Beacon - Fifteen students from McQuade Children’s Services’ Kaplan School recently completed a three session art appreciation program at Dia:Beacon’s Learning Lab in Beacon, NY. Accompanied by the Kaplan School’s longtime art teacher Kathy Mennerich and class assistant Bhatia Preeti, the boys explored the museum’s collection of modern art with a visiting artist from Dia:Beacon. This was the second time McQuade students participated in Dia:Beacon’s Community Outreach program.
"Art is truly healing and a wonderful way for children to express their feelings and emotions," said Kaplan School art teacher Kathy Mennerich. "The boys who participated in the program were thrilled to be involved and felt great pride at being selected."
Students toured the museum and enjoyed a slide show with visiting artist Ryan Rao. They also discussed the important role collaboration and trust can play in art - and how those factors apply to daily life as well. In particular, Rao focused on a famous collaboration between Andy Warhol and Jean-Miche Basquiat sharing a canvas to develop one idea.
To bring home the lesson, the boys worked diligently for two weeks in the Kaplan Art Studio designing large cardboard panels with everything from graffiti influenced by slides of the Berlin Wall to a happy black-and-white dog among flowers to create a multi-piece sculpture of pieces that came together to create the whole. The completed panels were brought to DIA: Beacon where they were assembled to create the finished piece.
"Through their collaborative art project, the boys learned that no one person is alone," said Mennerich. "It is often necessary and important to lean on one another and work together to make a difference. It also can be quite fulfilling," she continued. "While traveling back over the Beacon Bridge on the second day of the program, one boy was overheard saying to another, ‘I think this may be the best day of my life.’" The students, along with their art teacher and assistants, celebrated their completion of the program with a special luncheon at Newburgh Buffet, complements of Mr. Patrick Casilli of Microtechnical. "It was my pleasure to recognize the boys for their creativity and a job well done," said Casilli, who has taken both groups out after completion of the program.
