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| A YEAR WITH CHILDREN Installation view: A Year With Children 2014,SolomonR.GuggenheimMuseum, New York, May 9–June 18, 2014 Photo: Kris McKay © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation |
A Year with Children 2015 Opens at the Guggenheim May 1
Guggenheim’s Annual Exhibition of Artwork by New York City Public School Students Includes
Collages, Drawings, Sculptures, Prints, and Paintings
Exhibition: A Year with Children 2015
Venue: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York
Location: Tower Level 3
Dates: May 1–June 17, 2015
(NEW YORK, NY – April 6, 2015) – Now in its 44th year, Learning Through Art (LTA), the pioneering
arts education program of the Guggenheim Museum, presents A Year with Children 2015, an exhibition
organized by the Sackler Center for Arts Education at the Guggenheim Museum, on view May 1–June
17, 2015. The annual presentation showcases select artworks by students in grades two through six from
ten public schools who participated in LTA during the 2014–15 school year, representing each of New
York City’s five boroughs. More than one hundred creative and imaginative works, including collages,
drawings, found objects, kinetic sculptures, installations, prints, and paintings, will be on display during
the six-week exhibition.
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 where they collaborate with classroom teachers to develop
art projects that teach students creative skills and techniques while exploring ideas and themes related
to the school 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 exhibitions they visit at the Guggenheim
during the school year. When viewing art, students participate in inquiry-based discussions that
encourage careful observation and interpretation.
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.
2014–15 School Year
Nearly 1,500 students in grades two through six at 10 public schools participated in 20-week projects led
by 12 LTA teaching artists, who reached 55 classes during the 2014–15 school year. The participating
schools are: in Manhattan, PS 28 (Washington Heights), and PS 42 (Chinatown); in the Bronx, PS 86
(Kingsbridge); in Staten Island, PS 48 (Grasmere); in Queens, PS 88 (Ridgewood), PS 144 (Forest
Hills), and PS 317 (Rockaway Park); and, in Brooklyn, PS 8 (Brooklyn Heights), PS 9 (Prospect Heights),
and PS 676 (Red Hook).
Exhibition Overview
In this year’s LTA program, students investigated culture, identity, nature, space, and the passage of
time. While engaged with these themes, students explored a variety of materials, as reflected in the
works on view in A Year with Children 2015. For example, hanging assemblages of found objects,
drawings, and paintings created by the second graders of PS 317 in Rockaway Park will be on display, as
will three-dimensional creatures imagined by the fourth graders at Chinatown’s PS 42. Models for a new
school designed by the students of PS 9 in Brooklyn consider the growing community and challenge the
idea of traditional space.
A Year with Children 2015 is organized by the Education Department at the Guggenheim Museum:
Greer Kudon, Associate Director; Lindsay Smilow, Associate Manager; and Emmy Goldin, Education
Associate.
A second-grade teacher at PS 317 said, “LTA has allowed our students an opportunity to see the world
from a different perspective—that of an artist. By working collaboratively, students have practiced
cooperation and decision-making skills that will serve them well in future endeavors.”
Selected Highlights
PS 86, Bronx, Sixth Grade
Teaching artist: Jeff Hopkins
PS 86 sixth graders repurposed old, discarded books to create a collaborative installation. By
manipulating, deconstructing, and rebuilding books through painting, cutting, and folding techniques,
the work conveys the students’ feelings about texts they’ve read, the freedom of information, and the
power of words. Throughout the school year, the student artists also explored drawing techniques using
the app Paper, created by FiftyThree. Such use of technology for the first time in a residency allowed
the artists to explore the differences between digital and analog drawing. An interactive kiosk displaying
the app will be on view within the exhibition.
PS 88, Queens, Fifth Grade
Teaching artist: Joanna Warren
The student artists of PS 88 studied the daily routine of the Japanese conceptual artist On Kawara
(1933–2014) to better understand his seemingly simple works of art on view within the exhibition On
Kawara—Silence. As a group the fifth graders explored a variety of techniques—painting, drawing, and
mixed-media sculpture—to create a three-part composition documenting their past, present, and future.
PS 48, Staten Island, Fourth Grade
Teaching artist: Rose Nestler
Fourth graders in Grasmere studied kinetic energy and the intricacies of moving sculptures from the
museum’s exhibition ZERO: Countdown to Tomorrow, 1950s–60s, and confronted the question of
“What moves us?” through their artwork. Combining 3-D design principles (balance, texture, form and
space) with scientific concepts (mechanical, gravitational, electrical and magnetic energies), student
artists created diagrams and step-by-step instructions for their sculptures, and together built automatas,
a handmade kinetic toy.
For more information about Learning Through Art, please visit guggenheim.org/lta.
Related Events for A Year with Children 2015
Benefit for Learning Through Art and Opening Reception
Thursday, April 30, 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 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/ywc2015.
Ongoing Family Programs
Just Drop In!
Sundays, 1–4 pm
After viewing A Year with Children 2015, families may explore highlights of the permanent collection
through creative, interactive projects led by museum educators. For families with children ages 3–10.
Free with museum admission. No registration necessary. Signage on the rotunda floor will identify the
location. More information is available at guggenheim.org/families.
A Year with Children 2015 Memory Game
A limited edition memory game co-produced with The Land of Nod, a national children’s furniture and
home décor retailer, features artwork by LTA student artists and will be available for purchase in the
museum store. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Learning Through Art program.
Learning Through Art and A Year with Children 2015 are generously supported by The Edmond de
Rothschild Foundation, The Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation, The Land of Nod,
and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Additional funding is provided by Deutsche Bank; Gail May Engelberg and The Engelberg Foundation;
the Sidney E. Frank Foundation; The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation; Guggenheim Partners, LLC;
the Windgate Charitable Foundation; the Robert & Toni Bader Charitable Foundation; the Gap
Foundation; 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 2015 is gratefully
acknowledged for its support.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Admission: 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.
guggenheim.org/social