YI Meets Kathryn Potts
Jul 5, 2016
YI Arts Careers meets with Associate Director and Helena Rubinstein Chair of Education Kathryn Potts. Photograph by Dyeemah Simmons
Youth Insights Arts Careers began on July 5 with an icebreaker and a meeting with Kathryn Potts, Associate Director and Helena Rubinstein Chair of Education. Potts explained her role of developing education programs for adult, school, youth, family, and access audiences and gave a brief history of the Whitney Museum.
Potts introduced us to Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, who was an exceptional woman of her time. When The Metropolitan Museum of Art declined Mrs. Whitney’s collection of American art, she decided to open her own museum in her downtown studio on West Eighth Street, which had been a second home and support system to many contemporary artists.
The day ended with us discussing different portraits in Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection, including Cindy Sherman’s Untitled (2008), Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s Portals (2016), and Urs Fischer's Standing Julian (2015). It was truly a day of brilliant conversations and intriguing comments.
By Winnie, YI participant