April 20–October 6, 2013

Community Arts Initiative

Characters in the Collection

Kids from partner organizations bring characters of their own creation to the galleries

What would it be like to live with works of art? This is the question artist Andrew Oesch posed to children from the MFA’s eight partner community organizations in this year’s Community Arts Initiative Artist Project. Through drawings, writing, and performance exercises, the students explored objects in the galleries, using their own imaginative worlds as inspiration to create a ‘character’ of their own. Soon students performed as their characters, with works of art coming to life as Oesch and the students used handmade puppets and costumes to explore flights of fantasy and encounters with distant cultures. “Characters in the Collection” shows these creative narratives and reflections captured in collaged drawings and screen prints.

The Artist Project introduces young people to the MFA’s collections and the art-making process, while helping them understand how art can be an important part of their lives.

  • Edward H. Linde Gallery (Gallery 168)

Sponsors

The Community Arts Initiative is generously supported by the Linde Family Foundation.