The main entrance of The Brooklyn Museum immediately welcomes visitors with its many benches, and entertains them with its rhythmic fountain. The Museum is located at 200 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York.

At the museum, teen interns gave my summer TRaC group a tour and speaking about the art with so much enthusiasm. One of the pieces that they introduced to start the afternoon was Blossom by Sanford Biggers. In this piece, a piano is fused with a tree as it plays a rendition of “Strange Fruit.” The song gave me feelings of fear and gloom. This piece represented the racial injustices faced by African Americans and it was inspired by a 2006 incident in Louisiana where nooses hung from a tree outside a high school that was racially troubled.

The next piece the teen interns presented was the Grey Area by Fred Wilson. Wilson crafted five differently shaded busts of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, who was said to be the most beautiful woman ever. From left to right these heads range from lighter to a darker skin tones, and behind them, the wall is painted a mix of the second and third skin tone. Wilson once said that he “uses beauty as a way of helping people to receive difficult or upsetting ideas.” It stands as a controversial issue in today’s society that we, the people, find it hard to define beauty and whether beauty has a specific standard of skin color it must meet.

Apart from these great pieces, there were other exhibitions being featured, such as The Rise of Sneaker Culture. Hip hop artist Swizz Beatz came to the museum to do an interview and DJ. Also presented was FAILE: Savage/ Sacred Young Minds known as Art Off The Wall, and in this exhibition, there were video game tournaments and an arcade, which was a surprise.

After Swizz Beatz was interviewed, the Brooklyn Museum began to get packed with people from all over NYC coming to see him DJ and guest Dj Runna. Dj Runna started off the evening with different blends and music mixes on the third floor. After about an hour, Dj Runna introduced Swizz Beatz, and that’s when the actual party started and everyone became hyped up. The crowd became even more excited when he brought his wife Alicia Keys to the stage and she performed “Empire State of Mind” as her husband DJ’ed. Although the music party did not start on time, it was worth the wait even though I didn’t get to stay until the end.

Overall, this event was spectacular in every way possible, and the best event of July. The Brooklyn Museum is a great place for teens to hang out and enjoy blends of artwork and exhibits. Right by the museum is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden that’s free for groups and free for teens on Tuesdays and Saturdays, every other day it cost six dollars with a student ID. A bit further down is one of the largest library branches I’ve ever visited. This Brooklyn Public Library is for all ages, and the inside is decorated according to the section or age group being visited. So visit the Brooklyn Museum, free for anyone 19 and under, and enjoy its surrounding. Have fun!