Sun at noon by Noguchi

I remember first hearing about the Noguchi Museum during an art history class I had taken in college. The course topic was contemporary Japanese art and the artist Isamu Noguchi came up in discussion one day. There was a slide show picture of his studio/museum in New York, displaying his revered sculptures in a carefully planned out garden along the banks the East River. “I definitely need to visit that museum someday,” I told myself, even though it was situated on the outskirts of Queen’s Long Island City.

Funny how fate works, huh? Who would have guessed that about a year ago, I would find an apartment situated less than a 30 minutes away from the museum. I couldn’t believe my luck that this iconic art museum – designed by Noguchi himself – would end up located so close to where I dwelled. Of course, I didn’t dash straight to the museum right way. A demanding work schedule and inclement weather deterred my long walk to its sculpture-lined garden and halls until finally, after a year and a half of living in the area, I was able to make the long trek to the Noguchi Museum.

From the N/Q Broadway train station, the walk was no longer than 15 minutes. Situated across from the a Costco warehouse one will find a small brick building with the white letters ‘Noguchi’ sprawled across the side. As you navigate yourself to the hidden entrance on the side of the building, there is a breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline diagonally across the way on the other side of the East River.

For the more than fair price of $10, one is transported to a more tranquil and lively setting than the bleak streets of Queen’s riverside front of auto shops and outdated apartments. None of the sculptures within are labeled so that one can enjoy the aesthetic brought out by each piece while coming up with your conclusions on its purpose and meaning. There are cheat sheets on the side though if you’re really curious, but they’ll only reveal each sculpture’s title and a brief description on the room’s theme as a whole.

The museum is divided into several sections, with three rooms on the top level and three sections on the bottom along with a breathtaking garden outback. With Queen’s high rises in the backdrop, the garden serves as a nice fusion between modern day progress and realities along with the serenity induced by carefully designed natural palette of trees, rock gardens and stone sculptures. I swear, I sat on one of those wooden benches for hours just taking in each and every view that garden had to offer.

After visiting this museum, I will forever be grateful to what Noguchi has given this area which I have grown to love more each day. I definitely recommend a visit if you can, for the art and nature lover that secretly dwells inside all of us. For directions and more information, visit noguchi.org.