YI Alumni Event
Oct 11, 2014
YI Leaders plan their tour together before meeting the YI Alumni, September 2014. Photograph by Filip Wolak
On Saturday October 11, Youth Insights Alumni returned to the Whitney Museum of American Art for a breakfast with alumni of all ages as well as current YI Leaders. The Youth Insights program began at the Whitney in 1997 and there were alums from as early as 1998 in attendance. The morning began with complimentary bagels, coffee, introductions, and some catching up. It seemed as though past YI participants shared similar experiences with current YI Leaders. They were able to relate to the stresses and successes of giving tours.
YI Leaders engage in conversation with YI Alumni in the galleries, October 2014. Photograph by Hannie Chia
Following breakfast, the group headed to the galleries for a tour of Jeff Koons: A Retrospective guided by current YI Leaders. On the second floor, several YI Leaders gave the group an informative tour of Jeff Koons’s Inflatables and Pre-New and The New series of works that he made in 1979-1987. The Leaders asked the group questions about their interpretations of the readymade objects, carefully transformed into art and displayed in the galleries. Another group of Leaders then led a tour of Koons’s Equilibrium series of sculptures and photographs and started an in-depth conversation about the works. The alumni had many great comments and questions about the exhibition and offered some great insight into the works. The best part of the day was hearing about the alumni’s experiences when they participated in YI and seeing their enjoyment of the teen-led tours.
By Holly, Youth Insights Leader