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Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design

Innovating Career & Technical Education for New York City’s Future

You are here: Home / The Column / WHSAD at the Whitney

WHSAD at the Whitney

December 4, 2017 By Christopher Koestner

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Students learned about the different styles artists employ.

WHSAD students are a creative bunch, and their teachers provide plenty of opportunities for students to explore and expand upon their imaginative repertoire. One such experience came about due to the efforts of freshmen architecture teachers Mr. Ira Geringer and Mr. Abraham Rodriguez when they brought a group of students to the Whitney Museum. During this visit, students were able to gain new insights into what modern American artists are creating and how such manifestations of the mind reflect some of the concepts students learn in the classroom. Understanding the link between what is done in school and what professionals do is a cornerstone of a WHSAD student’s education; therefore, this trip exemplified how we are continuously teaching students to see how their learning gets put into practice. Below, Freshman Matthew Toro describes his and his peers’ trip.


I was chosen to go on the Whitney Art Museum. On our way there I was doubting it and saying that it was going to be like any other trip and it was going to be boring. We arrived and it was amazing . They had about 3 elevators and every elevator had a design inside. For Example one had a design of a basket and when you entered, it was like you were inside a basket and another one had a door inside. We visited an artist work by the name of Toyin Ojih Odutola. It shocked me to see the drawings that the artist did because it had reflection and we have been learning about it. Everything that we were learning in school about drawing and the fundamentals of art, every artist’s drawings that we visited had those fundamentals in their drawings. I thought  it was cool because not only are we putting those things in our artwork but other artists are as well.

Freshman Matthew Toro illustrates how artists use perspective in their work.

Laura Owens is another artist that came to mind. It reminded me of what we were learning in school because when we first came to school our first project was a mood board which showed the type of person we are and our character. This came to mind when looking at Laura Owens’ art because every drawing that she drew had a meaning to it. It also described her as a person because she would always paint her art either a dark color or a light color. These different choices show emotion. Another thing that came to mind was when she painted a bird and added its shadow. It was an amazing experience to know that we are learning  we not only include  in our drawings but other artist include it too.    

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