Grade IX Visits the Guggenheim
On a crisp fall afternoon, Grade IX took a short walk down Fifth Avenue to the Guggenheim Museum to take in the Basquiat exhibit.
The ninth graders were joined by Mr. Bowcock and their art teacher, Ms. Nelson. Of course, the Guggenheim building is just as much of a work of art as the pieces inside it. The boys learned that Frank Lloyd Wright set out to create an organic structure that would be a contrast to the hard-edged New York City skyscrapers. The museum’s spiral was inspired by the inside of a snail’s shell. Our tour guide asked the group to sit down on the floor and draw what they saw. We learned that the roof of the museum was meant to be clear glass, but now it is covered in a sail-like cloth that changes with each new exhibit.
After a ride in an interestingly-shaped red elevator, the boys entered the Jean-Michel Basquait exhibit. The boys discussed the painting, Charles the First, an ode to famed jazz musician Charlie Parker. The centerpiece of the show is Basquiat’s Defacement, a powerful reaction to the fatal police beating of Michael Stewart. The boys’ observations throughout the exhibit were incredibly insightful.
Ms. Nelson plans to take the 9th graders to the Met Breuer for the next artistic excursion. These boys are a clever group and will no doubt continue to impress those around them, inside and outside of the classroom.
