Guggenheim Learning Through Art – Spotlight on PS 88 in Queens, NY

Written by Rachel, Nod’s PR & Social Media Lead

This spring, we were honored to be one of the sponsors of  A Year with Children 2015, which features art created by the Guggenheim’s artist-in-residence program, Learning Through Art. This program has been serving New York City public school students for more than forty years. Learning Through Art teaching artists partner with classroom teachers in each of the city’s five boroughs to design collaborative projects that explore art and ideas related to the classroom curriculum.

Each Tuesday over the next few weeks, we’ll highlight a different class project featured in the Guggenheim’s A Year With Children 2015. This week’s spotlight features PS 88 in Ridgewood, Queens.

Third graders created an animal mask with similar character traits to themselves.  While making the masks, student artists discovered how color, shape, line, and texture can be used to communicate emotions. The project gave students the opportunity to imagine “How does character develop over time?”

Kris McKay © 2015 Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation

Jessica Bottalico, who was the Teaching Artist for this project, says that visual art promotes critical thinking through questions and collaboration. She notes that, “Children develop confidence, an awareness of self, and an understanding of the world around them. Witnessing their energy and vivid imaginations, I am encouraged to approach my own studio practice with a similar sense of discovery and wonder.”