Plain, out of shape canvases, painting after painting of cakes and movies solely based on buildings. At first glance the art of The Whitney Museum is certainly not traditional and some people may not even call it art. However through tours and programs the Whitney Museum is teaching visitors, especially young teens,about the meaning behind their collection.

Since 1997 the modern art museum has held a program called Youth Insights. The Youth Insight program goes on all year long and teaches High Scholars about 20th century and contemporary arts. In this program they learn the history behind certain pieces of American art and then work on analyzing them. The teens participating in the Youth Insight programs are also trained to take what they have learned and teach it to younger kids, fellow teens, adults and senior citizens. These tours, called Youth2Seniors2Youth Tours, take place during hours when the museum would usually be closed.

The Youth Insights program provides much more to teens than a history of art. "Before I couldn't talk to large audiences," Stephanie, a seventeen year-old participate explained. "This program teaches a lot about public presentation" During a tour, Stephanie may talk about the history, meaning and provide her insight on pieces such as 'More Love Hours That Can Ever Be Represented and The Wages Of Sin,' by Mike Kelley. This art piece is represented through a blanket with tons of stuffed animals on it and a table next to it with numerous semi-melted wax candles. Other pieces include: a realistic leg with a candle sticking out above its knee, made with real human hair on it, by Robert Gober (labeled "untitled"), and piece that is a projection of a person drowning against a water-filled glass jar, by Tony Ourslers.

The program teaches students to provide facts to their audiences as well as their own interpretation of the art they are looking at, allowing each student to express his or her own views. Another seventeen year-old participate, Debra, stated the program helped her "develop as a person." "I love to open up as a person now and practice sharing my knowledge and views with others." Besides taking tours, the students also get to lead discussion groups and workshops for families and seniors at the museum. "After (a program) the audience understands the art better and does not look at it as they did before." Many people have also suggested that the program has brought a different atmosphere to the museum. Usually the visitors in the museum would not have come from very diverse backgrounds and most of the young people there would have been art students or on school field trips. Currently many different kinds of people are able to view the museum during the free tours the Youth Insight program offers and many young people can learn and teach others about art outside of school.

The Youth Insight program has proven to be an excellent way of teaching people about the meaning of different kinds of modern art. By doing this it provides a much more diverse atmosphere for the museum, as well as proving a way for youth to express their feelings and other insights on the modern arts collection The Whitney Museum holds. As for the fact that some people believe most modern art is not really art, Debra responds to that is, "Once they take one of our tours they will realize they are wrong."

Links:

The Eli Whitney Museum Summer Programs

Whitney Museum of American Art