YI Leaders back in Session
Sep 19, 2011

Around 4 pm on September 19, the next generation of Youth Insights (YI) Leaders entered the building through the Whitney's loading dock, a tradition unique to YI Leaders. For some, it was a return to routine. For most, myself included, it was a rite of passage. For us all, however, it was a new beginning. Some things remain familiar, like the friends we had made in past YI programs, the colorful paperwork, the arguably delicious cheese sticks and assorted snack bars, and a brief visit to the Singular Visions exhibition, which showcases a rotating selection of twelve postwar artworks on the fifth floor. 

Others defied expectations. The most delightful surprise was when Leaders had the opportunity to create an artwork based on Matthew Day Jackson’s Sepulcher­­—a full-size sculptural interpretation of a Viking burial ship and funeral pyre. Jackson used a variety of everyday objects and a D.I.Y aesthetic to create his version of this vessel for life transformation. According to Jiamei, the only returning  participant, Leaders had never started the year with art making, since they were more focused on giving tours in the past. She claimed that this activity was a really fun way of beginning the term, and I agree. The art making was a great activity to help Leaders become familiar and cooperate with one another. To complete the project the teens separated into two groups, the Zeds and the Omegas. Using commonly found materials, such as colorful duct tape, used tablecloths, black garbage bags, and buckets, Leaders considered the way Jackson combined various materials to convey his theme of a physical and cultural death. In a similar fashion, Omegas had to fuse their given objects to portray “voyage” while Zeds drew inspiration from the term “vessel.”

Both groups made amazing pieces of art. The Zeds’ sci-fi-like installation portrayed a colorful tape-covered space ship, crash landing into trash bags that were inflated to resemble an alien landscape. The details, like the Styrofoam strip explosions and the rubber bands connecting the space ship to a lamp, really brought the piece to life and made it believable. It was open-ended and could demonstrate the fantastic end of a journey or the rough start of one. The Omegas hung a semi-transparent plastic sheet and knotted cloth strips in front of a mask, illuminated by a night lamp. The masked figure appeared as if it was wading through webs and fog. The installation was created to convey the feeling that a voyage in life is often clouded with confusion and filled with obstacles to conquer.

In the end, the activity was a success. The only bittersweet moment was when Leaders and staff, Carda and Berry realized that these installations would not be able to stay permanently in the Whitney's conference room. Nevertheless, this bonding experience heralded  the wonderful year to come.

by Sarah