Last Thursday was the final portfolio show for our Arts Ambassadors program. Our six talented young artists presented their exhibition, which they titled “Visions of Change.” The work in the show culminated through weekly after school classes and workshops at the School of Visual Arts. There, the students (juniors and seniors in local high schools) explored visual art as a socially engaged practice. Our education coordinator Zoey Hart led the group through various topics, lessons, and activities that were central to developing their portfolios and understanding the affects that art can have on socially conscious issues. Guest artists and arts professionals also were invited to work closely with each student in order to give them an in depth and direct experience of working in the arts. The final work in the exhibition addressed a myriad of issues that these young artists from the New York metropolitan area felt affected them strongly. The result was a powerful exhibition of both the artists’ concepts and their process. We held a small opening reception for the artists and their family, classmates, and teachers to see the fruits of their hard work! All the documents (press release, wall text, labels) and the installation was done solely by the student artists. Below are each of our Arts Ambassador’s artists statements.

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