Iaphet Elli (NEW YORK, NY—March 29, 2016)—Now in its 45th year, Learning Through
Art (LTA), the A Year with Children 2016, an exhibition
organized by the Sackler Center for Arts Education at the Guggenheim
Museum, on view April 22–June 12, 2016. The annual presentation
showcases select artworks by students in grades two through six from
twelve public schools who participated in LTA during the 2015–16 school
year, representing each of New York City’s five boroughs. More than one
hundred creative and imaginative works, including collages, drawings,
found objects, installations, paintings, poems, and prints will be on
display during the seven-week exhibition.
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A YEAR WITH CHILDREN 2016Student Artwork |
Program Overview
A
Year with Children is an annual exhibition that presents art by
students participating in the Learning Through Art (LTA) program of the
Guggenheim Museum. LTA places professional teaching artists in New York
City public elementary schools. They collaborate with classroom teachers
to develop projects that teach students artistic skills and techniques
for expressing creativity while exploring ideas and themes related to
the school’s curriculum. The program encourages curiosity, critical
thinking, and ongoing collaborative investigation. Additionally, LTA
immerses students in the artistic process, encouraging them to view
themselves as artists. Each student is given a sketchbook and an
artist’s apron. Throughout the program, teaching artists model practices
and explorations similar to those that they use to spark their own
creativity. Students’ investigations are also inspired by the Guggenheim
exhibitions they visit during the school year. This year, these
included Alberto Burri: The Trauma of Painting and Peter Fischli David Weiss: How to Work Better,
as well as works on view in the Kandinsky and Thannhauser galleries.
When viewing art, students participate in inquiry-based discussions that
encourage careful observation and interpretation.
pioneering arts education program of the Guggenheim
Museum, presents
LTA was founded in 1970 by Natalie Kovner Lieberman in response to
the elimination of art and music programs in New York City public
schools. Since its inception, LTA has served nearly 150,000 children and
their families, primarily in New York City public schools.
2015–16 School YearNearly
1,500 students in grades 2 through 6 at 12 public schools participated
in 20-week projects led by 14 LTA teaching artists, who reached 62
classes during the 2015–16 school year. The participating schools are:
in Manhattan, PS 28 (Washington Heights), PS 38 (East Harlem), and PS 42
(Chinatown); in the Bronx, PS 86 (Kingsbridge); in Staten Island, PS 48
(Grasmere); in Queens, PS 88 (Ridgewood), PS 130 (Bayside), PS 144 and
PS 175 (Forest Hills), and PS 317 (Rockaway Park); and in Brooklyn, PS 8
(Brooklyn Heights) and PS 9 (Prospect Heights).
Exhibition OverviewIn
this year’s LTA program, students investigated culture, history,
identity, nature, sense of place, and tradition. While engaged with
these themes, students experimented with a variety of media and
techniques, as reflected in the works on view in A Year with Children 2016.
For example, 3-D mind maps connecting the personal stories of second
graders from PS 28 in Washington Heights will be on display, as will an
animated film responding to current events and created by the sixth
graders at PS 86 in the Bronx. Paper models constructed by the students
of PS 48 in Staten Island consider ideal living structures and practical
green living.
A Year with Children 2016 is organized by the Education
Department at the Guggenheim Museum: Greer Kudon, Associate Director;
Emmy Goldin, Associate Manager; Amy Boyle, Education Associate; and
Rebecca Rosen, Education Coordinator.
Kim Kanatani, Deputy Director and Gail Engelberg Director of
Education, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, commented “For 45 years,
the Learning Through Art program at the Guggenheim has worked with New
York City public schools to offer hands-on experiences in the visual
arts that otherwise might not be available to students. LTA firmly
believes in the importance of integrating the arts across the curriculum
and has also contributed important research to the field of education.”
Select HighlightsPS 317, Queens, Second Grade
Teaching artist: Judy Hoffman
Second
graders at PS 317 are interested in the ways in which nature has
inspired artists for centuries. By heading outdoors to explore their own
community near the beach, collecting natural objects, and viewing works
in the museum’s Thannhauser collection as well as the Kandinsky
Gallery, the students were inspired to create their own artworks using
nature as source material and a subject to interpret visually. For their
final projects, the class combined drawings, watercolor paintings, and
prints into accordion books that illustrate nature’s role in their
lives.
PS 9, Brooklyn, Fourth Grade
Teaching artist: Megan Pahmier and James Reynolds
In an effort to better understand their individual identities, PS 9
fourth graders read the poem “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon (b.
1949) and wrote poems that reflect on an essential question, who am I in
a complex world? Students also explored individuality through
portraiture, printmaking, and photography to show the world who they
are. These works are inspired by the photographer Leslie Hewitt (b.
1977), an artist from the recent Photo-Poetics exhibition, and include layers of images to represent the multiple ways that student artists define themselves.
PS 38, Manhattan, Fourth and Fifth Grade
Teaching artist: Jeff Hopkins
Students at PS 38 spent the 2015–16 school year considering the
question “How does where you live affect how you live?” After comparing
and contrasting their daily lives with the lives of other students
around the world, the fourth and fifth graders created papier-mâché
masks portraying characters from around the world, and then built relief
sculptures to represent the environments in which these individuals
live.
For more information about Learning Through Art, please visit guggenheim.org/lta.
Related Events for A Year with Children 2016Benefit for Learning Through Art and Opening Reception
Thursday, April 21, 6–7:30 pm
Tickets
$150 each for adults, $75 each for children. The Learning Through Art
benefit and opening reception will feature a pop-up exhibition in the
museum rotunda to complement the works on view in the gallery. Student
docents from each school will be present to discuss their work and the
work of their peers. Proceeds benefit A Year with Children and the Learning Through Art program. For more information, call 212 423 3796 or visit guggenheim.org/ywc2016.
Learning Through Art and A Year with Children 2016
are generously supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, The Edmond
de Rothschild Foundation, and the New York City Department of Cultural
Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Additional funding is provided by The Seth Sprague Educational and
Charitable Foundation; The Keith Haring Foundation; Deutsche Bank; the
Windgate Charitable Foundation; Gail May Engelberg and The Engelberg
Foundation; the Sidney E. Frank Foundation; The Horace W. Goldsmith
Foundation; Guggenheim Partners, LLC; the Robert & Toni Bader
Charitable Foundation; the Gap Foundation; Con Edison; the Milton &
Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc.; the Henry E. Niles Foundation, Inc.;
and an anonymous donor.
The Leadership Committee for Learning Through Art and A Year with Children 2016 is gratefully acknowledged for its support.
VISITOR INFORMATIONAdmission:
Adults $25, students/seniors (65+) $18, members and children under 12
free. The Guggenheim’s free app, available with admission or by download
to personal devices, offers an enhanced visitor experience. The app
features content on special exhibitions as well as access to more than
1,600 works in the Guggenheim’s permanent collection and information
about the museum’s landmark building. Verbal Description guides for
select exhibitions are also included for visitors who are blind or have
low vision. The Guggenheim app is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Museum Hours: Sun–Wed 10 am–5:45 pm, Fri 10 am–5:45 pm, Sat 10
am–7:45 pm, closed Thurs. On Saturdays, beginning at 5:45 pm, the museum
hosts Pay What You Wish. For general information, call 212 423 3500 or
visit the museum online at guggenheim.org.