What brought these towns back?

These beautiful hilltop towns and village that are part  of the Italian history are now becoming endangered due to years of eroding volcanic rock, earthquake, landslides and floods since the 17th century.

Most of these towns are located in the South and the people work as farmers, merchants, craftsman and shepherd.  Not just the population suffer, the skills and tradition associated with each place.  These town and craftsmanship is what we think about when we think of Italy.  The Mayor and citizen declare 2017 "The Year of the Villages", in hope of boosting tourism.  In some areas they open a giant zip line to lure visitors.  Tourist arrive by the bus load to pay a small fee to spend the day, some may sleep but it only hold up to 100 guest.

One Mayor decided to help the refugee of the Sub-Saharan Africa integrate into the community.   The European Union provided food, clothing, and housing.  This would open jobs for the locals and immigrants.  The revolutionized of these ghost towns have increased the population "a little act of humanity became an act of self-preservation".


Who will save these Dying Italian  Towns
by Deborah Needleman, New York Times September 7, 2017

The pleasant surprise in Art history

In 2014 I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, located on 5th Ave in Manhattan. At that time I was taking an Art history class at Bronx community College, solely to satisfy the requirements for graduation. The class was required to take individualized mandatory field trips in order to observe the art works and find something striking to write about. It was meant to be educational and inspirational in nature.

I must admit, prior to this encounter I had admired and appreciated art from a far, but I had never actually been to visit an Art museum before. To my pleasant surprise, while taking Art History something especially interesting was sparked within me. I took delight in looking at different pieces of art, from paintings to sculptures and everything in between. It seemed as though the MET had such a tremendously vast collection that dated back even hundreds of years. I also generally loved writing about my perspective of the art. One of my favorite things I encountered while roaming the great halls of the MET was the collection of paintings done during the Impressionist era. Claude Monet' was a famous French painter during the late 1800's to early 1900's who painted in Impressionist style. This style of painting was made famous by painters like Monet' and Jacques-Francois. Many of Monet's paintings were inspired by nature with observed variations of color and light caused by the daily or seasonal changes (Monet').
 
 By far I found that the buildings and surrounding areas of the museum were just as spectacular, with a rich history behind them. The Metropolitan museum of Art, also called the MET on 5th is the largest and most comprehensive Art museums in New York City and one of the foremost in the world. Incorporated in 1870, it opened its doors to visitors from all over two years later. Later, with other complexes opening on Central Park in 1880 the museum began to expand. The American section, which was added in 1924 included the 1823 marble façade salvaged from the demolished U.S Branch bank on Wall St. Since then the buildings have had additions put on many times through the years (MET)

A popular perching spot for locals and tourists alike are the grand stairs facing 5th Ave. On most days you are sure to find people gathered together or sitting solo, taking in the beauty of this unique place.
I have since realized that this Museum on 5th is a unique piece of Art, both inside and out. Since Art history, I regularly visit the Metropolitan museum of Art and I bring my children every chance I get.

Work cited
Editors of Britannica, "Metropolitan museum of Art" Britannica, 2017,web, 10/5/17

No author, "Claude Oscar Monet, The complete works" Claude Monet gallery.org,2002-2017, web, 10/5/17

Art and Music in the Musical

Do you have a favorite place? One may want to go to the beach while other one may like to walk in the forest. In my case, my favorite place is the city, especially New York City. It is the most impressive and amazing place for me since I had an experience on seeing musical with the magnificent sound music about a year ago. Until that time, I hadn’t seen a musical at all. After having seen it, I have some impression of it. Also, I knew that it has music and art coexist in the musical genre. So through this chance, I can have an opportunity for explaining my experience of music and art in Broadway Musical at New York City.

For my first Musical, I chose the performance, The Phantom of the Opera. It was Friday, October 28, 2016 at 5:00 pm at New York Broadway Majestic Theatre. The theater was big. It had 3 floors. The stage was also spacious. My seat located in the front center was pretty good. The sound was also really good. While I watched the musical, it seemed that I am in there. The reason that I chose this musical is that it has one of my favorite musicians, Andrew Lloyd Webber so I wanted to see his musical in NY. Actually, I had a similar experience. I saw his musical “Cats” in Korea. It was amazing because the music was similar to jazz so it was very enthusiastic. Also, the performers and the stage were awesome. Since then, I became a huge fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber. 

The musical The Phantom of the Opera has many famous songs. It contains  “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Music of the Night,” “Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh,” “Why Have You Brought Me Here/Raoul, I’ve Been There,” “All I ask of You,” “Masquerade/Why So Silent.” I can’t say all the songs because there are too many so I want to go into details about some of them. The most impressive song is “Masquerade” because it’s very magnificent. All the members of the cast came and they sang the song loudly and the orchestra was grand. I like the song “All I ask of you.” The song was performed on the rooftop. At that time, Christine and Raoul had a difficult time because of the Phantom of the Opera. All and all, they swore to love each other and Raoul promised to protect her always. It was very moving and impressive.

