Think a bit more, feel a bit more
- frida@artyardbklyn.org
- Jul 11
- 10 min read
Updated: Jul 12
We ushered in our new theme Migration: From Here to There exploring movement in all its forms, from animal migration and environmental shifts to the personal and political realities of relocation and displacement with the first week of AYB Summer Session 2025, our free series of intensive artmaking workshops open to people of all ages.
This week we explored color theory with Assata Benoit, began making miniatures of items we Hold Dear with Jacob Rath & Leni Silva, looked at art in person with Adji Ngathe Kebe, and explored new art making methods inspired by David Hammons with Golnar Adili.
Summer Intern Delphine Levenson enthuses: “The first week was remarkable seeing how astounding and welcoming the community felt as we began our new session exploring migration.”
AYB Artist as Teaching Artist Assata Benoit started Summer Session off on the right foot with a well done power point which had us manifesting our theme through the process of artmaking.
Assata describes her process and the session in detail: “This lesson was such a great way to start the summer session! whenever I do a class, I try my best to give directions without placing limits on the participating artists.
My inspiration began with Lorna Simpson’s “Source Notes” exhibit at the Met. She uses color to communicate the icy disposition or vibrant confidence of her work. I always like to start my plans with a deep, dark emotional basis, then work my way up to a lighter, more airy inspiration. Another example I used was the work of Maria Szakats, who uses embroidered mohair to depict dreamlike imagery of everyday like. The brushed effect gives each piece a fantastic & ethereal feeling.
For the prompts, I asked everyone to create one work using gradient or color on the whole page, and another using it in a controlled manner (to highlight or drive their narrative). I was honestly blown away by each and every artist’s vulnerability and how many pieces that this lesson inspired. Most people did at least two pieces!
Vee made two very visually emotional pieces symbolizing the feeling of being lost, using wax to create text, which I’ve never seen before!
Vee Tineo, Color The Way
Mia put us all to shame by creating SIX beautiful pieces. I believe she put the fire under all of us to push ourselves into overproduction.
Mia Lew, Color the Way
Cindy made a debut with gorgeous depictions of flowers & her childhood home.
Cindy Zacarias, Color the Way
Adji brought us back to Hilma af Klint with her vibrant pieces.
Adji Ngathe Kebe, Color the Way
Delphine got super detailed with gradient figures that almost jumped off the page (can’t wait to see the finished product).
Oku brought us RIGHT into her painting with a powerful and emotional image of a red sun over cotton fields. You can feel the presence it immediately.
Okuhle Rulashe, Color the Way
Jacob stunned with two vibrant pieces, quite different from each other, but equally stunning.
Jacob Rath, Color the Way
Kevin surprised me with his painting skills, as he is usually a drawer, but his Brooklyn bridge is nothing short of stunning.
Kevin Anderson, Color the Way
Abriel’s work is always beautiful, simple and retro. I can recognize her style super easily now, what a testament to her consistency & skill.
Abriel (bob) Gardner, Color the Way
Simone, I have no words, as hers is all talk! Haha. The watercolor work was fabulous.
Simone Awor, Color the Way
TJ’s work was small but powerful, the map reminded me of a fantasy world.
TJ Edgar, Color the Way
I am so glad that students felt so free to create diverse works. This is one of my favorite lessons to date and I hope that it has set the tone for a creative summer!”
Assata Benoit, Color the Way
Tuesday we worked with AYB Artists/ Teaching Artist Team Jacob Rath and Lenika Silva in a very personal manifestation of our concept.
Jacob explains: “We began class with a discussion about the Small House Gallery in London. We discussed artwork that depicted people moving, artwork showing things left behind, and Meridith's series on magical things. The assignment was to make miniatures of objects that we left behind when we moved from one place to another, or of something we acquired because somebody we knew was moving away. I discussed the shirt I was wearing as an example. When my friend moved away from Minneapolis, they gave me their shirt, since they were limited in the number of things they could bring with them.
We created a wide variety of works about objects that got left behind when moving. This included a wide range of objects, such as furniture, stuffed animals, gifts from grandmothers, artwork, underpants, and even pets. All of these objects had stories attached to them which revealed emotional and important moments in our lives.
