Kids and families in the Discoveries program are celebrating thirty years of making art at The Met, and the halls are packed with young artists. Meet Ian, Graham, and Russell, with special guest reporter Sandra Jackson-Dumont, and check out #MetKids, a digital feature made for, with, and by kids!
Transcript
Sandra: My name is Sandra Jackson-Dumont. I am the Chairman of Education at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [Sandra has since left the Museum.] And I am so thrilled to be a guest reporter for MetKids. Today I'm meeting three young artists from The Met's Discoveries program. For over thirty years, kids with developmental disabilities and autism have participated in Discoveries with their friends and families. We explore art in the galleries through different themes, activities, and senses—like smell and touch—to make our own art. Let's go talk with our first artist.
So, tell me your name.
Ian: I'm Ian.
Sandra: Okay, Ian! And how old are you?
Ian: I'm eleven!
Sandra: You're eleven! You come to Discoveries, yes?
Ian: Yeah, I come with my mom. I sometimes do crafts and activities. I make the supplies into something.
Sandra: And what do you call that something?
Ian: A masterpiece!
Sandra: A masterpiece, yes! Tell me a little bit about your artwork.
Ian: It has train cars in it. I made it by using things that connect to one another that are train cars.
Sandra: Huh, they're called clothespins. They connect like the subway cars. How does it feel to show your artwork?
Ian: It feels good for me. I introduced everyone to my artwork, even my babysitter too.
Sandra: Thank you so much for talking to me, Ian. This is such an incredible work of art.
Graham: I'm Graham and I'm ten years old.
Russell: My name is Russell. I'm ten years old.
Sandra: So, tell me a little bit about your artwork. How did you get inspired?
Graham: My family goes to neighborhood restaurants a lot, and they always have tiles with, like, soup and pastries on it. And, since I eat pizza, I decided to put it on there.
Sandra: Russell what do you like about your art?
Russell: It's a tile with a cloud. I like the clouds flowing.
Sandra: So what are your favorite Discoveries activities?
Graham: My favorite Discoveries activity was the clay sculpture one. I made a figure, a plane, and a building.
Sandra: Do you make things together as a family?
Graham: Yes.
Sandra: Who else has artwork in this exhibition?
Graham: My mom…
Sandra: Your mom…?
Graham: My dad…
Sandra: Your dad…?
Graham: And my grandma.
Sandra: And your grandma? That's five people from one family in one exhibition! What does it feel like to make artwork with your family?
Graham: Nice, actually. Do you make art and what inspires you?
Sandra: What inspires me are young people like you all. The Museum shows art from many times and places, and by putting your own spin on that art, and making your own artwork, you're becoming part of that history, too.
