Corcoran College of Art and Design
ArtReach
Shadows of History
Upcoming Exhibition
Shadows of History: Photographs of the Civil War
February 4–May 6, 2012
San Miguel
Travel with the Corcoran
Discover the world's treasures on art-themed trips to Havana and Trinidad, Cuba, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Corcoran ArtReach

Celebrating 20 Years


In our video, you can meet three young Washington D.C. residents—Alex, Kayla, and Marie—who are learning about the world and themselves through art.

 

Students who participate in arts learning experiences often improve their achievement in other realms of learning and life.

— National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, 2006


Art allows me to express myself, master a skill that I love, and soothe my soul.

— Alex Marie Gore, 7th grade

ArtReach, the Corcoran’s community art program, is celebrating its 20th year of high-quality visual arts education for the youth in our community. The program extends the resources of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the College of Art + Design to the diverse neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. Partnering with community organizations around the city, we provide after-school programs, summer classes, and workshops to underserved youth and their families. The program serves more than 300 students a year.
                               
Using the Gallery’s collection as a primary resource, ArtReach fosters creativity and visual literacy skills while helping students develop meaningful connections between art and their lives. During a semester, participants take field trips to the galleries to look at, discuss, and interpret works of art. Back in the studio, they experiment with a variety of art materials and methods to create their own artwork inspired by these experiences.

Now on View at the Corcoran

 

Community Free Flow Painting, a special exhibition of art created by ArtReach students in the spring 2011 semester, who studied the Corcoran’s exhibition Washington Color and Light. After learning about the Washington Color School artists, students worked on a color profile writing assignment, making unique color associations and developing ways to discuss abstract art.
                   
Color Field artists Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Helen Frankenthaler poured paint onto canvas to break from the conventions of painting and explore different methods of applying color to surfaces. Frankenthaler, in particular, envisioned an imaginary world within the intricate lines of paint poured onto her canvas. Following this process, students dripped watered-down acrylics onto watercolor paper and manipulated the paint by blowing through straws and physically moving the paper. They continued to alter their images by adding permanent marker and watercolor paints to enhance their compositions. By using spontaneous yet intentional art-making methods, students found they could create abstract free-flow paintings while controlling the final outcome.