Proof of Purchase:
The story: Easy peezy lemon squeezy, guys. In fact, it's freaking cool to go to the museum by yourself. You'll look like (or heck--be!) an intellectual individual. You can fully appreciate the art and wander from exhibit to exhibit as you please. The museum is at your every whim!...well, almost.
Bought my ticket. Eighteen buckaroonies may seem a bit pricey but it comes with a free audio tour and you can walk around the Guggenheim all day acting pretentious (which is great fun, let's admit)--oh and you see beautiful art...that, too. I try not to stress about price too much depending on where I'm going, after all I'm a pretty goood date (zing!). Ok. Done.
Walked in the museum. Imagine a contraption that glides down from the top of a big spiral, dinging a bell as it goes. It reaches the bottom where it drops a bundle of shredded books into a pile. After its job is done it floats back up to the top. A magical wonderland, perhaps? No. The Guggenheim. This show (which was a big mechanical gizmo set up just in the entrance of the Guggenheim where you can look up the spiral) would go on about every 20 minutes (the dropping of the shredded papers) and those around would lighly clap afterwards and say "Hmmm yesss consumptions and beeble blabble.." Did I get it? No. Was it cool? Yes.
(You can kinda make out the pole that was wrapped around the spiral--the mechanism would glide down on that)
(The pile of shredded books/papers)
The museum. Beyond this first entryway I wasn't allowed to take pictures--which was really quite a shame because I imagined posting a quiet photo of myself pondering a piece of art--my finger to my lip and my head cocked in deep thought. I almost got a picture of a bunch of wood piled on top of each other but the guard almost threw me off the railing. Oh well. Ah the Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art--AKA art that could be seen in horror films. Now, I did really enjoy the art pieces. Even if I may not have understood them. I'm just saying that they were creepy. Asian inspired art is dark, man. There was a film of a women with needles in her face talking all eerie...then there was an exhibit where you have to take off your shoes and the room has buzzing noises and psychedelic images that make your brain explode. There's even film of a guy sleeping...was that the artist taping himself? Was he taping a friend? Because...I wouldn't want to be that friend.
It's funny, but when you go out by yourself you notice a lot more about the things (in this case art pieces), and people around you. I was observing a black and white video of this woman dancing (cree...py)when I heard these two girls talking: "The real question is is whether these historical artifacts are considered art...they have meaning and depth behind them but do they really constitute as....(blah blah blah then she turns to me)...wouldn't yooou agree?" Shit. I was thinking about how fun it would be to take rollerblades in this place. "Yes...but does art have to mean something deep or can it just look cool?" Why am I dumb? A man from a different group hears this and laughs--love, perhaps? No I never see him again. I killed the suspense for you. This blog isn't about that.
What I learned: I like John Cage as an artist. I also like Picasso. Those blank canvases you see and you say "that's stupid I could do that"...go up realy close to them...they're not as blank as they seem (Oooooooh!). No,but really...they have a bunch of little dots.
Want to go on a date to the museums by yourself?
1. Go to the Guggenheim. Any museum. Pretentious, yes--but art you can create your own conclusions and stories from (heh heh<== That was my snooty laugh). It's a great place to go alone and there's very little awkwardness involved (which is always a great concern for me as we all know).
2. Just do it. Really. Stop being a putz.
3. Be comfortable. You're by yourself there's no one to impress (my mistake is I'll dress nice thinking I'm going to meet the man of my dreams. It just ruins your time and disapoints you. Dates with yourself shouldn't be about finding people they're about connecting with YOU!). Especially at the museums where you may do a lot of walking/standing...no need to be miserable.
4. Enjoy it. You have the opportunity to really look at the art without any other opinions to sway you. Do IT.
