In what many students described as their “favorite week of all” in middle school summer programs this summer, Art Week featured an amazing lineup of talented artists, creative projects, and even a visit to the Museum of the City of New York. Along the way, students found the artists within themselves!
Artist Andy Gallardo visited our Queens middle schoolers earlier in the week. After discussing the meaning of art and its power on communities and individuals, students made their own art with stencils. Andy and the middle schoolers then took their art to the Long Island City streets; they spray painted vinyl records and hid them around the neighborhood for passersby to find.
These “Hidden Gems” (as Andy calls them) showed our students what it means to take art beyond a studio and into the community, making it accessible for all.
Later in the week, Artist Kelsey Bates visited our Manhattan middle schoolers. Kelsey and the students created graffiti art based on the works of Crane, a graffiti artist creating aerosol work with other artists in Inwood Park (right near RNY’s Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse!) for the past few years.
Kelsey’s project taught our students that amazing artwork is happening right in their own neighborhood – and that they too can create art just like the artists around them.
Mid-week, our Manhattan and Queens middle schoolers visited the Museum of the City of New York, explored the exhibition City as Canvas: Graffiti Art from the Martin Wong Collection, and browsed through more than 150 works on canvas and other media!
To cap off the week, Actor Paul Nicholas visited our Queens middle schoolers for an enjoyable acting and improv session. Paul’s session was enlightening and very funny; students acted out different improvisational scenarios, with hilarious results.
Students stepped outside their shells, exploring new characters and personalities. Paul taught students that an important aspect of improv is to never say no during a scene and, much like the name suggests, to continually improvise and work with the circumstances you are given. Akin to what they are taught in rowing when working with conditions they cannot control, students were taught to work with the material they were given, no matter the absurdity.
Meanwhile, in Manhattan, James Bosley visited to discuss the ins and outs of acting and writing plays. The owner and playwright of UP Theater Company–a theater dedicated new and challenging works of drama and comedy relevant to the Uptown neighborhood–James dispensed his wisdom of theater and dissected tension and drama in acting.
James had students create “the worst scene ever” and taught them how to increase drama and conflict. Our students got creative (and dramatic!) with their scenarios. Who knew drama could be so fun?
Every day, we see our student-athletes excel on the water and in the classroom; Art Week showed us a whole new side of their creativity and individuality. A big thank you goes to Kelsey, Andy, Paul, and James for bringing it out!
