See More Children's Museum of the Arts 11/23/21 Interviews Interviews Meet Artist in Residence Tati Nguyen “Treasure the relationship with your art, and nurture the creative impulse in yourself.” While the museum is closed to the public, CMA’s inaugural cohort of Artist-Educators in Residence are turning the museum into their individual art studios as they develop The Look Make Show, the first digital commons of child-centered on-demand arts education. Below, meet Tati Nguyen, whose multicultural experiences have helped her develop a variety of arts curricula that span cultures, ages, and mediums. What attracted you to CMA’s new Artist-Educator in Residence program? I was attracted to CMA’s residency program both as an educator and artist. As an educator, the residency’s appeal was the innovative approach and openness of possibilities of art education, providing children with an expansive learning tool to engage in new ways; and to look at the world through the lens of creativity. As an artist, I’m excited by the possibilities of experimentation and the intrepid spirit of CMA’s new vision. Plus, I am always inspired by the energy and fresh eyes that children bring to their art practice and approach to self expression (their immediate embrace of an all-in immersive giving of themselves over to art-making). They often take a simple prompt and run off with the ideas to wild places; the rules of engagement in art has no limitations for a child. It was an opportunity too wonderful to pass up. CMA: Can you tell us about your art practice and how working with children inspires you? TN: I have always tried to pull inspiration from my own childhood and the power of observations, undiluted by the dictates of external logic — the world where children’s sense of play and experimentation without rules and dictums are freeing. There are no external art metrics to compare against personal vision — for a viewer, perhaps, some messages are more immediate, and others more elusive, but to the child, their art is a world complete in itself: a stand-alone holistic visual universe, which is perfect. I am inspired to draw upon this, and can endlessly revisit again and again in art making. CMA: Do you have a favorite memory of making art as a child? TN: As a young Vietnamese girl arriving in America, I remember the first time I was able to communicate, not through language but visually with my schoolmates through my drawings. We were copying pictures of penguins (which was fascinating to me as we don’t have penguins in South East Asia). I drew the same animal over and over again to understand this animal, and to communicate and connect with the children that I didn’t share a common language with. CMA: What advice would you give to young artists who wish to pursue an art practice? TN: All children are artists — all have a need to express, to share, to communicate; it’s a natural inclination as the children begin their academic careers. Perhaps, some focus may change into learning systems: reading, math, etc., but it’s essential to always nurture curiosity and never stop art practices for themselves. Creativity may be applied in all aspects of our lives, whether it is problem-solving, drawing, writing, dancing, or making music — creativity is magic. Just doing something for yourself, and the world may come to appreciate it or not, but art will enrich life no matter how you engage with it; making it a part of who you are. Treasure the relationship with your art, and nurture the creative impulse in yourself. CMA: Why is it important to make art accessible to all children and families? TN: Art is a participatory activity that has the power to engage the entire family; a bonding experience in art making can facilitate communication. Art as a topic can beautify and facilitate conversations to share ideas with one another; to trigger a deep dive into life’s journey. Introducing art as a branch of creative child development is to not just let brain activity thrive, but to cultivate balanced creativity in children. Art is what gives children the power to express themselves! CMA: If you could choose any artist to create a portrait of yourself, who would it be and why? TN: What an interesting question — for myself, this question gets into a whole new conversation about what a portrayal of an artist would be. Essentially, our artworks are fragments and glimpses of the self; as artists share various forms of their work through their art and narratives … add upon this layer an external gaze to define a portrayal …it is an interesting concept. There are so many answers because it’s difficult to choose just one — a portrait can be expressed in any form — it can be a piece of music, photo, poem, book, painting, or sculpture … in painting form, I would pick Jean Dubuffet. Dubuffet in his approach to portraiture and art practice was to preserve the inner child and innocence of visual expression. It’s the essence of a childlike outlook not weighing down a portrait in formal constructs. “Treasure the relationship with your art, and nurture the creative impulse in yourself." NEXT IN Interviews Meet Artist in Residence Ciana Malchione Meet Artist in Residence Ciana Malchione

