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Great Printing Studio
This is a really nice studio... not because the facilities are amazing or the space is gorgeous,...
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This is a really nice studio... not because the facilities are amazing or the space is gorgeous, but because it's a good place for a printmaker to get things done where people won't bother you too much, but are also very friendly, if you want to be bothered. Every one is an artist there, so people take good care of the equipment.I remember taking a class at Cooper Union. Cooper had GREAT facilities that cost tons of money, but the light table was all scratched up from student abuse, etc. You won't find that at MGC. Things might be old, but in workable condition.They have classes in all aspects of printmaking. They have several printing presses and a very small darkroom. You can do lithography, printing, silkscreen, photogravure, aquatinting there. All at very reasonable prices. If you are taking a class, you have a shelf for the duration of the class. But if you buy studio time for a session (about 13 weeks), you also can get shelf space.
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Maybe it's me....
... but I just don't like modern art. Every few years I try to go back here to see if there is...
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... but I just don't like modern art. Every few years I try to go back here to see if there is something I'll like but it just never happens. I love the Met, the Whitney and others but I really just hate modern art - so pretentious and affected. I guess if you like Modern art you'll like the MOMA - it's a well laid out, calm museum.
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The Gates
Category:
Playgrounds Parks & Trails
Central Park
New York,
New York
(212) 310-6600
A provocative car wash
We live within a mile of Central Park, so I got the chance to view the Gates Project a
number of...
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We live within a mile of Central Park, so I got the chance to view the Gates Project a
number of times. I ended up having a number of distinct thoughts:
1. It looks like a giant car wash.
2. But it's kind of cool (and at rare moments from certain angles, genuinely beautiful).
3. Yes, it's cool, but is it $20 million cool?
4. Well, every tv show costs (I'm guessing) a few million dollars to develop and air. So in its five year run, Punky Brewster probably spent ~$20 million as well. Given that fact, why complain about this?
Plus one final thought (largely courtesy of my friend Jason). Whatever its aesthetic and artistic merits, the project was exciting and interesting. They should do giant public art projects in the Park for short periods every year. Even the ones that "don't work" will help people remember how wonderful the Park is the other 50 weeks of the year.
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If he were mute...
I agree, great museum experience! Great photos, really amazing film images as well, great...
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I agree, great museum experience! Great photos, really amazing film images as well, great concept.
The only weakness was the awful narration of the movie... really cheesy and vomit inducing.
But don't let that stop you! It's a great museum experience, just bring your ear plugs.
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MF Gallery
Category:
Sports & Recreation
157 Rivington Street
New York,
New York
(917) 446-8681
Beyond the Art History Text Book
MF Gallery is a fairly new gallery on the Lower East Side that features...
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MF Gallery is a fairly new gallery on the Lower East Side that features lowbrow/underground/alternative art. It's a smallish space, but the owners (Martina and Frank, very nice, welcoming people) never skimp on the art. Shows feature top names in New York underground art (John John Jesse has had pieces in several shows) as well as more up-and-coming names of equal quality. One show featured the art of one of the musicians from the band Gwar, with the artist himself "entombed in an isochamber in the middle of the gallery" for a week.
If you're not familiar with the genre, be forewarned that some of the pieces can be distubing, but the craft of the work is always top notch.
The openings are always very low key and comfortable, usually with a limited bar or a keg (for donations, but you will be carded), but stop by anytime and take a look around.
MF was featured in the West coast based art magazine Juxtapoz as one of the best new galleries shortly after it opened. It's definitely a find in a city full of galleries full of uncrafted, boring work.
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Modell's
Category:
Sporting Goods
498 Fashion Ave
New York,
New York
(212) 663-3557
Good selection, decent price
Modell's has a good selection of the latest sporting goods and athletic shoes and their prices are...
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Modell's has a good selection of the latest sporting goods and athletic shoes and their prices are fair but not fabulous bargains. The staff is helpful but can be hard to find on busy days. The store is generally kept pretty clean but can get messy toward the end of the day, especially during the Christmas season. Their prices are competitive but not a great deal. Worth visiting if you know what you want.
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Dahesh Museum Inc
Category:
Sports & Recreation
580 Madison Ave
New York,
New York
(212) 759-0606
Small yet swanky
The Dahesh Museum is located on tony Madison Avenue, which partially explains its high admission...
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The Dahesh Museum is located on tony Madison Avenue, which partially explains its high admission fees. ($9 for an adult!) It is an art museum focusing on Middle Eastern and European art, most of which is classical. They have a nice little store at the street level, which is connected via an atrium to Trump Tower, and a cute cafe on the top floor. The gallery itself is in the basement. I liked the artworks that were on display, but I felt that the gallery was tiny and not worth the admission charge. If you are not a big art fan, this is the type of place that you can explore in under an hour.
I thought the cafe was pretty nice, but it was too crowded. The shop had some wonderful collectibles and souvenirs, but the prices were high. (What do you expect in a museum?) If you are passing by, this is an "off the beaten path" kind of stop that you can make. Just don't plan a day around a visit here.
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Museum of Sex
Category:
Sports & Recreation
233 5th Ave
New York,
New York
(212) 689-6337
Not Quite Porn, Not Quite Science, Not Quite Worth $17
The Museum of Sex would have absolutely garnered a 4-star rating if the admission price hadn't been...
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The Museum of Sex would have absolutely garnered a 4-star rating if the admission price hadn't been so high. Circumvent that little catch by looking out for $5 off coupons in local papers and magazines or taking advantage of the student discount.
The MOS is the first museum of it's kind in the country, and it does a good job of balancing between too much smut and being too clinical. When I went the feature show was pin-up girls through the ages and the entire first floor was filled with photos from shortly after the invention of the camera to the 1960s. Sure, they were nudie pics, but they were arranged above a cultural time line and punctuated with intelligent social analysis.
The second floor displays ran the gamut from conservative vintage sex manuals for married couples to sexual devices (both to enhance and inhibit sexual response) through the ages. Again, not clinical, but not lascivious - all in good fun.
The third floor - the Stag Film Exhibit - was possibly the only place I felt vaguely uncomfortable. The entire room is filled with stag films from various eras up to the 1960s being projected in endless loops, with taped interviews with men about the whole stag film experience available along the side wall. I had no problems with the films - again, people having sex, but in a historical context - it was just weird to look up and realize that I was watching porn in a room full of strangers.
The museum is a little small - especially for $17 - and the collection seems slightly limited, but it's new and one-of-a-kind so give it time.
Oh, and don't skip the gift store on the way out - nudie playing cards for boys and girls, art books, novelties and a selection of adult toys by way of Toys in Babeland.
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You'll Want to Convert Your Apartment into a Game Room
Blatt Billiard is a big store, crowded with the rich colors of green billiard table felt, gleaming...
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Blatt Billiard is a big store, crowded with the rich colors of green billiard table felt, gleaming wooden pool cues, dart boards, poker supplies and more - careful, you might be tempted to convert your apartment into one big game room.
Alas, my apartment is barely big enough for me, let alone a pool table, so I made do with buying a pool cue as a gift for a friend. The man behind the counter was friendly, helpful and willing to answer all of my questions. When he found out the cue was a gift he jiggled the price so that I could afford a basic case too, and threw in a brand new cube of blue chalk.
So when you're ready to move beyond choosing whatever bar cue isn't visibly bent and get your own, or if you want to upgrade from Chex Mix to real poker chips, stop by Blatt Billiards.
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