Clash of the Legends
Feb 18, 2014

Teens discussing exhibition in galleries.

Teen guests discuss American Legends, February 2014. Photograph by Filip Wolak

Teens discussing exhibition in galleries.

On Friday, February 28, Youth Insights Leaders hosted a teen event at the Whitney celebrating the exhibition American Legends: From calder to O’Keeffe. A lot of planning and practice had to be done! We first had to come up with a name for our event, and we chose to name it Clash of the Legends. Next, we spent two or three weeks preparing for the tours that we would conduct during the Clash of the Legends event.   

Leading a tour at the Whitney was quite challenging. We came up with many different questions that we could ask our audiences and how we could transition our discussions into various topics about the artist and their work. During the event, our audience was really responsive to our questions and discussions and interacted very well with the painting that we chose, Girl In Window (1963) by Roy Lichtenstein. If I were to give our tour a rating, it would be an 11 out of 10!

  • Students discuss artworks in exhibition.

    Youth Insights Leaders facilitate a discussion with guests during a tour of American Legends, February 2014. Photograph by Filip Wolak

  • Teen listens to participant discuss painting.

    A teen guest listens as Zeus discusses Jasper Johns’s Three Flags (1958), February 2014. Photograph by Filip Wolak

  • Teens make art on galleries's floor.

    Making art in the galleries, February 2014. Photograph by Filip Wolak

  • Teen watches artwork.

    Teens take time to observe works in American Legends and use them as inspiration for t-shirt designs, February 2014. Photograph by Filip Wolak

  • T-shirt printing supplies in the Whitney Studio.

    T-shirt printing supplies in the Whitney Studio, February 2014. Photograph by Filip Wolak

  • Participants wait for t-shirts to dry.

    Hanging t-shirts to dry in the Whitney Studio, February 2014. Photograph by Filip Wolak

  • Teens eat and draw while working.

    The afternoon’s activities end with “speed meeting” between Snacking and drawing in the Whitney Studio, February 2014. Photograph by Filip Wolak

  • Teen poses with self-made shirt design.

    YI Leader Teddy shows off his t-shirt, based on Roy Lichtenstein’s _Bathroom_ (1961), February 2014. Photograph by Filip Wolak

When everyone had finished their tours, we gathered in the Whitney Studio for snacks and art-making. We had materials for guests to design and print their own t-shirts based on the art they had seen in American Legends. It was a great chance to hang out and get to know other teens, and everyone left with a wearable souvenir to remind them of Clash of the Legends!

 

By Saul, Youth Insights Leader