5/31/24 Arts Education Resources Learning Resource: Pointillism by Noormah Jamal, CMA Artist in Residence 2023-24, in collaboration with 5th graders at Children’s Workshop School, NYC Click to expand media gallery. View , Download , & Discover More! For this lesson, the students will take inspiration from artist Georges Seurat . They will look at ' A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte ' as an example of Pointillism - an important artistic technique with scientific principles at its core. Rather than mixing all his colors on a palette, Seurat very closely positioned points of pure color and allowed the viewer’s eye to “mix” them. Georges Seurat, A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte, 1884, oil on canvas, Art Institute of Chicago Students will discuss the importance of color and the role that layering and contrast play when creating depth and detail in painting - much like pixels that make up a photograph. Students will have to draw fruits and then layer on select colors to paint using new tools. Learning Objectives: Composition and placement are key to this assignment. Introduction to single and multiple point perspective. Participants should be able to compose basic shapes into a portrait. The size of the portrait should also be well composed on the drawing paper. Confidently use and blend oil pastels. Materials: Pencil Eraser Tempera paint Paper plates Cups Scissors Sponges Q-tips Mixed media paper Material Kit Looking at examples of Pointillism Maximilien Luce (French, b. 1858 – d. 1942) Morning, Interior , 1890, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (LINK) Paul Signac (French, 1863 –1935), Woman with a Parasol, 1893) Musée d’Orsay, Paris ( LINK ) Chuck Close (American, b. 1940 – d. 2021) Arne , 2019-2020, © Chuck Close ( LINK ) Anna Boch (Belgian, 1848–1936) Retour de la pêche (Back from Fishing) , 1891, Private Collection. ( LINK ) Step 1: Looking at history + pop culture We encourage instructors to share a few moments from the film “ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986) which provides a fun and insightful glimpse into the many layers of a pointillist painting. The character gazes at “A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte” at the Art Institute of Chicago - he looks closer and closer until the child no longer appears familiar - just a collection of colored dots . Still from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) Step 2: Introduction to materials Demonstrate how to apply paint with Q-tips and pre-cut sponges . The students will draw fruits from reference images. Make sure there is a wide selection of fruits to choose from. Each student will then be handed a paper plate palette that has tempera paint (black, white, green, and primary colors) on the plate. They will dab and build the colors of the fruits paying close attention to how close and far their “dots” of colors are. Step 3: Exploring application + contrast + color Students will first need to familiarize themselves with their new tools. How can the pressure of application impact the final artwork? It is also important for them to step back and observe their works from a distance to see how successful the layering has been. Focus on the color wheel and utilize previous lessons on primary, secondary, and tertiary colors to layer the tempera paint successfully. They will only have a limited number of paint colors to choose from and they should be encouraged to look for the various “ mixing ” and blending effects they can create through the application of paint dots on their page. Encourage the students to be patient using the small Q-tip too and provide new Q-tips as needed. Step 4: Presentation A critical part of the class is sharing the work we made and sharing feedback. Look at the artworks from different vantage points and use language to describe how the image and even colors change. While looking at examples of Pointillism and while creating your composition, consider the following questions: What does it feel like to use dots to make images? What does your artwork look like from 1 foot away? What about 2 feet? 6 feet? What happens when you apply blue dots next to yellow dots? What happens when you apply red dots next to yellow dots? What happens when dots are very close together? And very far apart? Instructor Notes: Students may initially feel intimidated painting fruit with just the Q-tips alone, so provide support exploring this new and small tool. If students are discouraged, cut-up sponges also allow layering and blend the colors so well allowing for more instant results. If students are younger they may take longer to draw so in a time crunch to paint the sponges work well. They can be removed altogether for older students to increase complexity. This is another great assignment early on when working with students to better understand color theory and how to mix/layer colors. Examples of student work: NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

7/17/23 Reflections Sculpture Takeover Inspired by Yinka Shonibare Click to expand media gallery. From a sentient motorcycle to a chocolate-and-strawberry planet, Open Studio at Pier 57 is buzzing with clay sculptures from the farthest reaches of our imagination. Kids gravitated towards memory and location as central themes for their work. Some artists drew maps as means of actualizing their summer memories, while others sculptured every detail of a memorable vacation. This inspired us to look to Yinka Shonibare 's Wind Sculpture (SG] I as an example of how to capture the feeling of an object or place without using words. With color, texture, and shape at our disposal, one young artist declared “This is the best part of my summer.” NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

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See More Children's Museum of the Arts 6/17/24 Artists in Schools Summertime Sun-Reflective Mobiles Dispatches from CMA Resident Artist Noormah Jamal's fifth grade class at Children's Workshop School. NEXT IN

