We Are...
an interactive art project for teens
Teens from high schools across Cape Cod
added their voice to a traveling exhibit.
Dennis-Yarmouth students present ‘Collaboration’ at Pauline Hopkins Gallery
DENNIS-YARMOUTH --
Among the delights of artistic creativity is the wonder of discovery.
Art teacher Craig Brodt recently challenged his sculpture students to reflect a passion or life truth using just three materials: cardboard, brown paper and glue. “It was a collaborative effort in which they had to give an ordinary object meaning and content,” Brodt says. Working in groups of three or four, students in grades nine through 12 identified a common passion that they cooperatively brought to life through sculpture.
Their work is featured in a new exhibit, now on display in D-Y’s Pauline Hopkins Gallery. “After looking into art history, ceramics students worked in groups to identify a form, texture, surface treatment, pattern or structure that would be the primary influence on a ceramic vessel that they created together,” Brodt explains. Students’ written descriptions of their works’ meanings offer an intimate understanding of the passion driving each piece of art.
Tying this exhibit together is a large banner, on loan from the Cotuit Center for the Arts in Barnstable, that fills the wall opposite the gallery’s entrance. “The ‘WE ARE…’ banner was started by the students of the Southeast Alternative School,” says Lenore Lyons, director of arts education for CCA. “Then, high school students from all over the Cape added to it during the Youth Summit last March.”
Thanks to grants from local cultural councils, last month Barnstable, Sandwich and D-Y students traveled to Cotuit to see the ‘Point of View’ exhibit, which gave more students a chance to contribute to the banner. “I needed to give students a project of interest that was quick,” Lyons says. “I had 40 minutes to introduce the concept, teach it and have them complete a square. I wanted something that would highlight each student’s voice, so I chose the zentangle.”
An organized doodle based on a repeated pattern of the artist’s design or choice, a zentangle is art that defies failure. “I asked students to include in their zentangle squares one word that describes them,” Lyons explains. “This project is easy for anybody to do. I tell the kids to start by drawing a line, and to make sure that it’s not straight. Then I tell them that it’s safe to take a chance and to let their imaginations soar. ‘WE ARE…’ has become the voice of young people, reflecting the many qualities of Cape Cod teenagers.”
DENNIS-YARMOUTH --
Among the delights of artistic creativity is the wonder of discovery.
Art teacher Craig Brodt recently challenged his sculpture students to reflect a passion or life truth using just three materials: cardboard, brown paper and glue. “It was a collaborative effort in which they had to give an ordinary object meaning and content,” Brodt says. Working in groups of three or four, students in grades nine through 12 identified a common passion that they cooperatively brought to life through sculpture.
Their work is featured in a new exhibit, now on display in D-Y’s Pauline Hopkins Gallery. “After looking into art history, ceramics students worked in groups to identify a form, texture, surface treatment, pattern or structure that would be the primary influence on a ceramic vessel that they created together,” Brodt explains. Students’ written descriptions of their works’ meanings offer an intimate understanding of the passion driving each piece of art.
Tying this exhibit together is a large banner, on loan from the Cotuit Center for the Arts in Barnstable, that fills the wall opposite the gallery’s entrance. “The ‘WE ARE…’ banner was started by the students of the Southeast Alternative School,” says Lenore Lyons, director of arts education for CCA. “Then, high school students from all over the Cape added to it during the Youth Summit last March.”
Thanks to grants from local cultural councils, last month Barnstable, Sandwich and D-Y students traveled to Cotuit to see the ‘Point of View’ exhibit, which gave more students a chance to contribute to the banner. “I needed to give students a project of interest that was quick,” Lyons says. “I had 40 minutes to introduce the concept, teach it and have them complete a square. I wanted something that would highlight each student’s voice, so I chose the zentangle.”
An organized doodle based on a repeated pattern of the artist’s design or choice, a zentangle is art that defies failure. “I asked students to include in their zentangle squares one word that describes them,” Lyons explains. “This project is easy for anybody to do. I tell the kids to start by drawing a line, and to make sure that it’s not straight. Then I tell them that it’s safe to take a chance and to let their imaginations soar. ‘WE ARE…’ has become the voice of young people, reflecting the many qualities of Cape Cod teenagers.”