Nurturing artists
- frida@artyardbklyn.org
- May 8
- 10 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Nurturing artists as they develop their teaching skills is an essential part of our mission at AYB. This week, we are delighted to share the great accomplishments of our teaching artists. Both Assata Benoit, who taught Advanced Studio on Zoom this week, and Evelyn Beliveau, who taught ART YARD Art Matters at PS 17 on Wednesday, began their tenure with AYB as participating artists. Dennis and I have been thrilled to work with them as they develop into the superb educators they are now!
We also had two artists moving into their roles as first-time teaching artists — Jazz Guillet leading Advanced Studio in person, and Chris Allen beginning his first cycle at ART YARD Art Matters at PS 6. Before 9am, Dennis was texting to say Chris was already a “gigantic success” and that he held the students in his thrall with his well-prepared lesson, excellent preparation, and magnetic, calm demeanor.
We also have exhibition and workshop recommendations, as well as an invitation to our exhibition, Resized, opening on Saturday, May 16th, from 6–8pm at the Gallery at 180 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn.
We launched the week with an unexpected twist on our migration theme, as AYB Artist Assata Benoit introduced the lush narrative paintings of Hulda Guzman as a springboard to exploring astral projection, or dreamed environments, in Advanced Studio on Zoom.
Assata writes: “Hulda Guzman’s work has always had a transformative effect on me. I can feel the emotions and automatically hear the environment. In Guzman’s painting Delightning, I can hear the thunder crack and the sound of the cat jumping. The scenery feels like somewhere I’ve been before, a dream or a distant memory — as does most of Guzman’s work.
I tasked the class with making pieces based off astral projection and places once visited in their dreams (conscious or unconscious). Most people know a place like this well — a coveted vacation, an empty room, a gloomy beach, a mess of people and items, yourself at the peak of your career… where do you go when you let your mind wander? Only the artist can tell.”
Karla chimes in: “In creating my mixed media collage, I thought about the fact that I rarely dream about nature, so I took this opportunity to create a dream that incorporates images of nature from a discarded 1919 book titled "Pictured Knowledge," used in NY classrooms. Invented trees cut from handmade paper bring another interpretation of nature to the foreground. Central to the piece is a large silhouette-like image of a black bird. I often enjoy the many types of birds visiting my feeders each day!
Karla compliments: Thank you, Assata, for an inspiring lesson! Your crayon piece is great! The trees seem alive and mysterious!! The strong angles of the road really draw the viewer in to the mystery!! Such a great variety in responses!
I really like the contrast — nature and architecture — in Meridith's painting. Especially like the suspended window!!
I like the repetitive drawn lines in Leah's piece! I feel a sense of being enclosed and overwhelmed! Sudan also used repeating lines to create a strong emotional feel in his work.
Leah Eliopulous, and Sudan Green, Dream Place
The bright colors in Vee's work really respond to some of the lesson images! The grids and collective imagery create a complex narrative.
Adji's painting is wonderful! The abstraction and color palette/layering are beautiful!
Like the strong central "V" in Cheyenne's painting. The colors are so strangely inviting!
Nayarit really handles the digital collage construction so beautifully! The composition is filled with symbols.
Compliments to Aaron, Ed, and Rashidah for so effectively expressing narrative through the use of minimal symbolic shapes.”
In the first of two consecutive Advanced Studio in person sessions with AYB Artists Jazz Guillet & Meridith McNeal, we began painted paper self-portrait figurines inspired by the sculptural work of John Darcy Noble, curator of toys at Museum of the City of New York. Most artworks discussed and depicted below are in progress.
Jazz summarizes: “This week migration came in the form of self-image. Who am I when I look at myself? How might that change? Stay the same? The idea was a silly accident. In talking about more ways to make miniatures, I thought back to sitting at the family computer playing dress-up on myscene.com.
Designing a doll meant to be the version my tween-self longed to see in the mirror felt like a glimpse into a hopeful future. And who’s to say we couldn’t and shouldn’t do that again?
Jazz Guillet, Self Portrait Figurines in progress
Tuesday, we gathered to make miniature paper-doll-like versions of ourselves. Each person got the chance to decide which self they would recreate: the current iteration, a past memory, or the self they most wanted to be seen as. The choice was each person’s to make.
During our closing comparisons, Meridith made a connection between Juliet’s dramatic sleeves and the imposing grandeur of the Franco Zeffirelli sets for the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Turandot. Equally glamorous is Ariel’s in-progress self.