5/29/24 Classroom Visits In the Classroom with Maria D. Rapicavoli CMA Resident Artist Maria D. Rapicavoli shares how she relates to her students through her immigrant background. Click to expand media gallery. As part of CMA's Residency for Experimental Arts Education, Maria D. Rapicavoli teaches art to second-through-fifth graders twice weekly at Hudson Guild , one of the oldest community centers in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. Below, visit Maria in her classroom and get a glimpse at her students' artworks. On Windows and Domestic Architecture. My students are very focused on houses and domesticity. When I first introduced the window project , they immediately honed in on the architecture of the home. My students live in the Elliott Houses surrounding Hudson Guild, so they all live in small apartments. That’s why they love to represent freestanding houses. This student made a house with a big garden. For her, the project was all about the outdoor space that she doesn’t have. For them, the idea of large windows means a beautiful house. When we were walking to the Whitney Museum, I pointed out the new condos with fully mirrored exteriors. I said, “This is not private. Everyone can see you! Would you really like to live there?” They were like, “Yeah of course! Look how big the windows are.” Even before we began discussing the window project, architecture played a big role in a lot of students’ projects. There was one class where I asked students what they wanted to make, and they immediately responded “a house.” They didn’t give it a second thought! On Abstraction and Representation. We did this face project last week. We were talking about perspective and points of convergence, so I showed them examples of multi-faced sculptures and cubism. We looked at images of Bust of Sylvette , the statue near Washington Square Park. They were confused by it at first, but then they started to create some really amazing works. Isabelle and Abby are twins, and they made this work together. It’s functional, like a bracelet. Isn’t it wonderful? It’s also a double face. This work is an attempt to move away from representation. First the student made a face, but then she covered it with color. She wasn't happy with a realistic representation, so I reminded her that cubism was not about being realistic, but about different points converging. Mason was not really into building a face sculpture, but he was very excited about making a multi-faceted space. This is a guy with a phone, and these are all his friends. Mason includes many different characters in his work and always makes drawings of them. This is a project that Shannon has been working on for a while. It was part of the papier-mâché project , but she wanted to make something very ambitious. It’s a large dress, and we’re going to put a mannequin body on top. These slips are from the project where students identified something that they want to bring into their lives . Look how detailed this one is. It’s an iPhone 14, which you can tell because it has three lenses! On Brothers and Sisters. There are always two or three students who will stay for the second class. I let them work independently and keep the cabinet door open so they can choose their art materials. There is a brother and sister that I hope will go on to become artists. They are very, very talented. The sister is constantly asking questions and is very critical and curious about art. She will ask me “do you call it art?” Meanwhile, the brother is always trying to build things. He keeps asking me for solutions to make his sculptures work. I have been buying different materials and tape because he’s been so curious. On Age Differences and Creativity. I have found that my students respond best when I give them a specific thing to make. The telescope project was an example of one of those projects — students had a very clear idea of what they wanted to make. I also notice a major difference between the 2nd–3rd graders and the 4th–5th graders. The 2nd–3rd graders are very open with their creativity. They also influence each other a lot. If one student is using purple, they will all use purple. The 4th–5th graders are more reluctant to use their creativity. They naturally gravitate towards representation, but I have been introducing them to abstract art all year long. They were very skeptical about abstraction at the beginning of the year, but now they are really into it. My teaching experience is mostly with kids that are either younger or older than my current students. It’s interesting to see how my students experience art. They are more self-conscious than toddlers or younger kids. At the same time, they’re still kids, so they like to play and have fun. Of course, they want to look cool, and don’t always want to show their friends that they actually like making art! On Exploring the Chelsea Neighborhood. The field trips to galleries and museums have been an incredible experience, not just for my students, but also for me. I’m used to teaching kids who have been exposed to art. However, my students at Hudson Guild had no idea what a museum or gallery was. They had never been to the High Line , even though it’s minutes away from where they live. Now that they’ve had these experiences with art, they can go back for free, whenever they want. I think it’s amazing. It has made my whole experience as an Artist in Residence. They are also starting to see art wherever they go. When we are walking to a museum or gallery, they’ll point to something on the High Line and ask “Ms. Maria, is that art?” They are seeing and understanding that art is not just about decoration. It’s not just paintings that you make in art class. It’s something you can experience outside, and it’s all around them. On Relating to Her Students. I learn from my students every day, because they challenge me on many levels. English is not my first language, and they use a lot of slang that I don’t understand. Our communication is often built on misunderstandings. Also, as a foreigner, my students don’t always know how to relate to me. When we first met, they knew there was a cultural difference between us, even though I have been in the United States for a long time. Many of my students are minorities, and they don’t realize that I am also part of a minority in my own country. I’m Sicilian, so I have experienced racism my entire life, which can be hard for Americans to understand because it’s not based on skin color. They have very derogatory names for people from the South of Italy, and I have been called those words many times by people from my own country. However, in America, I am very privileged because of the color of my skin. My students are starting to understand that with me. They recognize that I’m different from them, yet there is something connecting us. My students are not very familiar with Italy or Italian culture. They do love hearing stories about Mount Etna, the volcano that I grew up next to. I’m from Catania, Sicily — an area surrounded by beautiful nature. New York City is quite the opposite in terms of setting, but being in a big city has a lot of advantages that I didn’t have growing up. I tell my students that I grew up in a small town that was full of nature, but had zero art. In contrast, they have the opportunity to see amazing art, right here in their neighborhood. It’s very special for them. I hope they will start walking towards the galleries on 10th Avenue and keep exploring their neighborhood. Interview and photography by Kerry Santullo for Children's Museum of the Arts NEXT Emergency Exhibition: New Training for Future Artists and Art Lovers Take a Virtual Tour on Bloomberg Connects Donate Now

