New York City is full of museums and galleries. From “Museum Mile” on 5th avenue to the Chelsea galleries, art has always been a part of the New York culture. Not many people are aware, but Times Square has a museum/gallery right there for everyone to enjoy. The International Center of Photography (ICP) on 6th avenue is a wonderful museum that exhibits photographs and features talented photographers from all over the world.
I had the pleasure of viewing the newest exhibit called Remembering 9/11, a captivating display of photographs and video portraying the tragic events of 9/11. Apparently the ICP collaborated with the National September 11 Memorial Museum to create this impressive exhibit, and I must say that it was truly impressing. There are a few different rooms and hallways with a variety of framed and unframed photographs showing the different faces, reactions and imagery of the attacks and aftermath. One of the rooms showed a series of film negatives and large aerial photographs above Ground Zero days after the attacks, where another smaller room displayed a series of organic and stunning photographs others had contributed to the museum. These photos of firemen, children, storefronts, candle-light vigils from an aerial view, and more are suspended on wire in a laundry-line style display. Around the corner and down the hall there is one large room with huge screens playing different images of the 9/11 aftermath. In the same room there are displays of the iron works and scraps from the towers that were kept in Hangar 17 called Memory Remains: 9/11 Artifacts at Hangar 17. These are just a few of the many displays within the Remembering 9/11 exhibit. To me, it’s really impressive that so many images were captured and available for such an exhibit.
Up the stairs on the main floor there are two exhibits that are just as amazing; Harper’s Bazaar: A Decade of Style, and Signs of Life: Photographs by Peter Sekaer. Because of this visit, I have personally found a new favorite photographer, and that is Peter Sekaer. Dutch-born photographer, his series portray a rural setting in the South – from New Orleans to Mississippi – Sekaer shows the economic turmoil of the 1930’s and 1940’s in his images. Not only the style of his photographs are breathtaking, but the content; the people, the faces, the worlds in which Sekaer has captured in time shows the economic dismay that once was within these places. I find it striking to witness images of families in the south during the 1930’s … a world that is unfamiliar to me. Their faces and the clothing and the mood that Sekaer created is just inspiring.
The third exhibit continues behind the Sekaer exhibit, and that is the Harper’s Bazaar exhibit; a variety of photographers capturing glamour and beauty. From Naomi Campbell to Marc Jacobs, these images capture the modern, abstract, flashy and bold images of supermodels and celebrities throughout the years. Definitely a colorful and fun exhibit to see if you like fashion and edgy photos.
ICP is also a school, offering a variety of classes as a continuing education program. You can take a couple classes per semester to fit your schedule, or indulge and study full-time if this is what you want to pursue. Located on 43rd and 6th avenue, I highly recommend stopping by the ICP – maybe on your way to Bryant Park for lunch, or even to kill some time before a Broadway show. Go culturfy yourself! You may go to www.icp.org to get ticket information, hours, classes and more.
-Blog written by Lauren Macé