Student Art Exhibition at Mass MoCA

Moves to Eclipse Mill Gallery March 12 to 27

By: Charles Giuliano - Mar 04, 2011

The student art exhibition on view at Mass MoCA. Giuliano photos.

Works from the schools like BART were organized in clusters hung salon style.

A grouping from Drury High School.

Detail of works created by Buxton students.

A selection from Pine Cobble.

Yang Zongwei won the grand prize for this photo collage.

Work by Brigid Poirot won a silver medal.

A gold medal winning ceramic Lion’s Head by Zora Shaw.

An unstretched gold medal winning canvas by Hana Kostis.

The Mayor Dick Alcombright with Mass MoCA’s Joe Thompson.

Dante Birch, director of exhibitions, has his hands full talking with Thompson.

Thompson and the artist Stephen Hannock who was the force behind the MoCA event.

Potter Phil Sellers and his wife Gail have worked to promote student art since 2009.

Artist Astrid Hiemer, left with potter Gail Sellers enjoyed the MoCA event.

Art teacher, Phoebe Pepper, will participate in the Eclipse Mill paned from 3 to 5 PM on March 19.

Jennifer Huberdeau of the North Adams Transcript covering the event.

Meet the press.

The event was well attended.

A family oriented event.

Enjoying the occasion.

Check it out.

Smile.

Kids are all right.

 

For students in the Berkshires theatres and arts organizations have ambitious educational programs. Until now that has been less true for the visual arts.

That changed dramatically last night when Mass MoCA hosted what is projected to be an annual event.

Through the vision of the renowned landscape painter, Stephen Hannock, in dialogue with Mass MoCA director, Joe Thompson, the museum hosted an exhibition of work by regional art students.

For this first project the participants were Berkshire Art and Technology (BART), Buxton School, Drury High School, Mount Greylock High School, and Pine Cobble School. The organizers would like to make it more of a regional event over time.

In 2009, Gail and Phil Sellers, the owners of River Hill Pottery, organized the first annual student art exhibition for the Eclipse Mill Gallery. For the current exhibition, which runs from March 12 to 27, a selection of the work which was shown for just one night at Mass MoCA will be reinstalled. This is the first time that Buxton and Pine Cobble will be joining the other three schools.

The idea for the Mass MoCA event occurred because of a natural niche between installations. There is a narrow window that opens up in a gallery when one show comes down and another is about to be installed. Given the efficiency of the museum it is a short interval. Last year Hannock had a one nighter of works he had completed that were about to be shipped from his North Adams studio.

Some months ago, when Hannock first discussed the project with me, the enormity of its scope seemed overwhelming. Astrid and I connected him to the Sellers which initiated months of planning.

Given the scale of the galleries, hung in clusters or “salon style,” there were concerns about filling the space. Another factor was the schedule and teaching cycles of schools and their vacations. An issue regarded whether there would be a critical mass of material ready for installation. It puts a lot of pressure on the teachers to prepare and coach students for what is involved in an exhibition. There are issues in getting works from the class room to the walls of a gallery. Particularly the vast scale of Mass MoCA.

Of course the inspiration and stimulation for students to hang their work in a museum, as well as the Eclipse Mill Gallery, is beyond calculation. As an added incentive Hannock insisted that there would be many awards including modest cash stipends.

To not only show at Mass MoCA, but to win cash and a prize as well, wow, that’s awesome.

There was a mob of kids and parents in the vast gallery. Following the awards ceremony there were snacks and a live band in the lobby. Prior to the ceremonies the galleries were open so kids and their guests could explore the museum. For many visitors it was perhaps their first time touring Mass MoCA and it is just terrific that the museum organized such a family friendly welcome.

There are such phenomenal artistic resources for kids in the Berkshires including MoCA, a world class contemporary art museum. From June 24 to 27 the museum is hosting another amazing, youth targeted event, the Wilco Solid Sound Festival.

As students are drawn in by Berkshire museums, theatres, music festivals, and cultural events many will want to further develop their passions and talent. Because of the very specific and extensive skills involved a career in the visual arts is particularly challenging. Quite spontaneously kids pick up guitars, plug in the amps, and form their own rock bands. Schools are geared to pushing them on stage to perform or act. Becoming a professional artist is more complicated.

Unfortunately, there is some ambivalence about teaching the fine arts in school. Talking with art teachers we hear of their struggles. When there are budget cutbacks arts programs often are the first to suffer. How much can be accomplished teaching art for just 50 minutes with ten minutes of cleanup. This is particularly problematic in public schools. For private schools the arts are more of a priority.

If a youngster shows a special talent and interest in the fine arts there are immediate concerns. A student will wonder, do I have the talent to make it as an artist? A parent will be concerned about whether their child can earn a living.

As a part of the Eclipse Mill exhibition there will be a panel discussion addressing those issues. On Saturday, March 19, from 3 to 5PM, I will moderate a discussion “Pursing a Career in the Arts.” The participants will include the artist and organizer of the Mass MoCA project, Stephen Hannock, high school art teacher, Phoebe Pepper, and MCLA fine arts professor, Melanie Mowinski. There will be a reception with refreshments from 5 to 7pm following the discussion.

The student art exhibition will be on view from March 12 through 27. The Eclipse Mill Gallery is located at 243 Union Street in North Adams. Gallery hours are Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 PM.

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