A Year with Children 2005

The artwork presented in this annual exhibition was created by students who participated in Learning Through Art (LTA), a program of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. LTA sends experienced teaching artists into New York City public schools, where they collaborate with classroom teachers to design art projects related to the elementary school curriculum. During the 2004–05 school year, LTA teaching artists served nearly 1,500 students in ten schools throughout the city.

The exhibition highlights six themes—Community, Identity, Social Issues, Stories, Symbols, and The World–which offer insight into some of the areas of interest and concern to New York City students and teachers. Whether addressing environmental issues or immigrant experiences, storytelling or community concerns, these students used art to express ideas critically and creatively.

While creating their own art, students looked at and discussed art on view at the Guggenheim, both in the classroom and on visits to the museum. Careful viewing and open-ended conversations helped students understand how artists explore and express ideas, provided springboards for skill-based lessons, and introduced students to the great variety of artistic styles and intellectual concerns encountered in art. During the 2004–05 school year, students drew inspiration from art on view in The Aztec Empire; Keith Haring: New Wave Aztec; The Eye of the Storm: Works in situ by Daniel Buren; and the Guggenheim Museum's permanent collection.

A Year with Children 2005