Curated by BRIC Education and Jenny Gerow, Assistant Curator, Contemporary Art
Opening Reception: May 20, 2015
This annual exhibition showcases work in a wide range of artistic media created by students taking part BRIC’s school-based residencies and after-school programs which brings professional artists and their studio practices into the classroom. Residencies are held in public schools throughout Brooklyn and in Queens, and reach students from Grade K through high school. This edition of the show featured the students’ work presented alongside the work of their corresponding Teaching Artists, who are accomplished practicing artists in their own right. The show also contained a number of interactive works so visitors could explore firsthand the artistic techniques and mediums showcased in the exhibition. Classroom As Studio includes artistic contributions in the fields of art and media from students age 4-17, in 12 public schools across Brooklyn and Queens, in addition to the work of 14 Teaching Artists.
Since 1988, BRIC has sent practicing artists directly into public school classrooms where they use visual art and media concepts and techniques to connect students to the artistic process and to help sthem better understand a range of academic subjects, from science and math to English as a second language. Each residency is uniquely designed to meet the needs of students and learning objectives.
By presented the work of students in tandem with the work of the Teaching Artists who instruct them, Classroom As Studio allowed for an exploration of the relationship between the works created by both young people and professional artists offering a more complex understanding of the creative environment fostered by the Teaching Artists. It was conceived of as a way to recreate the creative energy that takes place in the classroom; privileging the ideas expressed by students by increasing the scale of their design and thus the intensity of their voices. The interactive nature of the exhibition—which included a screen printing cart, an animation station, a screening room and theatrical stage – allowed visitors to really become engaged with the work and form a deeper level of comprehension.
Among the works presented, the exhibition included films created by students, such as a documentary video produced by students at P.S. 297 Abraham Stockton, Clinton Hill that uses a compare and contrast approach to the theme of gentrification, and a stop-motion animation featurette completed by students at It Takes A Village, East Flatbush, that was inspired by the novella they all read, Anthem by Ayn Rand, and including miniature figures, costumes, and sets constructed by the students. Teaching Artist Patrick Rowe’s functional mobile screen printing cart will be situated alongside the work he did with students at Madiba Prep Middle School, Bushwick, which taught them about screen printing as a means of expression and creative entrepreneurship. Rowe will offer instructional on-site workshops throughout the run of the exhibition. A nine-foot recreation of the Ishtar gate will be installed to showcase the work of students at Juan Morel Campos School, Williamsburg, who created 3-D objects cast from plaster molds that represented what they learned about Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, alongside the sculptural works of Teaching Artist Judy Richardson, composed of familiar everyday objects. The theatrical stage built by Juan Morel Campos School’s drama department in the BRIC House gallery was also the setting for a gender-bending performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night set to the music of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Special thanks to generous supporters of The 27th Annual Contemporary Art Education Exhibition NBA Cares, Howard Brickner & Tracy Makow, Christina Norman, and Viacom.
Venue Information:
The 3,000 square-foot Gallery in BRIC House has soaring 18-foot ceilings that permit major exhibitions focusing on emerging and mid-career artists and curators.
Beginning Nov. 1, 2022, attendees of any BRIC House programming will no longer have to show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter the building. Masks are encouraged but not required in all BRIC operated spaces. If you have questions regarding this protocol, please email Safety@bricartsmedia.org