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Last Friday we wrapped up our Pioneer Teen program for 2024. We just want to share how proud we are of their journey over the past two weeks and also to thank our lead educator for this year Maria Del Carmen Rivas as well as Aurelie Athan for her leading our first day collage workshop and Katie Yamasaki (@katieyamasaki) for welcoming us into her studio. We also want to acknowledge the lovely experiences we had at the New York Public Library Picture @nyplpicturecollection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Rubin Museum of Art. This program was generously funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

Here is a blog post from Pioneer Teen Jess about the final day of Pioneer Teens 2024 this past Friday! "Being that this was the last day for the ARAS Pioneer teens before the final showcase, tension filled the air. Everyone was finishing their projects: adding final touches, giving more nuances to the piece. In these last few weeks, all of us have grown. We learnt more about symbols and of the different cultural centers in NYC. We've experiemented with different mediums and found which ones we like. We've gained new experiences and new friends. In short, we've grown so much in just 2 weeks, and it's exciting were else we will grow to ". This program was generously funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

From Pioneer Teen Jess: "This Wednesday, Pioneer Teens continued working on the final project. It's weird to see the program coming to an end, but it's amazing to see how much research and symbolism we used to do our projects. Everyone used a different media- whether it be clay, or fabrics, or even photography- to create their own unique projects." The Pioneer Teens program has been generously funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

From Pioneer Melanie (7/15): "This Monday at ARAS we made the trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the Met we explored and did figure studies of Roman sculptures. Lastly we went to Central Park for a debrief of what we’re doing for our projects and what materials we’ll be using." This program was generously funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

From Pioneer Teen Leanna: "This Tuesday we got a start onto our final projects and layed out our designs so the Pioneer Teens can finish their projects hopefully by Thursday ! Towards the end of the day, we talked about how we can make our artist statements and have a clear understanding on what can be written for their projects." This program was generously funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

From Pioneer Teen Sauda: Day 2 at ARAS: In the morning, we made drawings using both oil pastels and water colors. The idea is that since water and oil don't mix, watercolor can be used over the oil pastels without any risk of smudging. We all made different drawings using this method. In the afternoon, we learned more about how to research and use the archive and the library to find out more about our symbols. We went to the New York Public Library afterwards where we learned about their picture collection. And how it can be useful for researching a specific topic since it presents us with more visuals. I really enjoyed the experience and I got to learn a lot of different things today. This program was generously funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

Image: sculpting with clay to help explore pioneer teens explore mediums for final projects by Pioneer Teen Intern Harper Curran. This program was generously funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

We just finished up our first week of Pioneer Teens 2024. This past Thursday the teens went to Coney Island for a photography activity where they looked for symbolism throughout the carnivalesque environment using disposable cameras. Here are some pictures of that the teens took during the activity! This program was generously funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

Here are our 2024 Pioneer Teens!!! We are so proud of them and the great work they have done in this years’ program! This program was generously funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

Pioneer Teens 2024 is underway! We are so excited to be joined by our newest group. This is also a reminder that we will be closed to the public for the next two weeks as we conduct the program! This program was generously funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation.

Our last but definitely not least Pioneer Teen project to share is Siena's! Her symbol was mouth. Below is her artist statement and final project: Life In A Mouth Siena Meehan

During my time in the Pioneer Teens ARAS Summer Program, my symbol has been a mouth. I have been researching the mouth in ARAS and the picture collection in the NYPL main branch, as well as seeing my symbol throughout different artworks in museums and galleries. When creating the collage at the beginning of the program, the sculpture of an animal having its mouth open stuck out to me. This is because of how it appeared that it was about to attack and its fierceness.

While researching at the picture collection of the NYPL main branch, I found a surrealism section, in which some of the pictures contained mouths. Some mouths would be inside other body parts, such as eyes. This inspired me to make something creative and surreal for the final project instead of realistic. Also, when I researched at ARAS, I found that across different cultures, the mouth would symbolize life. This is because the mouth is what people use to breathe and eat. Therefore, I decided that I would include something symbolizing life in my final project.

In my artwork, I used oil pastel to create the Earth in the mouth. The Earth would symbolize life, which would be between the teeth in the mouth. I chose the Earth because life lives on Earth, and since the mouth represents life, the two combined would complement each other because they have the same meaning.

#mouth #aras #symbols #art #teens #aras teens #newyorkteenartsprogram #newyorkcityarts

Pioneer Teen Basil's symbol was beetle! Here is their final project and artist statement:

Transforming the journey of form, self, and surrounding through lives once lived.

#beetle #aras #symbols #art #teens #aras teens #newyorkteenartsprogram #newyorkcityarts

Pioneer Teen Leanna's symbol was tomb! Here is her artist statement: Tomb Leanna Gomez

My symbol is tomb. A tomb is a structure built to house the remains of deceased individuals. They can come in many different shapes and sizes, from small burial chambers to grand mausoleums. Some tombs are located above ground, while others are built underground. Many tombs are decorated with intricate carvings, paintings, or other decorative elements. Some tombs are also used as memorials to honor individuals who have passed away. I put myself as the tomb and decided to showcase my cultures all in the tomb that describes my background.

#tomb #aras #symbols #art #teens #aras teens #newyorkteenartsprogram #newyorkcityarts

Teen Rokaya spent her two weeks researching the symbols love/relationships/heart!

