|
 |
teen docents visit with kara walker
In the Summer of 2004, young women participating
in a model teen docent program at the Fuller Craft Museum visited Art:21
artist Kara Walker in her New York City studio as the capstone of a three-year
partnership between the two organizations. The Fuller Teen Docent Program,
developed in 1996 under the aegis of the Brockton Alliance for Youth and
the Massachusetts Cultural Council YouthReach Initiative, was formed to
address the issue of high rates of adolescent pregnancy in Brockton. Today,
the program uses contemporary art as a means to discuss difficult issues
such as sexuality, prejudice, “looks-ism”, teen pregnancy, and politics.
The Art:21 series was integrated into the docent program, using the artist
profiles and accompanying educational resources to introduce the women
to a diverse range of artists and the issues raised in their work. Art:21
staff have visited the program, previewing materials from the series and
facilitating discussions on careers in the arts and thematic connections
to docent programs and activities.
Kara Walker, featured in the second season of Art:21, has sparked controversy
in the art world for her iconic silhouette images exploring issues of
race, gender, and American history. The teen docents were interested in
Walker’s personal experiences as an African-American artist and were inspired
by the courage and power of her work. This unique opportunity to visit
Walker’s New York studio introduced the young women to an influential
working artist and creative role model whose life experiences informed
her own self-expression and life choices. In addition to the studio visit,
the Fuller docents attended the Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial
exhibition and talked with teen docents from the Whitney Youth Insights
program.
As a direct result of their visit with Walker, the teens developed an
expressive and high impact community project. The project is “a direct
response to Kara’s cut-outs and her gutsy subject matter,” says the Fuller’s
Teen Docent Coordinator, Margaret Tittemore. at the time of the project,
census data stated that 170 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19
were mothers in the Brockton area, a rate 112% higher than the state average.
Participants in the docent program wrestled with this troubling statistic
and incorporated it into their installation, titled “Eyes Averted.” 170
glass globes with lighted candles within them were floated in the moat
around the Fuller Craft Museum’s courtyard, with a large-scale silhouette
of girls riding a school bus installed nearby.
|
