Spring 2014: School Programs!

Spring School Programs have officially begun! Welcome back, P.S. 15 and Brooklyn New School! Here is a rundown of our first two programs, featuring photos from Ms. Julie's class (P.S. 15) and Ms. Paola's class (BNS).

 

This season, our lessons are all about chance and games-- two ideas central to the current exhibition "Circumstances: Selections from the Kentler Flatfiles." Guest curators Holly Shen Chaves and Rachel Nackman used the I-Ching, an ancient Chinese text, to select 32 artists from the Flatfiles by throwing coins. Likewise, students explored art-making with chance operations: throwing dice, drawing cards, even spinning a dreidel!

In the back gallery space, Teaching Artist Ruth Wetzel led an action-packed workshop in which one student was invited to stand in the center of the room and perform a certain action. His or her classmates, depending on the outcome (the number on the dice, the amount of time it takes the top to stop spinning, etc.), were asked to add particular elements to their drawings or move to another location in the gallery. 

  

The results were fun, unpredictable, and everyone's drawing was totally unique. Have a look at more of their process and some examples of student work:

In the front gallery, Meghan Keane led a discussion on what chance, circumstances, and probability may have to do with drawing. Inspired by the prints of Beth Caspar, she asked students to drop 3 popsicle sticks onto a piece of paper and trace them exactly where they landed.

After dropping and tracing several times, students ended up with interesting abstract shapes that intersected and overlapped. Using only sharpies and white cray pas, they managed to create really interesting chance-based drawings! 

Thanks to Julie, Paola, and their fantastic students for leading us into the Spring season. And stay tuned for more updates as School, After-School, and Drawing Together programs progress!