Art & Design Education
A great deal of learning takes place outside of school. Expanding the frame of students' art experience includes visiting museums and cultural sites, speaking and working with visiting artists and seeking out opportunities to exhibit their work. Such experiences allow them to place art under a life and global context that helps shape the way they understand its role in society and in the world.
Huffington Post recognition
In wake of 2015's Paris attacks, Beirut bombings, Baghdad bombings and other global events, the curriculum changed for a day:
"One World - Our Children" Downtown Mural
Entitled "One World, Our Children", this NYC mural was a collaboration between artist Chinon Maria, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the Alliance for Downtown New York. Located next to the World Trade Center and 9/11 Memorial in NYC, the mural's goal is to raise awareness about refugees, inspire unity, share that NYC welcomes all children globally, and showcase what the next generation's hopes and dreams are for our future. Students signed up for this event where they participated in workshops, painted the mural, and attended the final unveiling. This mural plans to stay up for many years to come.
Field Trip: "Volez, Voguez, Voyagez" Louis Vuitton Exhibition
Field trips serve an important role not only by placing art in a real-world context beyond school walls, but also as a hands-on physical experience where students can engage with the very things they are learning about. Aligning with curriculum and project goals in my 3D Design course titled "Design & Form", students were taken to a Louis Vuitton pop-up exhibition in downtown NYC to investigate the essential question, "How can an object create an experience?" Students were also challenged to sketch and analyze samples of strong material manipulation and examine how a design can reveal a target audience.
Student Artwork on Display
To gain their own public recognition and ownership, primary school students had their works put on display at the New York Public Library and in a local New York City coffee shop.
