On February 9, 2012 District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. held an art reception for an exhibit of children’s art. The exhibit on display in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in celebration of Black History Month is a collection of artwork created by children who participated in educational programs at the Studio Museum in Harlem. The following educational programs are represented in this exhibit:                                              

Margaret Douglas School (P.S. 36)

Students in kindergarten classes traveled around their community examining the people and places in Harlem. Using a pinhole camera created in class, students observed shadows, shapes, and textures of objects and buildings in their school community. Inspired by Romare Bearden’s The Block (1971), students used a variety of mixed media and a plethora of decorative and found items to collectively create a collaged mural of a neighborhood block in Harlem.

Horan School (P.S. 79)

High school students focused on the principles of composition, balance, contrast, color, and form as they learned the basics of digital photography. During community walks, students recognized their connection to the built community around them, learned how to navigate the public space of the City, and connected the visual arts to other disciplines such as math, writing, and communication. Students used techniques of cropping, selecting, cutting-and-pasting, color-changing, and layering textures to create photo collages.

Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School

Building upon their literacy skills, kindergarten students created Bearden-inspired collages in small groups by using their imaginations to create their own neighborhood blocks on paper. This project was designed to reinforce students’ literacy, understanding of shapes, colors, space, pattern, story sequence, and composition.

Founded in 1968, the Studio Museum in Harlem is the nexus for artists of African descent and artists who have been inspired and influenced by black culture. For more information about the museum please visit www.studiomuseum.org.