YI Fall 2011 Celebration
Dec 19, 2011
Youth Insights participants were joined by friends, family members, and teachers at the Fall 2011 YI Celebration, December 2011. Photograph by Desi Gonzalez
If you’ve ever been involved in Youth Insights, you know the drill—an event pops up and emails are sent all the way up to the date. So when the messages were sent out calling for visitors to the Fall YI Writer & Artists Exhibition, I expected to see a crowd and I was not disappointed.
On the day of YI’s end-of-term exhibition and graduation, I arrived at the Museum early and began to set up. I matched titles with artworks and made sure bridge sketches were stuck to portable gallery walls. Once the event began, I had the job of greeting people and the opportunity to see the place slowly fill up. Past YI Leaders came to talk with present YI participants. Ruminations on the art were spliced with advice about college applications and life after Youth Insights. The only way I was able to separate from my peers was the allure of homemade cheesecake and the beckoning of educators as the graduation ceremony began.
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YI participants, friends, family, and teachers roam the end-of-term exhibition that featured artwork and writing by YI teens. Photograph by Desi Gonzalez
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YI Writer Billy stops to smile with YI Leaders Evelin and Hannah. Photograph by Desi Gonzalez
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Teens in the YI Writers program created large-scale drawings with Dawn Clements. Photograph by Desi Gonzalez
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Teens and their guests look at work by YI Artists and Writers. Photograph by Desi Gonzalez
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YI Writer Tiye shows her writing and art to her family. Photograph by Desi Gonzalez
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YI certificates and gifts were handed out to all participants. Photograph by Desi Gonzalez
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Teens, staff members, and guests were joined by Adam Weinberg, Alice Pratt Brown Director of the Whitney Museum, as he thanked our teens and artists-in-residence. Photograph by Desi Gonzalez
Students and artists gathered around the staircase to share their parting words. In the Leaders program, we don’t get to work with an artist-in-residence, which is an aspect of YI that I greatly missed. You could tell, just from the artists’ facial expressions, what a great time they had. YI Writers worked with artist Dawn Clements, and YI Artists worked with artist Corey McCorkle. Both artists have been included in past Whitney Biennials. Gifts were exchanged, flowers were given, and all the cheesecake was eaten (quickly). For anyone that missed this event—you missed out! Next time YI sends you a swarm of emails, listen up!
by Rebecca, YI Leader