The New Art Center
We were invited to The New Art Center last week. And that was the first time to visit this kind of a successful educational art organization. Coincidentally, one of the issues I am interested in is how to combine some good curatorial skills and some educational elements.
After I enter The New Art Center, I go to the gallery. Obviously, it is located in a rebuilt room, the roof of which is very high, and it gives me a feeling that it does not look like a standard gallery that is depressing in most cases. Apart from this, the structure of the gallery is clear at a glance, some paintings are hanging on the wall, and there are two installations placed on two sides of the room. I do not want to evaluate the artworks. However, my first feeling about the gallery is that it is spacious, pure and warm. There are many warm color artworks and decorations. And then I go to a small studio situated on the third floor. I see an artist who is working on his artwork there. His painting is based on different people’s creations, which means that many people paint it. In my opinion, it would let more people be engaged in this piece of art if one moved the work into the gallery. The viewer could witness how their creation became an artwork, and the gallery would be more interactive.
After visiting the studio and classrooms on the first floor and basement, I understand why I have an impression that there is no complete gallery. The upper level is the gallery, and the lower floor is a small art school. More than that, there are different kinds of studios, like a painting studio and a ceramic studio. Many students keep working here even at 7-8 p.m. The New Art Center is different from common art schools, the education center in the Museum of Fine Art, and educational activities in MFA as well. MFA concentrates more on developing children’s interest in art; however, children have no chance to exhibit their works in MFA in a formal way. It is just an educational activity, and only little children with their parents join the activity in the majority of cases. However, The New Art Center is clearly different from MFA. There are many students of various ages in the Center who can work with professional equipment and in various studios. The most important thing is that they have a chance to exhibit their artworks in the gallery.
I think it is the best encouragement and recognition for a student. The New Art Center students are more aggressive and motivated in comparison with the children from MFA.As for me, the feelings of pureness and warmth that fill me once I enter the gallery are one more reason for a student having a chance to show his/her works in a professional gallery. I cannot tell which one is better – MFA or The New Art Museum, …