As like this, one of the staging elements was the music performance. There was a 27-Piece orchestra as well as an organ, drums, etc.  It created an overwhelming performance.  And, another staging element was the stage. This is closer as the art. The most popular thing on the stage was a “chandelier”. It could move sometimes. It was hanging from the ceiling and it fell down.  The chandelier played an important role. I remember now that as the director, Joel Schumacher, said in his TV interview that it took dozens of French Artists to hang the crystals by hand and was decorated with more than 20,000 Swarovski crystal pendants. When I heard this, I couldn't help being surprised at this fact. I was impressed because I had never seen it anywhere.

In conclusion, it was a great performance and I understood why it is the longest-running musical in Broadway history. Above all, it was a great achievement of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music. These songs are very popular so for anyone who hears the music, it would be easy to memorize. Although I knew the whole story; because I saw the movie, I could enjoy every minute. There was a great story, dancing as well as love, fear, anger, mystery and tragedy with overwhelming emotions. In my view, I think the art and music through this musical, the Phantom of the Opera, can affect me like as intelligence, characteristic and even humanity; moreover the art and music of this stimulated my feeling.

Italian Americans

I first met Anna and Sal in 2006, they were in need of a home health aide for her father who had dementia.  Her Mom was sick also  and she was caring for her with the help of Sal her husband.  So when I so show up on her door step I was welcome with open arms.

As time went on I came to realize that this was an Italian American family.  An important center of the Italian life is family and the woman plays a major role and also in the workplace.  Some women work part-time in factories, domestic services or operate the family small business like Anna, she operated her father's candy and ice cream shop.  Anna father open his shop in Middle Village when he came over from Italy.  You could see flashes of recognition when Anna recall days spent in the ice creams shop as a little girl.

I became closer to the family and met Anna daughter, her husband, grandson along with nieces and cousins all surrounding some exquisite cuisine.  The wine, cheese and pasta are all important in an Italian meal, but all meals are different because base on were your from our cuisine will be different.  The North and South eat differently from Sicily, but they are just as good but you will never find the same cuisine.  I must say I was my heaviest when I work with this family.

The Architecture has many styles like Roman, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical. Some of the most famous structure in the world are the leaning tower of Pisa and the famous colosseum.  Also the Vatican where the  Pope lives and conduct services, then the Sistine Chapel, the many museums in Florence, Venice, and Rome.  Not to mention the magnificent churches and beautiful building, Italy has so much history.



What Set Italian American Off from other Immigrants
by Vincent J. Connato, Humanities January/February 2015 Volume 36 No1

Classical Music

Classical Music

Over the years music has been changing, from simple musical compositions to much complex music genres like rock, pop, rap etc. Most of the amazing musical compositors that use to compose music back then like Beethoven, Mozart, Bach etc, are being forgotten. Must teenagers now a days do not know what the Moonlight Sonata is or other major compositions or how classical music affected so many things in the past like authors, sculptors etc.

In my first semester in BCC I had to take an elective class and I went for music class. I thought that in the music class you were going to learn how to play an instrument or something, that is what I thought it was. I enrolled in it and my first day in that class I acknowledge that the real purpose of that class was to study the story of classical music, to be honest it did not seem exciting to me at all. I have always liked slow music and genres like pop etc, so the thought of listening to music that was nothing like that did not seemed very joyful to me. After a few weeks passed I starred learning how to enjoy that music and how to feel the mode and the feelings that the artist was trying to project on the listeners by every move and every symphony. 

At the end of the semester we had to make a project in which we had to go to a classical music concert in our owns and write about every composition that was played in the concert. First of all I did not even know how to find a concert of classical music, I felt surprised of how little I knew about the topic. I asked my professor and she gave me a name of a webpage that i can not recall. I found many in the city for very affordable prices, I chose one named Organ works by Bach and more, by a organist named Claudia Dumschat, in a church named Church of the Transfiguration, starting at 8:00 pm and I paid like 7 dollars. I chose that one because I had to go after my shift in my job ended because as always I left it for last minute. When I arrived to the church it was very nice, the organ was enormous and people were welcoming you on the entrance and collecting the tickets, I sat and the first thing I noticed was that there was probably only one person around my age and the rest were people around 50-70 years old well dressed. I felt really surprise that only 1 person out of like 70 that were there was around my age and I came to realize the reality, very few teenagers go to classical music concerts and I noticed also that I was just there because I had to do that project if not I would had been sleeping or paying for a much more expensive concert of Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber or Prince Royce. It felt so funny at the moment. I enjoyed every minute of it, there was one of the compositions that nearly made me cry, the first movement of it was really melancholic, I think the name was Nun komm der Heiden Heiland . I came to notice that in Rock, Pop and other music genders people are loud and there is not much organization, not like that concert that I went to, every body was quite and focus into listening, I noticed many that had their eyes close enjoying every melody. There were specific times to clap and nobody would make a sound while the artist was playing the compositions. After it finished they invited all of the people there to a little room in which they had snacks and wine, they even gave me wine and I was not even 18 back then (do not tell this to anyone). It lasted around 3 hours and I felt very good and relaxed after it ended.