Juliet Adams, Ariel Abdullah, Self Portrait Figurines and Turandot at the Met
We are thrilled that Vee is back from an artist residency in China! For this project, Vee used a mix of puffs and buttons to build out this incredible version of themselves.
Dylan continued celebrating his new age with a band of text at the base of his figure and the addition of his crime-fighting puppy. Wherever there’s injustice, they’re around the corner.
Vee Tineo, Dylan Gomez, Self Portrait Figurines
Kevin used wonderfully layered watercolor to recreate the ultimate phone selfie. He wasn’t alone. Lilo and Chace also decided to memorialize themselves in similar ways.
Kevin Anderson, Lilo Lewis, Chace Mondesir, Self Portrait Figurines
Our youngest Advanced Studio participant Dellany proved she continues to hone her watercolor skills with a delicate rainbow treatment on her figurine. Shellorne focused on stature and fashion, playing with fabric and a forward tilt of her head, with a flowery hat effectively veiling her face, creating a delightful miniature. Sebastian recreated himself as his distinguished bear, our very own Bed-Stuy Paddington.
Delanny Gomez, Shellorne Smith, Sebastian LaBossiere, Self Portrait Figurines
Abriel (Bob) used oil pastels to create such detailed facial features, bringing a lovely feeling of whimsy to her miniature self standing in a blooming garden. Similarly, Maria used oil pastels to design a delicately detailed sweater, saucy posture, and glorious hair.
Abriel (bob) Gardner, Maria Polonco, Self Portrait Figurines
Margaret created an out-of-this-world miniature, recreating their long limbs in an otherworldly, abstracted fashion.
Christine brought her former students Amilie and Christian. They, along with Molly, all focused on depicting themselves taking part in hobbies they love — dance, yoga, basketball.
Self Portrait Figurines by Christine Willis, Amily Gonzalez, Christian Stanley, Molly Willis
AYB Teaching Artist Evelyn Beliveau was back to lead ART YARD Art Matters at PS 17.
Evelyn summarizes: “At PS 17, Dennis, Simone, Chris, and I (Evelyn) met with our classes in Grades 4, 1, and 2 (our Grade 7 class missed this week due to a schedule change). We had a busy day with new and continuing lesson cycles.
Tables set up for papier-mâché
Grade 4 jumped into Goldfinch in Flight, a papier-mâché sculpture project inspired by the state bird of New Jersey. Before students arrived, our team arranged the tables with student nametags, bird armatures (assembled by Simone in the morning from the parts we created last week: Styrofoam spheres for bird heads and bodies, cardboard templates for wings, tails, and beaks), newsprint strips, and containers of a water-and-glue mixture. With paper tablecloths, birds on plastic plates to catch drips, and paper towels at each station, Dennis joked that the tables looked set for a fancy dinner!
As students arrived, we announced the new project and emphasized the delicacy of the materials, especially the armatures—and students did a pretty good job of leaving materials untouched until after they’d listened to instructions (difficult for curious students when special new supplies are introduced!). After a crash course on papier-mâché (a sculptural technique in which strips of paper are saturated with a mix of water and glue and applied to a structure, then allowed to dry and harden into a sturdy casing), students jumped into art-making time. Our team circulated busily, helping students use the most effective amount of the glue mixture and demonstrating how to mold the paper strips closely around the armature. We’re glad to have Chris, an experienced sculptor, on the team for this project. For many students, it was their first experience with papier-mâché, and many told us they enjoyed the process, even when the glue got a bit messy! We mitigated an end-of-class handwashing stampede by asking students to wait till their table was called before getting in line at the sink. Most students covered about half of their armatures with papier-mâché and will continue next week.
Papier-mâché in action!
Grades 1 and 2 continued the lesson cycle begun last week, inspired by the work of AYB Artist Ed Rath. Last time, we examined paintings by Ed of street scenes busy with cars, buses, people, dogs, taxis, and bicycles, and students drew their own city landscapes in pencil on paper—many opting for a composition with parallel horizontal lines as seen in the paintings The Machine Age (2017) and The Bravest People in the World (2024). This week, we zoomed in to look at Ed’s painting techniques, especially the way he achieves white outlines by carefully painting each shape of color with gaps in between. I invited students to try this out with acrylic paint markers; many students took the project in their own directions, but in some we can see the influence of slow, careful coloring of individual shapes. Our team helped students locate colors, share and take turns, and add more vehicles and characters to their drawings. Students will have one more class period to finish bringing their city scenes into full color.
