The Roosevelt Bedroom

The Roosevelt Library/Office in the bedroom area

The Roosevelt Bedroom

The house was rededicated in 1923 and was subsequently refurbished with many furnishings from the original house by the President’s widow, Edith and his two sisters. The widow and sisters also supplied information about the interior’s appearance during Roosevelt’s residency. The Theodore Roosevelt Association donated the birthplace to the National Park Service in 1963.

The lower level of the house is where the gift shop is located and the gallery room with pictures of President Roosevelt and his family and in government events. They also have the original “Teddy Bear” created for the President and the shirt that the President wore when there was an attempt on his life. There is also a series of family portraits as well.

The “Teddy Bear” is located in the display gallery in the first floor

The shirt the President was wearing when there was an attempt on his life

Try to get to the site during one of the tours and the rangers will give you a detailed talk both on the house and on the family. It is also self-guided so you can take your time to walk the house before it closes for the evening.

The renovation of the house and the displays

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Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling 880 St. Nichols Avenue New York, NY 10032

Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling 880 St. Nichols Avenue New York, NY 10032

Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling

880 St. Nichols Avenue

New York, NY 10032

(212) 335-0004

https://www.sugarhillmuseum.org/

Open: Sunday 10:00am-5:00pm/Monday-Wednesday Closed/Thursday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm

Admission: Adults $7.00/Seniors-Students with ID-Children 9-17 $4.00/Children 0-8 Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

The entrance of the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum

Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling building

The Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling is located on the first floor and basement level of 880 St. Nichols Avenue. This unique little museum caters to small children and their families with lots of interactive programs for the children.

The Children’s Gallery in the First Floor of the Museum with the gift shop.

Children’s Room Exhibition on the first floor

Children’s Room Exhibition on the first floor

My favorite piece in the Children’s Room exhibition

Children’s Room Exhibition

The Galleries:

There were two exhibitions going on at the museum was I visited in March of 2023, Melvin Van Peebles “Blue Room” exhibition which was narrated by his son, Mario. This featured a lot of his artwork in his East Village apartment. I never realized that he was an artist on top of a filmmaker.

Artist Melvin Van Peebles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_Van_Peebles

The works were quirky and unique I have to say that and they did stand out.

Melvin Van Peebles “Blue Room” exhibition

The artist/filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles “Blue Room” exhibition

The Melvin Van Peebles “Blue Room” exhibition

The “Hot Dog” sculpture in the “Blue Room” exhibition

The other exhibition that was on display was the “Caribaby” exhibition by artist Bony Ramírez. The artist is a Dominican born American artist who is self taught. His works are large, childlike and offer a look at life in the Caribbean with a twist of the influence of European Colonialism in his work. The works had unusual contours and had a distinct island feel to them.

Artist Bony Ramirez

https://bonyramirez.com/

“Caribaby” exhibition

The artist Bony Ramirez exhibition “Caribaby”

The exhibition room with Bony Ramirez’s works

Bony Ramirez’s work

Bony Ramirez’s work

The Bony Ramirez exhibition

Bony Ramirez’s work

I could see by the artworks featured by both artists that the museum show pieces that were colorful and somewhat interactive which would be perfect for a child to relate to. The two galleries were small so that the works did not overwhelm children whose attention spans were not long but make it interesting for adults as well to have such unique works by contemporary artists.

At the top of the stairs near the entrance, they had the Children’s Gallery where art students from the museum showcased their works. In some cases, the works looked pretty sophisticated. The museum is perfect for small children and their families to get involved with the interactive art and projects that the kids were doing together in the ‘Living Room’ area of the museum.

The museum galleries were broken up into the Legacy Gallery where the Melvin Van Peebles exhibition was located and the Salon where the Bony Ramirez exhibition was shown.

Mission of the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling:

(From the museum’s website)

The Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling provides our culturally rich neighborhood with a space where children and their families grow and learn about Sugar Hill and about the world at large, through intergenerational dialogue with artists, art and storytelling.

A spider sculpture at the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum

Designed to nurture the curiosity and creative spirit of three- to eight-year-old children, Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling provides opportunities to grow as both author and audience as children engage with the work of accomplished artists and storytellers and create and share their own.

Another interesting work at the museum

Another work in the main hall

The History of the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling:

(From the museum’s website)

Developed by the Broadway Housing Community, The Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling is the cultural heart of the Sugar Hill project.

Led by founder and executive director Ellen Baxter for over 30 years, BHC has pioneered high impact solutions to the challenges of deep generational poverty and homelessness in the underserved communities of Upper Manhattan with an innovative model leveraging the synergies of housing, education and the arts to creating lasting change for underserved children, families and communities.

Together with a devoted group of community members and advisers led by Steve Seidel, Director of Harvard University’s Arts in Education Program, BHC conceived of Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling not only as a stimulating space for neighborhood families to gather and share in cultural programs but as a setting to actively address the educational needs of the community’s youngest children, many from families challenged by poverty, little formal education and a lack of proficiency in the English language.

This painting looked like girl’s earrings

Recognizing that young children are natural artists and embracing their love of stories, the Museum planning team envisioned a place that tapped into children’s intrepid curiosity and wide-ranging imaginations; where they would not only see art and talk current research on the impact of early childhood education in the arts, 3 to 8 year old’s were identified as Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling primary audience the age cohort identified as most open to learning through the arts. Through transformational experiences in art and storytelling. Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling would foster the creative intelligence and cognitive skills that prepare children for social and academic success, positively impacting the outlook for their future and the future of their community.

