#teenartprogram

[araseducation]

Here are some highlights of the past six months of the ARAS Pioneer Teen Internship. Some of our activities have included free draws (including the exquisite corpses above) and free writing to free up to the subconscious mind for creative activities, we also learned coptic book binding, visited the New York Public Library’s Picture Collection, and learned about the day to day activities of the archive. 

[araseducation]

This is a blog post from one of our interns Cedar, who took part in our Pioneer Teen program this past summer: "The symbol, star, caught my attention because of how prevalent starts are in our lives. No matter what our lives may look or, or where we are in the world, we all look up at the same sky. Who knows how many other people are looking up at the same star as you in the same exact moment. Stars leave me with a feeling of interconnectedness, no matter how differing my life and my experiences may be from someone else's. We still share the same sky and the same stars." Image: Vincent Van Gogh, 1888, France, Starry Night, Arles, oil on canvas.

[araseducation]

Today I got to know my fellow pioneers through an interesting welcome activity led by Aurelie an expert on archival symbols. We started by choosing from a collection of scrap images solely based off of which ones we were drawn too. We then assembled and collages and met with Aurelie one on one to analyze our collages for symbols. The symbols I found in my collage gave me great insight into parts of my unconscious that I hadn’t yet explored. We will now explore one symbol from our collage for the rest of the week. 

- Written by Pioneer Teen Jacqueline

[araseducation]

ARAS Pioneer Teens Final Presentations 2021

July 16, 2021 was the final day of the 2021 ARAS Pioneer Teens Summer program. We gathered (Zoom) with the invited guests (friends & families of the teens) for this year’s Pioneer Teens to present their final artwork and to show their journey throughout the program by PowerPoint. It was amazing to see each teen’s journey and what she gained through the 2 weeks we spent together experiencing different art works, talking to professional artists, making art, and researching on the chosen symbols. Congratulations to these seven remarkable young people!

[araseducation]

Day 9 (7/15) of the 2021 ARAS Pioneer Teens Summer program

During the last session (before the Presentation day tomorrow), we discussed our final pieces and how we could incorporate different ideas and/or expressions we could use for our works. We then went on to discuss what our symbols represent within our cultures. One that stuck out to me was Sadie’s work, with her red ink piece and how it is taboo in Korean culture to sign your name with red ink. I also loved hearing Soleil’s story of togetherness in her family. I think it was very nice knowing that she was named after her great grandmother. After the discussion, we learned about Maria’s heritage as well as the bands she used to play for. As someone who loves music and feels a strong connection towards it, it was incredible to see someone who enjoyed it just as much as I do. Being in ARAS has been a wonderful experience and I can’t believe how time flew by so quickly. Seeing Maria’s love for the macabre reminded me of an art piece that I used to resonate with for a long time. That piece is The Dream (The Bed) by Frida Kahlo (above image). I love the ethereal state of this painting, as if it were a paused moment in time.

-Jasmine, 2021 pioneer teen 

[araseducation]

These are some of the collages from Day 1 of the 2021 ARAS Pioneer Teens program!