AYB Managing Director Dennis Buonagura reports in this afternoon: “Teaching Artist Christopher Allen joined the team at our ART YARD Art Matters partnership school in Jersey City, PS 6, on Friday with his lesson "Can't Leave Without Them", revolving around shoes in art.
Chris got his feet wet (I couldn't resist, sorry!) by working with 3 groups of students - 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 4th grade. His prep work was intense - he created cardboard armatures of shoes/sneakers (including high tops) in the fashion of Teaching Artist Evelyn Beliveau's bird sculptures at PS 17 - except he made MANY MANY armatures (at PS 6 - we often host classes for 75-90 students on any given Friday) - and he’s still making them!
His presentation included an explanation of paper mâché and armatures, works by artists who inspired him, Brian Jungen and Daniel Arsham, and the works of AYB's Meridith McNeal and Claudia Alvarez - in addition to discussions about Andy Warhol's paintings of shoes, the old tradition of bronzing baby shoes, and designer Thom Browne's silver plated shoe exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt in 2016. Also images of Michael Jordan and other sports figures and people from the music industry who have influenced the design of shoes.
The first day of a 3 week cycle is generally creating drafts, which is what the students did - in pencil first and adding details with colored pencils. If representatives of The House of Ferragamo were in Jersey City on Friday, they'd have scooped up many of our students and whisked them away to Italy for careers in luxury shoe design. I am always amazed at the ideas and creativity of this school's students.
We had cupcake sneakers. rainbow designs, sneakers with springs, motors, arms and legs - you name it!
Next week - a lesson in putting together an armature and molding with paper mâché.”
Other Art News
Dennis shares: “I was honored to be invited to the 4th annual art show at the Robert Louis Stevenson School celebrating the accomplishments of their high school students. The works of over 50 students included studio art, photography and film, textiles and computer science projects were on display.
RSL is a fantastic independent college preparatory school with therapeutic components designed to promote academic engagement and social-emotional connections. It's in a gorgeous row house on West 74th Street near Central Park - I had a tour of the school a few weeks prior and I left there hoping they'd ask me to come back as a student!
Brochure and artworks on view at 4th Annual Stevenson Art Show. Photos Dennis Buonagura.
At the exhibition, I chatted with one of their art teachers and their director of special programming - and heard about the challenges that turned into successes for their students. The proof is in their art. I was asked to not get their names in my photographs (which is why you don't see any labels) - but I was gigantically impressed at the artists' statements and their labels. We all know how difficult that can be - and these were really spot on. I especially loved the fabric pizza!
Congrats to the students and the admin of the Robert Louis Stevenson School.”
AYB Artist TJ Edgar shares the mixed media collage she created as the final project for her artmaking course this semester at Spelman College:
AYB Artist Sudan Green shares a new series of ceramics fresh out of the kiln.
Congratulation to AYB Teaching Artist Rachael Wren who is exhibiting new paintings in a two-person show In the Ecstasy of the Sun, running through June 26th at Rick Wester Fine Art, 526 W 26th Street, NYC.
Rachael explains: “Mary and I share several underlying similarities, such as a connection to nature and the creation of emotional resonance through abstraction, though our approach and imagery are quite different. We are excited for our work to be in conversation and look forward to sharing the new paintings with you.
AYB Artist Ed Rath invites us to join him at the artist reception of PRACTICING MEMORY 55 Mercer and the Living Archive Thursday, May 14, 6-8pm, NoHo M55 Gallery, 548 W 28th St #634 NYC 10001. The exhibition will remain on view through May 30, 2026.
Curated by AYB Artist Golnar Adili and Melika Abikenari, with work by AYB Artists Midred Beltré, Free Inside, Meridith McNeal, Iviva Olenick and Ajani Russell we encourage you to join us for mādar, iran relief exhibition on Friday May 15, 6pm - late, at Cue Art Foundation, 137 W. 25th Street, NYC.
This week during Advanced Studio in person, Artist Lilo Lewis enthusiastically shared with us a workshop/conversation titled “Can we de-stigmatize the end together?” they are guiding. We encouraged Lilo to keep us in the loop for more opportunities to join in.
Lilo writes: “I want to invite you all to a conversation about death, for me it crosses my mind constantly and I think to make it less strange we should talk. So let’s talk.”
Can we de-stigmatize the end together?”
CELEBRATE WITH US!
AYB Artist Ariel Abdullah, who is organizing our art raffle for the event, writes: “In support of our community, we are gathering donated artworks and creative treasures for the Resized fundraising raffle. I sent a detailed email to our artists list earlier today! You can also access the form to Donate artwork or contribute to the raffle here: Raffle Donation Form
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