The Sugar Hill Project marks the geographic center of the legendary Sugar Hill historic district, home to the Harlem Renaissance. Celebrating the important history of this landmark neighborhood and signaling BHC’s commitment to the community, internationally acclaimed architect David Adjay was selected to design Sugar Hill as a beacon of opportunity. David’s architectural practice-grounded in the philosophy that social purpose and design are intertwined and mutually reinforcing was a great fit for the vision for the Museum as a vibrant arts space that reverberates with the social and cultural milieu in which it is located.

A place that celebrates learning, creativity and culture, the story of Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling is now part of the Sugar Hill neighborhood too.

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Eight The Private Members Night at the Met February 14th, 2023

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Eight The Private Members Night at the Met February 14th, 2023

Visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the Private Members Night.

The “Private Members Night” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art makes you want to be a member!

Touring the “Lives of the Gods-Divinity in Maya Art”

mywalkinmanhattan

Our special ‘Members Only” nights at the Met are a lot of fun!

I had just finished Finance class at NYU and I needed a break. I could tell that my Professor wanted to leave early as well and the whole class was lost on learning the Income Statement so it was a perfect time to end the class for the evening.

I had signed up for the ‘Private Members Night’ on Valentine’s Day thinking that people would not attend this event on Valentine’s Day. Boy was I wrong! The museum was packed with people all over the museum. Since the whole museum was not open (the Roman and Greek Galleries on the first floor with the American Wing to the back being open and upstairs it was the Special Galleries and the Impressionist Wing), the areas of the museum including the restaurants and gift shops filled with members dining…

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Fotografiska Museum 281 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10010

Fotografiska Museum 281 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10010

Fotografiska Museum

281 Park Avenue South

New York, NY 10010

(201) 433-3686

https://www.fotografiska.com/nyc/

https://www.facebook.com/FotografiskaNY/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fotografiska_New_York

Open: Sunday-Saturday 9:00am-9:00pm

Admission: Adults $30.00/Senior-Student-Veteran $20.00/Children under 6 Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d19786381-Reviews-Fotografiska_New_York-New_York_City_New_York.html

The Fotografiska Museum at 281 Park Avenue South

I am taking a class in Trends in Tourism for my graduation program in Global Hospitality Management and this included a recent trip to the Fotografiska Museum at 281 Park Avenue South. We had a meeting with a member of the Marketing Team at the museum and he explained how the museum functioned and the direction that they want to go to promote the museum.

After the talk, we were able to tour the museum. The exhibition that we saw as a class at NYU for my graduate program was the David LaChapelle exhibition. This was a unique blend of art with works in many different forms and ideas. The artist was influenced by his association with his friend and collaborator, Andy Warhol. I saw this in many pieces in the exhibition.

What I liked about the museum is that you had three floors of artwork that showcased the artist’s work and gave his perspective as a living artist.The artist even had input on how the exhibition was mounted, the works that would be shown and use of music or lack of in the exhibition.

On the bottom level of the museum is an engaging coffee shop and gift shop that are open, airy and very inviting. You can access these by walking in the front door and you do not have to enter the museum to enjoy these services. The museum created these as spaced where people can gather, relax and socialize.

The Fotografiska Museum is giving us a new perspective on what the modern museum can be and its engagement with its patrons.

The entrance of the Fotografiska Museum for the David LaChapelle exhibition

The exhibition sign

The fascinating paintings of the artist

I admire the work of the artist

The galleries were full of interesting works by artist David LaChapelle

ABOUT THE ARTIST

(from the museum website)

David LaChapelle was born in Connecticut in 1963 and attended high school at North Carolina School of The Arts. Originally enrolled as a painter, he developed an analogue technique by hand-painting his own negatives to achieve a sublime spectrum of color before processing his film.

At age 17, LaChapelle moved to New York City. Following his first photography show at Gallery 303, he was hired by Andy Warhol to work at Interview Magazine.

The artist is giving a nod to her friend Andy Warhol with these two takes on his famous “Portrait Work”

The last piece of art on Andy Warhol was done by LaChapelle right before he died.

Through his mastery of color, unique composition, and imaginative narratives, LaChapelle began to expand the genre of photography. His staged tableau, portrait and still life works challenged devices of traditional photography and his work quickly gained international interest. By 1991, The New York Times predicted, “LaChapelle is certain to influence the work of a new generation…in the same way that Mr. Avedon pioneered so much of what is familiar today.”

In the decades since, LaChapelle has become one of the most published photographers throughout the world with an anthology of books including LaChapelle Land (1996), Hotel LaChapelle (1999), Heaven to Hell (2006), Lost & Found, and Good News (2017). Simultaneously, his work has expanded into music video, film and stage projects. His 2005 feature film Rize was released theatrically in 17 countries. Many of his still and film works have become iconic archetypes of America in the 21st Century.

The History of the Fotografiska Museum:

(from the museum website)

Fotografiska New York is the NYC location of the renowned Stockholm-based destination for the world’s best photography. Founded in 2010, Fotografiska was built on the foundation of photography as a haven for inclusivity and free expression.

The Fotografiska Museum in Manhattan

Our goal is to inspire a more conscious world through the art of photography. We showcase the greatest photographers, whether they’re emerging artists or already established internationally.

The building is a registered landmark built in 1894 and originally named “The Church Mission House”. We’ve renovated this iconic jewel to be a new experience of world-class art, cultural events, retail, and epicurean dining, in an awe-inspiring space.

The Dining area of the Fotografiska Museum