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518-474-5987 | OGSPressOffice@ogs.ny.gov
March 05, 2024
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OGS COMMISSIONER JEANETTE MOY ANNOUNCES OPENING OF ANNUAL STUDENT EXHIBIT FEATURING ART INSPIRED BY PLAZA ART COLLECTIONStudent Art From 16 Area School Districts on View at the Empire State Plaza |
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Exhibit Opening Reception on Wednesday, March 6 to Feature Capital Region Muralist Raè Frasier as Guest Speaker New York State Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy today announced the opening of the 2024 Empire State Plaza Art Collection Student Exhibition on the Empire State Plaza Concourse. Established in collaboration with the Capital Area Art Supervisors and New York State Art Teachers Association, nearly 1,200 pieces of work created by students from 16 Capital Region school districts will be on view at the south end of the Empire State Plaza concourse through March 22.
“During National Youth Art Month, we celebrate art’s crucial role as an outlet for young students to express their creativity and individuality,” Commissioner Moy said. “We applaud all participating students and their art teachers for making our annual student art show a success each year. The works produced by these talented young artists are inspired by the Empire State Plaza Art Collection, the most important public collection of modern art in the country.”
“We are proud to be celebrating our 15th year of collaboration between the Capital Area Art Supervisors, New York State Art Teachers Association and the NYS Office of General Services Curatorial and Visitor Services to present the 15th Annual Empire State Plaza Student Art Exhibition K-8 in conjunction with National Youth Art Month,” said Kate Wright, Fine Arts Supervisor K-12 for the City School District of Albany and the Empire State Plaza Student Art Exhibition K-8 Show chair. “It is thrilling that this event has consistently represented a strong connection between art movements and ideas developed in the past and what our youth are experiencing and learning now in art education. We are excited to continue this tradition of working with our grades K-8 art students and their teachers to be inspired by the remarkable artworks of Albany’s Empire State Plaza Art Collection. It is a wonderful opportunity for all involved! Participation in this exhibition allows Capital Region students to learn and reflect, be inspired to create, and experience becoming part of a larger assemblage of artists whose artworks are on display for the community to enjoy.”
The student exhibit is the result of a collaboration between OGS Curatorial and Visitor Services and the Capital Area Art Supervisors. Through special tours and educational resources, the program introduces the Plaza Art Collection into the curriculum of local elementary and middle schools, where the students are invited to create their own works of art by interpreting the Plaza Art Collection.
The one-of-a-kind exhibition, held each year during National Youth Art Month, features works of art created by students in kindergarten through eighth grade. School districts represented include Albany, Bethlehem, East Greenbush, Guilderland, Hoosic Valley, Ichabod Crane, Mohonasen, Niskayuna, North Colonie, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, Rensselaer, Scotia-Glenville, Shenendehowa, Troy, Voorheesville, and Watervliet.
There will be an opening reception honoring participating students at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, at the south end of the Empire State Plaza concourse, which is closest to the Madison Avenue entrance. The reception will feature guest speaker Raè Frasier who will discuss her experience and inspiration as a full-time artist.
Raè is a multi-faceted, Schenectady native artist. She is the owner and creator of the brand ART MONEY. She is also the board president of the Miracle On Craig Street initiative, which was founded in Schenectady.
Raè creates her art on multiple canvasses, including clothing, shoes, wrapped canvases, and interior and exterior wall spaces. Essentially, everything is a canvas to Raè. She specializes in multicultural wearable art pieces that raise awareness of social justice and human rights issues while also celebrating prominent figures of the past and present.
Over a three-year period, Raè painted more than 30 murals in the Capital Region, both public and private, for a wide range of customers. Her mural work can be found in community spaces throughout the Capital Region.
Raè also specializes in mentoring youth and up-and-coming artists looking to take their skills/business to the next level. Using art as a catalyst for personal development and healing is another specialty of Raè’s. Raè believes that it is through art that people evoke true freedom and healing within themselves.
The Empire State Plaza Art Collection Student Exhibition may also be viewed online at empirestateplaza.ny.gov/art.
The Empire State Plaza Art Collection consists of 92 modern art paintings, sculptures, and tapestries that were purchased in the late 1960s to the early 1970s, including works by Alexander Calder, Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, Joan Mitchell, and Mark Rothko. In all, 82 artists who were working in New York at the time the collection was acquired are represented. The collection, selected by a commission appointed by Governor Nelson Rockefeller, was purchased with state funds during the construction of the Empire State Plaza.
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