«Say hello to the Met Museum Presents blog—a new platform that will connect you with Met Museum Presents, the Met's performance and conversation series. This blog will hopefully be many things: a think tank, an archive, a gossip column, and a conversation generator. There's nothing New Yorkers love more than to discuss, and argue about, culture; so, in this blog we'll overshare, discuss, and argue about contemporary culture and performance within the Museum's galleries, as well as New York City and around the world. In many ways this blog will be a reflection of our own ongoing exploration and experimentation, as we craft a live-arts identity for the Museum.»
Met Museum Presents aims to be an exploratory and joyful series of performances (both in traditional and non-traditional spaces) and a go-to for relevant and thought-provoking talks—taking cues from brilliant artists, and pushing the boundaries of what live art looks like in as dazzling, mysterious, and multifaceted an institution as The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
As a starting point for discussion, here's something that's occupying our bandwidth a lot these days: The Met's Department of Asian Art is turning one hundred next year! How do we celebrate this momentous occasion in performance? Should we explore classical traditions, or contemporary Asia? Is it better to focus on one area, or take on all of Asia (that's half the globe, people!). Do we produce a concert of traditional music from Asia, or commission a performance artist to create an interactive, gallery-based intervention? How about exploring manga culture and its roots in calligraphy?
Furthermore, what is the role of the live arts in an encyclopedic museum like the Met? How can performance illuminate the collection, "tweak" existing perceptions and misconceptions, enter into a deeper dialogue with visitors, and surprise the specialists?
While this blog is all about looking ahead—complete with event previews, artist and speaker interviews, guest authors, and musings about upcoming highlights of the season—we'll also look at top moments from last year's performances. I've included my top three from last season, and I encourage readers to please share your own in the comments section below.
1. Two violinists drown their instruments in the Met's Nile River in I Was Here I Was I.
Photograph by Stephanie Berger
2. The Charles Engelhard Court is transformed by dramatic projections for Twinned, an immersive collaboration between dance and music.
Photograph by Rebecca Greenfield
3. The innovator, and downtown's eternal "bad boy," John Zorn mesmerized as his work The Holy Visions echoes through the Medieval Sculpture Hall.
Photograph by Stephanie Berger
Visit the blog weekly, send us your comments below, and keep in touch with the groundbreaking, site-specific performances and talks happening right now at the Met!
Related Link
Now at the Met—Exploring the Galleries: A Met Museum Presents Itinerary