Mass MoCA Teen Invitational Draws Hundreds of Submissions
Mount Greylock Regional art teacher Jane-Ellen DeSomma receives the Pepper/Jackson Award from Gabriel Sacco.
More than 400 submissions were made to museum's 14th annual Teen Invitational, giving these young artists an chance to shine in media ranging from video to oils to pottery.
The exhibition is on view through Sunday, April 26.
"This is my third year working with the participating schools and producing this exhibition," said Gabriel Sacco, the museum's senior manager of public programs, at Thursday's reception.
"I'm always so impressed by the student work. It's the thing that like keeps me really excited about the work that we do, especially at a time like this when you know we need we need young voices to really share out what the future looks like for us now."
Participating schools were the Academy at Charlemont, Berkshire Arts & Technology Public Charter School, Buxton School, Darrow High School, Drury High School, Hoosac Valley High School, McCann Technical School, Miss Hall's School, Mount Greylock Regional School, Pine Cobble School, Pittsfield High School, Greater Commonwealth Virtual School and Wahconah Regional High School.
This year, six awards were presented: three honorable mentions in artistic excellence and three Berkshire Eagle bests in show.
Awards for artistic excellence all went to Drury High School students — Rommel Alvarez for his pencil and ink drawing of a singer, "Beautiful Mind Rod Wave"; Makayla Bushika, for her ceramic frogs and flowers, "Feelin' Froggy"; and Anna Bond for "Beach," an acrylic of a young girl at the beach.
Sacco said the best in show had been first, second and third but this year were being given equally.
"These really are dedicated to those who exceeded expectations and artistic excellence and the criteria I noted the above, excellence and skill, universal communication and visible commitment to art practice," he said.
They were Maryam Archambault of GCVS for "I'll Miss Her," digital art of a girl growing into adulthood; Brennon Zahn of Buxton for his butcher block made of different hardwoods, and Violet Corral, of Darrow, for "Map," an ink and paper drawing.
The top works were selected by a panel of five judges, local artist David Lachman, international concert pianist and NPR host Lara Downes, and MoCA senior manager of education Rebecca Cuscaden Marvin, manager of history and continuity Paulette Wein, and curatorial assistant Lydia Jasper.
Downes' year-long The Declaration Project has been in residence at Mass MoCA. The project is compiling audio recordings of Americans expressing their hopes and wishes for the nation's future on its 250th anniversary. She will be performing with other artists this July at the museum; the project premiere in New York this July.
"It was such a pleasure for me to judge the Teen Invitational today and see all of the brilliance and boldness at work," she said. "Just been thinking so much about how young people hold the future in their hands. And it was really evident as we were looking at all of your work just to share with us how you see the world around you, and how you see your place in it, and how you how your imagination is going to shape the future."
Some students also got to express their musical brilliance with four performances during the reception.The Snapdragons from the Academy at Charlemont seranaded families in the gallery; in the Hunter Center, the Drury DPAC band, Precipitation Notification from Charlemont, Rain Storms from Miss Hall's and Shug Monkey, hard rockers from Berkshire Art & Tech.
The Pepper/Jackson Award, recognizing art teachers for excellence in the classroom, was awarded to Amanda Hartlage of Drury and Jane-Ellen DeSomma of Mount Greylock.
Donations from the Ruth E. Proud Trust and Lee Bank provided monetary awards to the winners and a participation award to their schools to fund or supplement their art programs.
The exhibit was underwritten by a donor who wished to be anonymous, but Sacco said "he's passionate about the Invitational being at the same level of sport in high school, so hence this."
Sacco thanked everyone who participated in bringing it to life, including those who set up the gallery and guarded it and those who came to view it, but especially the aspiring artists who filled it.
"It's the camaraderie and the cheer that we bring, that you all bring to this museum, that I really want to highlight here and just really call out," he said. "By participating in this, you're all uplifting the arts to be something that isn't that isn't everywhere. So thanks for participating, believing in this museum, to bring your voices forward and believing in your faculty who work so hard for you."
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