Harlem Renaissance Art Comes To The Met

If there were such a thing as a time machine, I would gladly get in it and travel to the 1920s, to my favorite historical period, the Harlem Renaissance.

It would be a thrill to brush shoulders with the likes of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, and sundry other writers, musicians, painters, and sculptors. Since that's not possible, the next best thing would be to visit the upcoming exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, slated to run next year from February 25 to July 28. It will be called "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism."

According to an article in the Arts section of the New York Times ("Met Announces Harlem Renaissance Show," August 23, 2023), the show will be "New York's first major survey in nearly 40 years dedicated to one of the most influential artistic movements to have originated in the United States."

The Met will display artworks by African-American artists that will be on loan from historically black colleges and universities such as Clark Atlanta University and Howard University.

Included in the exhibition will be photographs by another Harlem Renaissance notable, James Van Der Zee.

I'm excited about this event. God willing, I don't plan to miss it.

What's Your Choice--An Amusement Park Or A Museum?

I recently discovered a new television network called Dabl (seen in the New York metro area on WCBS, Channel 2.3). It focuses on lifestyles.

The first show I've seen so far is Doctor & the Diva. In their "This or That" segment, they asked this question: Would you prefer to be locked in an amusement park or a museum? Kimberley, one of the show's hosts, said she'd prefer to be locked in an amusement park because she'd be bored in a museum. Her co-host, Steve, said he'd prefer the museum.

Having spent many pleasurable hours in museums, that would be my choice, too. Museums offer so much to see, do, and learn, how could anyone be bored? Especially at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, my favorite, which is so large, with so many exhibits, you could spend the whole day there and not see everything.

New York's Museum Mile Festival

I'm looking forward to the annual Museum Mile Festival when all the museums along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan are free (for one day), from 6 pm until 9 pm.

On that day, Fifth Avenue, between 82nd and 106th Streets, is closed to traffic, making the street pedestrian-friendly.

 This year will mark my 9th year attending the festival, which takes place on Tuesday, June 14, rain or shine.

 I usually start my tour at the Museum of the City of New York and end at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, my favorite museum. If there is enough time left, I visit one of the other museums, like the Jewish Museum. Unfortunately, there is only so much that can be seen in three hours.

 As I walked down Fifth Avenue during past festivals, I encountered many pleasant sights and sounds: outdoor musicians, food vendors, magicians, adults and children writing messages on the street in colored chalk.

I hope this year's festival will bring with it good weather. One year it rained, preventing any outdoor activity which is part of the fun of attending the festival.

Risking All For Freedom

As I stood at the corner of 125th Street and Broadway in Harlem, on my way to Fairway supermarket, a city bus turned the corner. On the side of the bus was an ad for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The ad included a very striking  work of art: a lone black man in a wooden rowboat surrounded by hungry sharks and threatening ocean waves. This painting was a very dramatic and memorable depiction of a man (Haitian, perhaps?) putting himself at great risk for the sake of freedom. (I would love to know the name of the artist and when the painting was created.)

At a time when immigrants (illegal and otherwise) are vehemently demonized, this portrait is a reminder of how precious and desirable freedom is.