New Trier High School Visit-April 2019

On April 18^th, the Glenview studio welcomed 15 high school students from New Trier High School, located in Winnetka, IL. The teens are part of a new art class at New Trier that brings students of all abilities together through art making. 

When the group arrived to our studio, artist, Phil Gazzolo, gave them a tour of our space. This was Phil’s largest tour group yet, and he approached it with confidence. He introduced them to our gallery space and talked about “Inside the Box,” our current exhibition at the time.  After showing the group more areas, the tour ended in the studio, where New Trier folks met and learned more about North Shore artists and their practices.

A brief Q&A with artists, Ted Hamel and Phil Gazzolo, followed the tour; both helped answer questions relating to programming, artist practices, and our Artist Enterprise Program.

Prior to leading a demo inspired by Veronica (Ronnie) Cuculich, Ted and Phil helped give the group a brief history on baby dolls. Ronnie’s baby dolls were a consistent part of her practice; anyone who knew Ronnie, also knew about her baby dolls. They created an opportunity for others to engage with her, which encouraged community building-one of our four core values today.

Phil and Ted showed the group a few finished baby dolls, created by previous groups, and helped hand out supplies (scissors, markers, fabric, pins, glue, and googly eyes) for the project. Both checked in on students who were making their own baby dolls and provided facilitation when needed. Phil conversed with each table and continued checking in with folks until everyone was finished.

Once done, everyone put their baby dolls together and shared their thoughts on the project. North Shore artists and New Trier folks then met in the café area for lunch.

It was a great opportunity for both communities to come together. Ted Hamel appreciated the shared experience, “ I like that we ate lunch together. We got to talk to each other. Got to talk about Arts of Life and learn about artwork that we do.”

Thanks for the experience, New Trier! We look forward to continuing to work with you!