Jonathan Choi’s “Error” illustration depicts semi-robotic arms unleashing their weapons on a family in their own home. An adult prevents a child from reaching his guardian or parent, who is attacked by a stream of bullets: one has already pierced the forehead. Choi’s work is one of nearly 600 award-winning pieces by New York teenagers on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art starting tomorrow, March 24.
These talented students in grades seven through 12 received Gold Keys, the highest regional recognition of school art 2023 and Writing Prize. A jury of artistic and literary leaders selected works in the New York area from the submissions by over 3,000 students, and the Met along with the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, which administers the awards, organized the the winning artworks freely by theme and medium, with quotes from winning poems and short stories pasted on select gallery walls. The exhibition is on view until May 21.
“The young people participating in this exhibition have dedicated their time and creative energy to these works, and we are proud to show their art at the museum,” said Heidi Holder, president of the Met Education, in a statement shared with Hyperallergic. “Creating art – drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, photography, etc. – helps young people make sense of our complex world and enables them to express this understanding to others.”
Works in categories such as comics, design, mixed media and sculpture appear in two spaces in the museum’s education center. Printed pieces such as digital art, comics and photographs hang in groups of five to ten on the walls of the group recording room. In the center of the gallery space, a slide show of sculptures, films, animated works and other pieces that could not be presented are played on a loop. Viewers can see paintings, illustrations and mixed media in the surrounding hallways.
Despite differences in form and vision, the works show the sustained engagement of young people on topics such as depression, transphobia or personal growth. Christophe Wisniewski, executive director of the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, said Hyperallergic that social issues, mental health and identity issues have always been present in the work they acknowledge. However, these questions have become more prominent in recent iterations of the exhibit. “It makes sense,” Wisniewski said. “Given what these young people have been through in recent years.”
Mia Cruz’s “Agenda” cartoon, included in the Editorial Cartoon category, criticizes the Republican Party for its scaremongering and transphobic tactics. Heidi Li’s “Piece by Piece” and Julian Raheb’s “Climate Poverty” are two of the many works that explore climate change. Meanwhile, Julien Level restores identity and perception in the digital work “Ode To the Mind”. Competing thoughts such as “You are constantly dying until you realize you are immortal” or “I owe no one anything” collide with overlapping faces.
The figure and the family are also recurring themes. Holder noticed many grandparents and elders depicted on the walls, such as in “Duality” by Django Luis, which depicts two black men, possibly a father and a grandfather, holding a baby with lighted candles behind. -plan. another motive Holder identified was one of distorted realities. While Julien Mitchell’s “Living Nightmare” photograph shows a living person leaning against the doors of what looks like the doors of a van, the purple body paint and rolling eyes lend picture a strange mood.
Beyond celebrating these talented teenagers, Holder hopes the exhibit will also be a confidence boost for any young performers coming to the Met. “It’s a big deal for kids going through these spaces to see that teenagers can show their work here,” he said.
