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Second Graders Look, Imagine, and Create at the Guggenheim


Second graders' fall study of art through our collaboration with the Solomon R. Guggenheim culminated on Friday with a gallery tour led by the boys followed by an exhibit of their original artwork.

In small groups, the boys presented to parents, faculty, and first graders what they had learned about works by Kandinsky, Chagall, Mondrian, de Kooning, Brancusi and Wright, as well as insights into the artists themselves. I was impressed by the boys' confidence and command of their topics, and how much they clearly enjoyed sharing their knowledge.

Later, in the museum's art studio, they presented their own artworks, created in a variety of media, and inspired by the art from the museum's Thannhauser collection. The boys divulged their motivation, challenges they encountered in creating their work, and what they most liked about the project.

This experience allows our boys to benefit from firsthand interaction with works of art at the  Guggenheim. They are able to develop a vocabulary about art, and can express their learning about line, color, abstraction, and texture after having studied masterpieces in-person at an iconic museum that is just down the block from Saint David's.

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