The Art of Becoming
Exploring the power of arts education to shape lives, build community, and cultivate creative practice.
The Art of Becoming
The Art of Becoming
A special project with Marian Goodman Gallery, the High School of Art & Design, and The Alternative Art School.
The Art of Becoming
Exploring the power of arts education to shape lives, build community, and cultivate creative practice.
A collaborative project bringing together Alena Marchak, Andrew Bencsko, Nato Thompson, and students from the High School of Art and Design to explore the role of arts education in shaping lives, building community, and cultivating creative practice.
Produced and Moderated by Saul Applebaum
Marian Goodman Edu
The High School of Art & Design
The Alternative Art School
Luna and Irene
A collaborative project bringing together Alena Marchak, Andrew Bencsko, Nato Thompson, and students from the High School of Art and Design to explore the role of arts education in shaping lives, building community, and cultivating creative practice.
collaborative project bringing together Alena Marchak, Andrew Bencsko, Nato Thompson, and students from the High School of Art and Design to explore the role of arts education in shaping lives, building community, and cultivating creative practice
Statement about the design (from Dan Golden)
Marian Goodman Edu
The High School of Art & Design
The Alternative Art School
Luna and Irene
Act One
Exploring the power of arts education to shape lives, build community, and cultivate creative practice.
Saul Appelbalum: Andrew, I went to a Fine Art High School, and it was so impactful. It’s still so vivid, influential, and important to me today. I’m sure you’ve had a positive effect on a lot of students’ lives. Thank you, genuinely. Will you give an overview of the High School of Art and Design and what you’re up to at that program?
Andrew Bencsko: The High School of Art and Design has been in existence since 1937. It was started by four art teachers in New York City, and they wanted to provide a place for young creatives, But not just for the arts, but also to prepare them for a profession as in the arts. So originally it was started off as the High School of Industrial Arts. And then around the 1950s, it changed to the High School of Art and Design. And that name was deliberate in that art and design were two different entities, but that they were living harmoniously together in our school. We’re an audition public school. So we have representatives from all five boroughs, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, and Staten Island. And they could choose between eight majors animation, architecture, cartooning, fashion, design, film, video, graphic design, illustration, and photography.
And it’s like an art college light, if you will. And I don’t want to diminish what we teach them here, but they have all their other academics. So they have a foundation and a tech class that they start off in freshman year. So they have a taste of a traditional commercial art by hand in their foundation class and in their tech class, they’re learning about digital photography, graphic design, digital painting, photo manipulation, and film. And in their sophomore year, they have one period of art history and one period of their major. And then in their senior and junior year, they have a
In the cadence of dgs, curator, u me u, rewrite this introductory statement about the design for this feature with mgg in-depth editorial… and make it connect to the article.
figures are abstracted human forms representing reach…
We spent a year talking with alena at mgg edu and came up with this kit of parts… design thinking…
Saul Appelbalum: Andrew, I went to a Fine Art High School, and it was so impactful. It’s still so vivid, influential, and important to me today. I’m sure you’ve had a positive effect on a lot of students’ lives. Thank you, genuinely. Will you give an overview of the High School of Art and Design and what you’re up to at that program?
Andrew Bencsko: The High School of Art and Design has been in existence since 1937. It was started by four art teachers in New York City, and they wanted to provide a place for young creatives, But not just for the arts, but also to prepare them for a profession as in the arts. So originally it was started off as the High School of Industrial Arts. And then around the 1950s, it changed to the High School of Art and Design. And that name was deliberate in that art and design were two different entities, but that they were living harmoniously together in our school. We’re an audition public school. So we have representatives from all five boroughs, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, and Staten Island. And they could choose between eight majors animation, architecture, cartooning, fashion, design, film, video, graphic design, illustration, and photography.
And it’s like an art college light, if you will. And I don’t want to diminish what we teach them here, but they have all their other academics. So they have a foundation and a tech class that they start off in freshman year. So they have a taste of a traditional commercial art by hand in their foundation class and in their tech class, they’re learning about digital photography, graphic design, digital painting, photo manipulation, and film. And in their sophomore year, they have one period of art history and one period of their major. And then in their senior and junior year, they have a
Act One
Exploring the power of arts education to shape lives, build community, and cultivate creative practice.
A collaborative project bringing together Alena Marchak, Andrew Bencsko, Nato Thompson, and students from the High School of Art and Design to explore the role of arts education in shaping lives, building community, and cultivating creative practice. Luna and Irene.
Produced and Moderated by Saul Applebaum
This special feature brings together Nato Thompson (founder of The Alternative Art School), Alena Marchak (Director of Education at Marian Goodman Gallery), and Andrew Bencsko (educator at the High School of Art & Design) to explore the role of arts education in shaping lives, building community, and cultivating creative practice.
The piece is accompanied by original visuals designed in collaboration with students from the High School of Art & Design, as part of an editorial design charrette led by Curator and partners.
“We wanted to reach out to more diverse groups, younger students, and offer workshops and tours.”
Alena Marchak