Here is her artist statement: The Key to My Heart Rokaya Ebidou

The heart is like a house that carries the deepest parts of a person. It hides every beautiful memory and every dark moment. At some point people start inviting themselves in. From peeling wallpapers to removing picture frames , they slowly start altering the house to fit their “perfect” mold. Those wallpaper and furniture are the passions and characters that make up one’s heart. These things are the center of a person. When they get altered it throws their whole life out of balance. Walls are then built around it to protect what’s inside, and in fear of people coming in and leaving once they’ve gotten what they’ve wanted, the key to the house is hidden. It’s not just given anymore, lying at the front porch for anyone who’s attracted to check in and out as the please. The only ones who have this key are the ones who look deep enough to find it. The ones who are guaranteed to stay. To some people this is the only way they can survive. My art model is the opposite of this. It expresses the key to my heart which is given to anyone who's willing to go in. My heart and key models are made out of model magic then painted with red and silver paint. I laid them onto a black background for contrast. I designed the black background with images and names of the things that I love, the things that are in my heart. So whether you give the key to special people only or hand it to everyone you meet it’s still one of the most special things you can give a person.

#heart #newyorkcityarts #aras #art #symbols #teens #aras teens #newyorkteenartsprogram

Pioneer Teen Alecia's symbol was Hats. Her artist statement is below:

Tower of Hats

Throughout the last 2 weeks I’ve been focusing on the symbol ‘the hat’ which was depicted in various places in my first day collage. The hat is portrayed as a disguise in which the wearer takes on a new identity with the hat they wear. In my drawing with only pencil and paper I illustrate hats from ancient to modern times, to emphasize the gradual shift in style and purpose. With me at the bottom wearing the hats, to represent the multiple identities we take on as people throughout our lives. And at times takes a toll on the wearer with all that they carry. This collection of hats was inspired by my Dad’s hat collection that I hold fond memories of as a kid.

#aras #symbols #art #teens #aras teens #hats #newyorkcityarts #newyorkteenartsprogram

Pioneer Teen Ishrat's symbol was home!

Here is their artist statement: Home Ishrat Jahan

Out of all the various possible symbols I was given to choose between. I decided to go with home. Home can have a variety of symbolic meanings to it: one’s comfort place, peace, a meaningful memory, and/or an important person that could have caused a great impact on their life. During the first day of ARAS, I solely based my collage from my heart, using images that caught my eye and or things that I felt a good connection towards.

Visiting museums also left me with remarkable inspiration. For instance, the Metropolitan Museum which in each room contained different living styles that the people of that time lived. This was definitely something that I wanted to incorporate in my project; including things that made up my own lifestyle, such as modern objects.

Throughout planning this project I had several ideas. One of which was to create my own poem. Later, making a painting based on it. Sadly, due to a lack of time, I was not able to. Instead, I painted several things that held meaning to me. One of which was a precious memory of the food that me and my friends had in a restaurant, this memory was what gave me comfort. I soon after painted velvet flowers with a butterfly on one of them for the inner peace that it served me. The dark figure represents all the important people in my life that have been by my side: friends, family, teachers, and my parents. The figure with a wide range of hues represents me and all the colors that these people had brought into my life. The electric guitar with all the musical notes and the two hands holding a book; both shows the love I have for reading and listening to music.

The curtains however were the most emotional part for me to paint out of this entire project. They were painted based off of something I’ve read in the library at ARAS, purdah. Curtains were used as a power symbol for anything considered to be sacred. This comes from places like China and in Muslim societies (quote is provided below).

Together with screens and veils, curtains provide concealment and define space…Muslim societies, curtains are central to the practice of purdah, which involves concealing women from public view. To perpetuate their holy authority, the emperors of China always kept a veil between themselves and their visitors so that they could see their guests without being seen.” —The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Signs & Symbols

In my language purdah also means to veil. Discovering such remarkable facts about it really reminded me of the hijab, which I wear on my own head, the scarf that I hold dearest to, it is what creates a piece of me and who I am. So when coming across such a powerful meaning for it was truly beautiful to read.

And this is what makes up my home.

#aras #symbols #art #teens #aras teens #newyorkteenartsprogram #newyorkcityarts

Our first Pioneer Teen project that we will feature is Cedar, who returned to the program this year as a Pioneer Teen associate after taking part in last year's program as a Pioneer Teen. Here is his artist statement:

"Volcanos Cedar Santiago

I love art, I use it as a means to express myself and explore creatively. During ARAS' Pioneer Teens Program, I was challenged to consider the meaning and symbolism behind the art that I make. The symbol I was given to research was volcanoes which I found to be really interesting since it was something I hadn't often thought about in an artistic way. I made three pieces about my symbol, the first one being a model-magic clay sculpture of a volcano erupting and a Cherufe (a Chilean mythical creature) next to it. The second piece is a zine of all of the information and different representations I gathered on volcanoes throughout different cultures. Then, the third piece is an oil pastel drawing of a volcano, it was meant to be messy and have everything blur together a little bit to represent the chaos and confusion that volcano eruptions can cause. Getting to research volcanoes as my symbol was really interesting because they're such a commonly occurring feature in nature that I've never taken the time to deeply consider before. "

#volcano #aras #symbols #art #teens #aras teens #newyorkteenartsprogram #newyorkcityarts

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