Expressions 2005

Expressions 2005, Art by DC Youth celebrates the twelfth anniversary of Corcoran ArtReach, an award-winning program developed by the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Corcoran College of Art + Design to provide visual arts instruction, promote creativity, and contribute to the personal development of D.C. youth. Through skill-based art training in community centers and through in-depth mentoring and apprenticeship programs with selected high school students, Corcoran ArtReach extends the resources of the museum and college to our broader community.

Corcoran ArtReach students created imaginative works inspired by visits to the Corcoran’s recent exhibitions Thinking Inside the Box: The Art of Andrew Krieger and Common Ground: Discovering Community in 150 Years of Art, Selections from the Collection of Julia J. Norrell. They explore through art such themes as family and community while celebrating the value of identity and individuality. The current exhibition, which includes art boxes of all sizes, accordion books, a handmade lantern, and a video installation, represents the creativity and diversity of our community.

Corcoran ArtReach Community Studios
Each semester the Community Studios program provides free after-school studio art and creative writing instruction for D.C. students (ages 6 to 21). All classes take place in partnership with four local community centers: Asian American LEAD, CentroNia, the Latin American Youth Center Art and Media House, and The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts. Artists-in-Residence provide a wide variety of media, materials, and guidance at each site to encourage students to explore their neighborhoods and personal histories. Beginning this summer, our newest community studio will open at THE ARC in Anacostia where we will be able to partner with the Washington Ballet, the Levine School of Music, the Boys and Girls Club of Washington, Washington Middle School and a host of other community organizations.

:: View information about the Corcoran ArtReach Community Studios

Corcoran ArtReach Apprenticeship
Evolving from the original in-school component, this program offers high school students the chance to apprentice with professional artists, acquire advanced art skills, earn a stipend, and explore careers in public art and urban design. Over the course of two years, 72 Corcoran ArtReach students will have worked to plan, design and create artworks which will be installed on and near the reconstructed Nannie Helen Burroughs Bridge. This public art project located near the entrance to Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens will play a significant role in the revival of this section of the Watts Branch corridor, the longest municipal park in D.C.

:: View information about the Corcoran ArtReach Apprenticeship program

Corcoran ArtReach Mentorship
After twelve years, the Mentorship program is culminating this spring with the combined creative energies of five high school seniors their artist mentors. These students were recruited on the basis of teacher recommendations and referrals from other Corcoran ArtReach programs. Over the years, they have benefited from on- going, intense support, training, and encouragement from professional artists. Mentors represent the full spectrum of visual arts professionals, including painters, sculptors, printmakers, photographers, and installation artists. Long-term artist and youth partnerships have lasted up to three years and are at the
heart of the mentorship experience.

:: View information about the Corcoran ArtReach Apprenticeship program

Corcoran ArtReach extends special thanks to the D.C. Department of Transportation, the Comcast Foundation, and Capital One Financial Services for their extraordinary generosity in helping ArtReach serve more than 200 D.C. youth this year.

Additional, essential support has been provided by the following patrons:
Anonymous; Susan Spicer Angell; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; The Capital City Chapter of the LINKS; The D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities; The Mark and Carol Hyman Fund; Liatis Foundation; The Mary and Daniel Loughran Foundation; the George Preston Marshall Foundation; Morningstar Foundation; the Ochsman Foundation, Inc.; the Sony Technology Center, Pittsburgh; theStarr Foundation; and Whole Foods Market.

Corcoran ArtReach wishes to express its sincere appreciation to the following community partners and in-kind contributors:
Asian-American LEAD, Calvary Bilingual Multicultural Learning Center, Earth Conservation Corps, Friendship Edison Public Charter School, Latin American Youth Center, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, The SEED School, The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts, The Sheridan School, Washington Parks and People, Woodrow Wilson Senior High School, and Woodson Senior High School.