John Jay Students Take The KMA By Storm With New Installation

KATONAH, NY — The galleries at the Katonah Museum of Art have hosted works from some of the most renowned artists from around the globe. The Hudson Valley institution recently looked a little closer to home to find stunning pieces in an array of mediums.

From the Katonah-Lewisboro School District.

Small groups of teens are scattered throughout the Katonah Museum of Art (KMA), and the galleries feel full of energy. Students rearrange pieces of art temporarily positioned on the floor, others measure walls and use levels to double check work they have hung.

"This painting belongs next to the large one," said John Jay senior Emily Fuller to classmates Sabrine Carangelo and Zoe Stevens. "See how it picks up the purple?" She uses a tape measure to make the placement more precise. Zoe picks up the hammer.

While four John Jay seniors volunteered to help hang KMA's show, nine have work in the exhibition.

"The Young Artists show provides students with an authentic experience," said teacher Amy Stockfield. "While our seniors have exhibited their work in our high school gallery several times, this exhibit allows them exposure to a wider audience and the ability to see work from their contemporaries across the region."

AP Art Requires Exploration, Results in Portfolio

The work that John Jay seniors submitted to KMA was created in the high school’s art department, a sunny suite of studios which offers ceramics, drawing, painting, photography and sculpture. While art classes are open to all students, most seniors that take art are in Advanced Placement (AP) level courses, which require an exploration of a specific inquiry.

Senior Rachel Gottesfeld explored the five stages of grief for her AP in Ceramics portfolio, and submitted her sculpture "Anger," to KMA. She also volunteered to help set up the show. "My group was assigned the entry space and came up with the theme 'a peek into a young artist’s mind.'" To her surprise, her group selected her sculpture to be front and center!

Albert Manes submitted a photograph of ten paddlers in a voyageur canoe to the show. It was part of his AP in Photography exploration of how editing can change the emotional tone of a photo. "I’m hyped," he said. "I’ve never had a piece in a museum before."

All students say art will always be part of their lives

The visual art studio is a collage of activity. Students are painting, dipping plaster of Paris and drawing in colored graphite while they chat.

"John Jay’s art department has made me so much more creative," said Caroline Tepper, who investigated beauty standards’ impact on teenage girls for her AP in 2D Art and Design inquiry.

Ela Mehra explored how children see the world for her AP in 2D Art and Design. She highlights the instruction she received as well as access to materials as stand-out parts of the program.

"Art allows me to express myself," said AP in Drawing senior Lara Inana, who investigated how ordinary life interferes with our ability to see beauty.

Chloe Jaffe, another AP in Drawing senior, dips a brush into diluted acrylic, adding depth to a painting of two hands reaching for each other. "I love art," she said.