According to the not-for-profit organization, Americans for the Arts, a whopping 91 percent of Americans stand solid in their opinion that art is an integral part of a well-rounded education. And if you get yourself over to the multi-gallery 2023 Student Exhibition going on at the Parrish Art Museum right now, you’ll understand why.
From climate change to ecology, to the importance of community and diversity, to social-emotional expression and the integration of both hand-crafted technique and technology, the work of the 1,000 young East End artists on display through April 16th is an engrossing mountain of proof of just how important artistic expression is.
“Teaching somebody to do something with their hands and create something is so translatable to other areas,” says Martha Stotsky, the deputy director of arts education at the Parrish.
Indeed, in this exhibit there are multiple mediums used as the vehicle of expression for what’s on the minds and in the hearts of students from elementary through high school, from Shelter Island all the way to Shoreham, and so many schools and community orgnaizations in between.
The Student Exhibition is part of a 70-year tradition at the Parrish, and brings together a multitude of expressive disciplines: painting, photography, drawing and sculpture among them, along with collaborative works guided by artist-in-residence Darlene Charneco.
The Parrish Art Museum is located at 279 Montauk Hwy., Water Mill, and is open Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.. Admission is $16 for adults, $12 for seniors, and free for students under 18, college students with current school ID, Southampton and Tuckahoe School District residents and employees and members of the Shinnecock Nation.
