Student Seminar: Re-imagining Places in Transition

Ricky Sears

3/29/07

Ricky Sears, an artist, spoke to Beacon students about his interest in public art projects, activating space, and our bodies’ relationship to the built environment. Sears’ work documents the rapidly changing character of the American landscape as a result of residential development through photography, painting, and installation.

Student Seminar: Media and Activism

The Guerilla Girls

3/6/07

The Guerilla Girls are an anonymous group of female artists who assume the characters of deceased women artists and disguise themselves in gorilla masks. The Guerilla Girls have made it their mission to inspire social change by exposing sexism, racism, and corruption in politics, art, film, and pop culture through the use of facts, humor, and strong graphic visuals. Frida Kahlo, a member of the Guerilla Girls, spoke to students from New Design High School and The Beacon School about how they could use media, advertising, and performance art to eliminate bias and spread feminism.

Student Seminar: The Muster

Allison Smith

2/28/07

Allison Smith, an artist interested in history and historical re-enactments, spoke to students at City-As-School studying the Enlightenment and the American, French, Haitian, and Mexican Revolutions. The artist spoke about her public art project, The Muster, to illustrate the use of historical events to provide a platform for other artists and the public to address current cultural and social issues. Smith also discussed the relationship between history and the present.

Student Seminar: Wheat Paste Portraits

Swoon

12/15/06

Swoon, a New York based street artist, spoke to the Senior Honors Art Class at the Beacon School in a special session arranged at her studio. She introduced the students to the history of street art and discussed woodblock printing, portraiture and shadow puppetry as the major influences on her art-making process. Swoon demonstrated her process by creating a new print and installing the artwork on a nearby wall for the students benefit.

2006-2007 Student Seminars

Seminars are dynamic events that connect high school students with artists, architects, and designers. Seminars are designed to provide students with the opportunity to work with artists to explore art, make relevant connections to the world around them, and investigate the creative process. Through activities, workshops, lectures, and critiques, students learn the value and importance of art and design, and explore the arts as a potential career option.