The New Whitney

It didn't make sense to walk The High Line without visiting the new location of The Whitney Museum, so James and I bit the bullet and paid the $22.00 dollar admissions fee (unfortunately The Whitney does not have a teacher's discount or a IDNYC membership). We decided to take the stairs and were greeted with Felix Gonzalez-Torres's "Untitled (America)."

On the 5th floor, we encountered Fred Wilson's "Guarded View," which features mannequins dressed in the uniforms of museum guards from four New York City institutions.  The description of the exhibit mentions the fact that sometimes the guards are the only black people in the museum.  Seeing this definitely made me more conscious of the delicate balance these guards have to maintain; they must be authoritative yet non-confrontational.  They have to interact with people who may not be used to being told where they cannot be and what they cannot do by a black person.

Looking down the corridor of the museum it looked as if the real guards were an extension of the exhibit. 

The Whitney is home to work by other African-American artists such as William H. Johnson, Jean Michel Basquiat, Romare Bearden, Glenn Ligon, and Kara Walker. The space is bright and airy, and there is plenty of outdoor space which prevented it from feeling too crowded. 

Untitled (Negro Sunshine) by Glenn Ligon

One of the best parts of the day was having drinks in the sun at The Studio Cafe on the 8th floor. The view was amazing and it was a great spot for people watching.  On top of that the cocktails were pretty tasty!  We are so lucky to live in New York!