Summertime provides a wide variety of opportunities for teenagers – sports camps, church mission trips, jobs, or even just sleeping in!  For a group of 30 high school students from the Metroplex area, June 15-19 was a great week spent at the Nasher Sculpture Center in downtown Dallas.  Kimberly Williaford, an upcoming senior at the Canterbury Episcopal School in DeSoto, was one of the fortunate ones chosen to participate in the Nasher Summer Institute for Teens.  

Students are selected for the program based on recommendations from their teachers.  June Covington of Canterbury submitted the application for Kim.  The purpose of the application process is to ensure that the student is a good fit for the program, which is designed for students interested in possibly pursuing a career in art history or studio art.  Made possible in part by a grant from the O’Donnell Foundation, the week long program focuses on three main areas – art history, art as a career, and an artist collaboration.

During the various sessions, students learned about all aspects of the Nasher Sculpture Center and the art that it houses.  In addition, visiting artists were brought in to talk to the students.  Kim’s favorite was Michael Sieben, who talked to the students about the perseverance needed to pursue a career in art.  When he mentioned spending 5 years working in a job waiting for his big break, it really put it into perspective for Kim.  “That’s longer than I will spend it high school!” she remarked.

Kim’s view of Richard Serra’s “My Curves are not Mad” or James Turrell’s “Tending, (Blue)” was taken to a deeper level as she considered the light, line, space, and location associated with each of the pieces.  Those same considerations came into play as the students were given the task of creating a site-specific installation by making a room out of cardboard.  Led by recent SMU graduate Jill Foley, the students were divided into four groups, with each group given about 10 hours during the week to develop and construct their project or “psychological space” as it was called.

With limited supplies – 25 cardboard boxes, 25 cardboard pads, box cutters, hot glue and hot glue guns, duct tape and 2 clamp lights, the students did an amazing job constructing their rooms.  Kim’s group constructed a homey, warm, tree house atmosphere for their “room”.  One student focused on cutting out what seemed like a million or more leaves, another drew cute animals to place on the tree, another focused on the bark, etc. – it was definitely a group project. 

The project finally came together at the end of the day on Thursday, but unfortunately, as one student put it “gravity took effect” overnight and the roof collapsed.  Problem solving was another important skill the students were developing as they successfully repaired the roof on Friday.  The final projects were on display for the parents and teachers at a reception on Friday night, with the students giving the audience an explanation of their installations.

The Nasher Summer Institute for Teens is just one of the many programs at the Nasher.  The night of the Family and Teacher Reception, the Nasher was showing the film “Mama Mia” on a big screen in the sculpture garden.  There are many other events planned throughout the summer, including movies, concerts, tours and great art.  You can find complete details about the Nasher Sculpture Center on their web site, nashersculpturecenter.org.

The Canterbury Episcopal School is an independent, college-prep school for grades K-12 in DeSoto, which boasts award winning athletic, academic, and fine arts programs.  Canterbury is currently accepting applications for enrollment for the 2009-2010 school-year.  The school is open for tours each Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30-10:30. 

For more information visit the website at www.thecanterburyschool.org or call 972-572-7200.

Group shot of the participants in the Nasher Summer Institute for Teens

Kim Williaford works on her self portrait the first day of the session.

Initial work on the installation.

The finished project.