Selected Work From the Artist Mentorship Program
Smack Mellon is pleased to announce the opening of Art Ready: Selected Work from the Artist Mentorship Program. The exhibition presents the artwork of students who participated in the 2018-2019 session of Art Ready, Smack Mellon’s arts mentorship program for NYC public high school students interested in pursuing a career in the visual arts. This year, students worked with professional artists who specialize in painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic design, architecture, stop motion, fashion, photography and film. Included in the show will be an impressive range of media such as paper casting, figurative drawing, sculpture, painting, printmaking, collage, photography, graphic novels, animation, bookmaking and magazine branding.
Art Ready engages young people in a way no other arts education program does-by pairing students directly with successful working artists. Mentors provide professional and creative guidance as the students make decisions about their futures in the arts. They tutor the students in their creative process, introduce them to new ways of working, and encourage critical reflection. Museum admission, transportation, mentor time, and snacks are all provided to students free of charge.
This year’s student artists came together from 14 different high schools and feature Akmaral Aitzhanova, Halimat Akanbi, Afrin Aktar, Jalyn Barham, Carlos Bautista, Sevah Darbouze, Onyx Disla, Jayson Garcia, Addis Hoilett, Karen Huang, Matthew Leung, Sam Levy, Peter Marshall, Mumtahina Nabila, Skye Peguero, Brys Peralta, Levi Ramos, Leishka Rosario, Olga Santos, Marlena Baker, Jossiline Tavares, Lesly Tacoaman, Ana Torres, Aliyah Warr, Nora Wiley-Schwartz, and Gabriela Zafra.
This year’s Professional Artist Mentors were Golnar Adili, Claudia Bitran, Michael Paul Britto, Heejung Cho, Beth Dary, Sage and Coombe Architects: Sam Lee and Abdulgader Nasseer, and Phillip Shung.
Smack Mellon’s Education Programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York City Council Member Stephen Levin, and with support from Select Equity Group Foundation, Exploring The Arts and Smack Mellon’s Members.
Smack Mellon’s programs are also made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor M. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, and with generous support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund of The New York Community Trust, The Roy and Niuta Titus Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Robert Lehman Foundation, The Greenwich Collection Ltd, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation Inc., Iorio Charitable Foundation, and Smack Mellon’s Members.
Space for Smack Mellon’s programs is generously provided by the Walentas Family and Two Trees Management.
In-kind donations are provided by Artist & Craftsman Supply, Costco, Fairway, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and by Materials for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs/NYC Department of Sanitation/NYC Department of Education. Special thanks to Downtown Community Television.