Leni adds: “Planning for this lesson with Jacob Rath we knew it would be a vulnerable and exciting class. We started out by explaining our project Hold Dear, inspired by migration this year’s ART YARD theme. Specifically the concept of moving and what gets left behind and what is brought into someone’s next chapter. For scale and to aid with our curatorial vision we are working with replicas of the Small House Gallery dollhouses made by AYB Artist Quentin Williamston.
Our objective for Gallery One was to create art from objects that have been left behind by yourself or someone using oven baked clay or watercolor. We also asked for participating artists to create a zine page of their object explaining its importance and how they lost or obtained it. Everyone was so generous in their vulnerability and shared intimate details about their sculptures.
Ed Rath, Meridith McNeal, Hold Dear, zines
Ed Rath, Hold Dear, collage and zine, Mia Lew Hold Dear, zine
We baked the clay sculptures in an air fryer I hauled all the way from my apartment in Astoria and it was so worth it. We did it in batches and sealed them with mod podge to give each piece a glossy finish.
Simon Awor, Liv Collins, Abriel (bob) Gardner, Asiana Billie, Delphine Levenson, Hold Dear
During critique Simone shared with us a beautiful story of how she obtained her grandmother’s purple rosary which is something she “holds dear”. That’s when I knew Jacob and I got our theme across because at that point we had not shared the name of the project with the class yet. Many other zine pages were reminiscent of love letters to their objects that were left but not forgotten.”
Leni, Jacob and I (Meridith) had an excellent meeting with Small House Gallery director Eldi Dundee on zoom this week. We are thrilled to report that Eldi will make artwork contribute to Hold Dear! We are so excited about this collaboration!!
Wednesday we hit the NYC summer streets on a splendid art viewing field trip to see Toyin Ojih Odutola: Ilé Oriaku at Jack Shainman Gallery, Renée Stout: Truth-telling at Marc Straus Gallery, and Beauford Delaney: In The Medium of Life at The Drawing Center.
AYB Artist and Teaching Artist Adji Ngathe Kebe recaps: “AYB field trips are always a great time. The beauty of the art can be easily compared to the beauty of the discussions. We met at the Jack Shainman Gallery at Lafayette Street. Toyin Ojih Odotula’s “Ilé Oriaku,” had found a new home in this pristine gallery. Odotula’s art is multi-dimensional in many ways. Each piece is a collage of intricate webs. Within the same painting there are sharp lines that separate between two or multiple realities. There are organic shapes, frequent layering. There are also many interpretations to each painting. For example, we spent some time transfixed by Don’t Be Afraid; Use What I Gave You.
Jacob was curious about the figure in the mirror. He noticed the different shades of grey, which made up the skin. The mustache, green earrings, necklace, and red gloved hand . He wondered if both figures were the same gender or even the same person. He was thinking about in the idea of an inner-and-outer-self represented in the artwork.
Abriel (Bob) mentioned the eyes of the figure in the mirror look pleading. Perhaps it felt shame. Lila looked closely at the similarities and differences between the two figures, starting with the different hand gestures. She said the figure in green looked like they were about to strike; perhaps they didn’t like what they saw in the reflection. We had a great conversation about the piece. There was so much to discuss and dissect and that’s a testament to the complexity of Odotula’s work. Every time we stared at the painting, we arrived to a different understanding.
Our itinerary was packed and we stopped by Marcus Straus Gallery to look at the work of Renee Stout. Both Meridith and Evelyn said they saw clear connections between Odotula and Stout’s work. Meridith said the spiritual connection was very clear to her the moment she looked at the pieces up close. Both Neah and Assata loved her use of listing and collage work. Neah particular enjoyed her layering of different images and how well crafted and seamless it looked.
Vee really enjoyed the use of clowns in Stout’s paintings. She mentioned she loved seeing clowns in art, but also embodying a bit of that. To her clowns represent whimsicality and a certain freedom. She was able to connect to Stout’s art and this is the beauty of art; The ability to connect with others. We didn’t need to be in the same room as Renée Stout to be in conversation with her. Several of us noticed how the painted colors seemed to glow - spells in action!
In the Medium of Life: The Drawings of Beauford Delaney was the perfect ending to the trip. I heard many comments about the use of color, and how happy it made people feel. Overall it was a great field trip, but I don’t expect anything less from an AYB field trip. It’s always a great time!”
