My New York City neighborhood for this project was Roosevelt Island. Roosevelt Island is a tiny island total area of one hundred forty seven acres. It is surrounded by the East River that flows between Manhattan Island and the borough of Queens. Surprisingly, such narrow district with less than ten thousand people provides arts and culture to visitors. It is different from other galleries in the city, but unique in its own way. This gallery is located at the parking lot in the island. This gigantic parking lot is actually a eight stories building. The space was wide open and I observed distinctive, extraordinary artworks from each floor. Another great feature about this gallery was that the affluent natural light that came through the large window made the paintings look glaring and stunning. The architecture of the parking lot was special as well. The red metal materials that were connected all around the space and the ceiling made me felt like I was at the spaceship. I really liked the artworks that were displayed at the gallery too. Most of them were freely painted graffiti works and I really liked their dynamic mood. There were no explanations next to the paintings, so I did not know who drew them. However, it was better for me to not know who did all these works. This mysterious gallery should keep all the information secretive for the audience to imagine freely.
Moreover, I observed many public arts that were displayed all around the island. I could not find out who drew them as well. Each work seemed to possess certain messages. For instance, the painting with red and blue birds seemed to represent United States of America. The blue and red stripped ropes that the birds were holding looked like the flag of America, and I could relate the work to the theme of peace and harmony. It was amazing to realize that you can deliver important messages through the simple objects. Roosevelt Island was a great place to explore, and I was glad to visit the hidden yet interesting gallery there. The public arts were amazing too, and I hope that I can create something that can deliver certain messages to the viewers in the studio class.
