YI: Where Are They Now?
Jun 22, 2010

On May 28, Youth Insights jumped into the Whitney time machine for a small YI alumni reunion. Past participants from 1999-2005 came back to the museum to catch up and check out what’s new. Over pizza, the infamous YI snack, program alums talked about everything from where they are now to their most memorable teen tours. Some things have changed. The pizza has been replaced with kettlecorn. The program grew from sixteen participants a year to about sixty participants a year, spread over three semesters (fall, spring and summer). And, in addition to leading teen tours in the galleries, Youth Insights now offers students more opportunities to collaborate with working artists.

What hasn’t changed is the sense of the Whitney Museum as a second home, whether YI alums continued on to become graphic designers or recently graduated from law school. Other past participants have gone on to work in arts organizations, college admissions, and as freelancers in various fields. And a few of us, myself included, ended up right back at the Whitney, walking through the same hallways we did when we were seventeen.

Recently graduated YI Leader Luyu led an impromptu tour through the galleries, which were open until midnight as part of Michael Asher’s Biennial project. She pointed out some of her favorite art and tour highlights of this spring, including works by Curtis Mann, Roland Flexner, and Kate Gilmore.

It really did seem just like yesterday with guards stopping us in the galleries for stories they still remembered from the YI of yester-year. One of the alums even got right back into the swing of things, directing museum visitors to step away from the art. Museum rules just stick with you forever!

It was a wonderful night filled with old friends and new inspiration for keeping bonds strong and fostering the ever-growing Youth Insights community. And I am really glad and grateful that I can continue to be a part of it.

By Diane Exavier, Assistant to Youth Programs