In conclusion, In that experience that I had there I noticed a lot of things one of them, how classical music is being forget by these young generation, music that is so relaxing and transmits so many feelings without having lyrics, without saying a word it could touch you deep inside. Those 3 hours that I spent there were worth every penny, before if someone asked me "Genesis would you go to a classical music concert?" I would had probably said no or that is boring but now I would said that it would be a pleasure. Classical music to me is music for the soul. 

How did we let this happen?

This past Sunday evening, the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history took place at a concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. Many are still in shock by the tragic event which left 59 people dead and over 500 injured. As we mourn and unify in solidarity against this evil criminal attack on Americans, we must ask ourselves: when will this stop? It was just last year when Americans witnessed the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history at the time in the Orlando night club shooting. These atrocities are becoming more and more common but the issue of gun control continues to be suppressed and forgotten. Only in the most advanced nation in the world do we see these kinds of vile attacks being staged without repercussions or serious changes in the positions that lawmakers take on gun control. In the efforts to "protect" our second amendment right to own fire arms, we've allowed killers and lunatics get their hands on weapons that are solely made to destroy. 

Stephen C. Paddock camped out in his hotel room with 23 guns for the weekend and set up cameras throughout the room and hallway before his attack on concertgoers Sunday night. Some of the rifles in his possession were "outfitted with a bump stock" (Medina) which is a generally legal and affordable device that allows a gun to fire more rounds per minute like that of a machine gun. This allowed the murderer to transform semi-automatic rifles into fully-automatic ones. His attack which began around 10pm only lasted about 10 minutes before he took his own life but by then the damage was done. Amongst the victims were law enforcement, a veteran and heroes who gave up their lives to help others escape during the rain of bullets. The Islamic state terrorist group claimed the attack in their name and also claimed that Paddock joined their group before this event. The dumbfounded family members of the shooter were shocked by the events and claimed that Paddock had no religious affiliations, was a regular hunter and owned many guns. Paddock was also wealthy and had no prior criminal record. Unlike the shooter in the Orlando night club tragedy, Paddock was a white American man in his 60s. This has made reporting on this tragedy a bit odd and even difficult for some. 

Immediately after this event the Trump administration sent their condolences and offered help but did not touch on gun control law right away. Many in the media also attempted to dodge the issue using the excuse that it's too soon to politicize such a tragic event or that this is a time to mourn and come together as Americans rather than debate the law. When will it be time to have the conversation about gun control laws then? After the next deadliest mass shooting in American history? Americans have to stand up to the NRA and to the senators that want less background checks and think it’s our God-given right to own assault weapons capable of mowing down hundreds. The NRA has the support of its members and of politicians which has enabled gun culture in America to flourish. I can’t say I’m ready to take away a way of life for some people but I can say that those people need to take a look at what their way of life has allowed. I understand the second amendment right to own a gun but I don’t understand how the preservation of that amendment can undermine the preservation of American lives.

Medina, Jennifer, Perez-Pena, Richard, Goldman, Adam, “Meticulous Planning by Las Vegas Gunman Before He Opened Fire,” The New York Times, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr., October 3^rd 2017, web, October 4^th 2017

The Wall, The Canvas.

        One could describe New York as the city of museums, a place where every style and period of art is celebrated. From the outer boroughs to the heart of Manhattan, art surrounds us. However if you look around you'll be able to see that art isn't just relegated to the walls of our many museums, but it lives on the walls of our streets.
On my commute to work I often take the long way, not only for the exercise but because it keeps me connected with the ever changing downtown neighbor my job is located in. I've noticed that there is no such thing as an empty wall in New York. If there isn't art, someone will take it upon themselves to change that. Some art is commissioned and some pops up over night, in the cover of darkness an artist will emerge and lay claim to a swatch of wall that would otherwise only serve the utilitarian purpose of keeping the roof up.
The street art of our city takes many different forms and messages. Some art is an ode to very city it lives in, such as the depiction of a man in 1920's style clothing tagging a wall with the message “I ❤️ NY.” Some are inspirational like the outline of a young child looking up at a punching bag. You'll also see political messages about the acceptance of different forms love or angry at the man currently taking residence in the White House. The messages on the walls are as diverse as the artists that create them and in turn as diverse as the city we call home
          In the 1980's, what we know as street art or sometimes "graffiti" or "urban art" began to take hold of our city. A response to the bleakness of our environment, these mural dot our cold and grey setting with an array of colors. With many visiting New York just to participate in walking tours of the art, graffiti is almost as iconic as our skyline. (Caramanga)
What an honor and privilege to be encompassed by such beauty and creativity. To live a city where a walk isn't just putting on foot in front of the other, but an opportunity to see the world through another's eyes. To see the messages that our fellow citizens deem worth enough to tell us through their time, supplies and effort. The greatest museum in New York City might just be the unintentional one that covers our streets in art

Caramanga, Danielle. The Street Art of New York City. museumofthecity.org. ND. Web. 10/4/2017