When the artwork of more than 1,000 students arrives at a well-known South Fork museum for a massive, six-week show, it’s safe to say it’s a can’t-miss kind of exhibition.
The Parrish Art Museum’s annual student show opens on Saturday in Water Mill and will feature the work of students from 27 public and private schools and in home-schooling programs from Bellport to Montauk and the North Fork.
“Each year, the student exhibition showcases the work of our community’s young artists and art educators,” said Cara Conklin-Wingfield, the Parrish’s education director. “The visual arts are a means of personal expression and communication for all ages. We hope the exhibition inspires all our visitors to make art and helps our student artists form a lifelong appreciation for art.”
New this year was a series of hands-on workshops with the museum’s three resident artists, Bastienne Schmidt, Scott Bluedorn, and Irina Alimanestianu. Ms. Schmidt taught students about color schemes and collage, and Ms. Alimanestianu discussed spontaneity and the use of different materials. Mr. Bluedorn, whose artwork has themes of environmental activism and sustainability, encouraged students to design innovative, eco-friendly landscapes and architecture.
“The Parrish looks forward to the enthusiasm for art making and the creativity expressed in the student exhibition every year,” Terrie Sultan, the museum’s director, said in a statement. “That energy is amplified this year by the museum’s sixth artist-in-residence [program]. . . . These hands-on workshops with practicing artists provide inspiring opportunities for hundreds of students.”
The younger students created group projects for the show, and the older students submitted individual works and collaborative pieces. Neill Slaughter, a professor of visual art at Long Island University, will curate the awards for high schoolers in categories for each medium. The younger students will be honored with “Ones to Watch” awards.
There will be an opening reception for young artists, those from prekindergarten through eighth grade, on Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. The high school artists’ reception will be from 3 to 5 p.m. They are free and open to the public. The art show runs through April 19.