See More Children's Museum of the Arts 4/10/24 Artists in Schools Visiting the Whitney Biennial CMA Resident Artist Maria D. Rapicavoli visited the Whitney Biennial with her third graders from Hudson Guild. NEXT IN

See More Children's Museum of the Arts 10/13/23 Interviews "I realized then that art was a messy, imperfect, and deeply human practice that I wanted to pursue." Artist Michael Dayton Hermann on viewing Mike Kelley's work for the first time in the 90s. NEXT IN

See More Children's Museum of the Arts 6/28/19 News News Remembering Barbara Hunt McLanahan (1964-2019) New York Times Obituary Children’s Museum of the Arts is deeply saddened by the loss of its Executive Director Barbara Hunt McLanahan, who passed away on June 25, 2019, after a hard-fought battle with cancer. She was 55 years old. Appointed to the position of Executive Director in February 2013, Barbara was a driving force in the museum’s programmatic growth and its move to the 10,000-sq-ft state-of-the-art facility in SoHo. Most recently, Barbara conceived of and championed the museum’s 30th anniversary CIVICKIDS: Make Art. Make A Difference, a year-long series of exhibitions, community events, and digital art calls that foster civic engagement and shared community pride through artmaking. “Barbara was a remarkable leader, truly a force of nature: dynamic, brilliant, passionate and above all deeply devoted to her family, of which she considered CMA to be a part — and we, her. Barbara dedicated her career to nurturing and showcasing artists through her wide-ranging accomplishments as a curator and arts administrator on both sides of the Atlantic. Her position as the Executive Director at CMA reflected her steadfast belief in the transformative power of art and commitment to making art accessible to all. As she stated in a 2016 interview, “Side-by-side, non-judgmental art making encourages the celebration of individual identity, alongside empathy and respect for difference, for others who look different and who express themselves differently.” Barbara consistently fought for equal access to arts education, particularly for children from underserved communities, such as those in foster care, on the Autism spectrum, those living in transitional housing, and children with physical disabilities. Barbara will be remembered by all who knew her for her off-the-charts energy, personal warmth, contagious laugh, and rigor in fundraising and advocating for the arts. William Floyd, President of the Board of Directors at CMA, states, “Barbara was a remarkable leader, truly a force of nature: dynamic, brilliant, passionate and above all deeply devoted to her family, of which she considered CMA to be a part — and we, her. She has left an indelible mark that can be seen in every aspect of the museum.” Barbara is survived by her husband, Michael, and daughter, Jade. The Barbara Hunt McLanahan Memorial Fund at CMA, initiated by her family, will support the Arts for All Initiative, a program for children with disabilities. A memorial will be held at CMA on Monday, October 7, 2019 at 6:30pm. Born in Manchester in 1964, Barbara began her career in the UK, working at Camerawork Gallery + Darkroom in London (1992–96) before moving to New York in 1997. She worked first at Visual AIDS (1997–2000), and later served much-admired tenures at Artists Space (Executive Director, 2000–13) and Judd Foundation (Executive Director, 2006–13), before joining the CMA in 2013. Throughout her career, she made time to volunteer and shared her time and expertise with countless organizations and individuals. She sat on the boards of the African and Asian Visual Arts Archive (AAVAA), Leisure Services Committee for the Royal National Institute for the Blind in the UK, and the Satellite Academy’s Arts Benefit All Coalition Alternative (ABACA). She also participated in Godzilla, a coalition of Asian-American artists and curators. Barbara joined the board of the Jerome Foundation in Minneapolis in 2007 and later assumed the role of Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Carmago Foundation in Cassis, France in 2017. As a panelist and lecturer at museums, conferences, and universities all over the U.S. and the UK, she spoke consistently about strategies for emerging artists, promoted diversity and inclusion in the arts, and championed less commercial paths, such as artist-run alternative spaces. For her many achievements, she was named Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Republic of France in 2006. NEXT IN News