Installation views In the Medium of Life: The Drawings of Beauford Delaney at The Drawing Center
At the end of the day Meridith suggested participants write a reflection and/or make work in response to the work we viewed during the trip.
Kevin noticed Odotula’s work used a lot of mirroring or use of reflection. He drew a figure of himself, using the small glimpse of reflection he saw while staring at his TV. He smoothed the figure out using pastels. Much like Odotula’s work, there’s a lot of organic and inorganic shapes in the background. It’s clear Kevin paid close attention to her work. A mark of a great artist is their ability to study other artists and use the techniques they admire in their own art. It’s a great way to learn new skills and understand what makes a painting work.
Evelyn reviews: "Wednesday's field trip was fantastic! In particular, I loved the works by Toyin Ojih Odutola at Jack Shainman Gallery-- ranging in scale from monumental to intimate, with masterful mark-making and color use. Figures have different scales, palettes, and levels of saturation within the same painting, evoking dream or deity, and the cinematic cropping and fluid gestures keep the eye roving within each composition. It's inspiring to feel such deep understanding and love for the body in the way the figures are painted. I left feeling an urgent need to paint from life."
Nayarit, who joined us at the second stop, reflects: “Renee Stout’s pieces captivated us with her depth and richness. Her work explores themes of self, religion, politics, science, race, wonder, and even magic. There was a powerful truth-telling in her pieces, an unflinching portrayal of the ugliness in the world right now. Being in that room felt heavy, almost like staring into a mirror that reflects everything we try to avoid or often forget. It called us to pause, to reflect, to truly see and sit with the uncomfortable truths around us.
In contrast, In the Medium of Life: The Drawings of Beauford Delaney at The Drawing Center brought a sense of calm and lightness. His watercolors were simple yet vibrant, filled with brightness and softness. The space also featured a small exhibit of related ephemera celebrating Black talent and history, as well as a reading room, deepening our viewing experiences by offering a moment of reflection and reverence.
Viewing Delaney’s work was a high note for me, one filled with hope. The bright yellow walls in exhibition suggest possibility. Yellow is the color I would choose to represent our AYB community, were there to learn to reflect, and to engage in honest dialogue with one another. Being the light within a world full of uncertainty and ugliness.”
Mia created several watercolor pieces inspired by Beauford Delaney’s work.
Mia Lew, After Beauford Delaney, watercolor on paper
AYB Teaching Artist Golnar Adili closed out week one with a meditative session urging us to Think a bit more, feel a bit more.
Golnar describes her experience: “It was an emotional and oily session, drawing inspiration directly from the gestural body prints of David Hammons—whose work always conveys the political through a poetic language, a language firmly rooted in resistance. A language that translates trauma and the surrounding culture into form, giving the viewer an alphabet with which to question and probe.
That energy was palpable in yesterday’s session, where a wide range of work was created by deeply attuned and invested artists. Each of them pressed their oiled-up body parts onto the paper, then shaved pigments over the marks, creating both chaos and calm with a sense of tenderness.
From Jacob’s careful and quiet study of his face and hand, to Leah’s chaotic and dynamic image of rainstorms blowing her house around—and everything in between.
Evelyn's poetic work reminded us of Cy Twombly.
Eden’s message brought hope.
Eden explains further: “Faoi mhóid bheith saor is a line from the Irish national anthem meaning “(we are) sworn to be free.” I chose it to represent the similarities in history of Ireland and Palestine, and the solidarity between the two due to Golnar’s inspiration from the Palestinian keffiyah; then surrounded it with the colors of both countries flags.”
Work by Adji Ngathe Kebe, Rashidah Green (2), Megan, Abriel (bob) Gardner (2), Mia Lew (4), Luna Velayandom Neven du Mont (3), Leah Eliopulos (2), Simon Awor, Jacob Rath, Golnar Adili, Evelyn Beliveau, Delphine Levenson:
These works truly reflected the connections the artists made—with Hammons, and ultimately, with themselves.”
Can't wait to see you next week!
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Wow so beautiful, love the connection between the migration theme and the graduant colors. Could definitely see the Hilma af Klint vibes behind Adji’s piece and loved how expressive Simone’s piece was!
The miniature projects are so precious! I love that each was connected with a visual and blurb. So exciting seeing hold dear come together! What a beautiful session with Golnar Adili, I can feel the strong sense of controlled chaos in each of the pieces. How powerful.