A Tale of Two Programs
Jun 8, 2011
Glenn Ligon (b. 1960), _Rückenfigur_, 2009. Neon and paint, 24 × 145 in. (61 × 368.3 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Paint and Sculpture Committee T.2010.71 © Glenn Ligon
Shaniece and I, both YI Leaders, are a part of The Opportunity Network, an organization that prepares high school students for the future by helping them build lifelong networks and connections. The Opportunity Network teaches students the art of developing and sustaining mutually beneficial relationships and how to keep up with their growing networks while also helping them get into great colleges, land important internships, and prepare for successful careers.
At the end of April, we, along with our fellow YI Leaders, had the great privilege of leading a tour of Glenn Ligon’s exhibition for twenty-five OppNet students. Starting right away in a room full of black-and-white panel paintings, the students dove into Ligon’s mind with some great opinions on what he might have been thinking about when he used door panels for these paintings that are filled with powerful repetitive text. One memorable point was that the repetition from top to bottom as the words become harder to read parallels the constantly repeating thoughts in our own minds that can be so simple, yet over time can become fuzzy and distant.
We then moved on to look at paintings inspired by comedian Richard Pryor. As we spoke about the works, we discussed the power of humor, racial stereotypes, and identity. Our next stop was a series of paintings based on images from coloring books. Being surrounded by works that were created from drawings by children made us all feel like little kids—pretty brilliant little kids!
Finally, we ended with my favorite pieces in the entire exhibition, three works in neon, each spelling out “America.” If I start talking about these works now, this blog post would go on forever. So to keep things short and sweet, I led a discussion about how the different neon signs could reflect different perceptions of our country and how we individually identify ourselves in it. There is no doubt in my mind that we all really enjoyed ourselves as two great programs merged for an art-filled day. I hope that you find room for creativity and art experiences in your life!
By Cesar