Releasing Our Burdens Through Art

Using the metaphor of “throwing out of the window,” students were invited to consider something they wish they could eliminate from their lives. It could be a tangible item, like an object, or an intangible one, like a feeling or an emotion. 

Students anonymously wrote down their answers on a piece of paper, folded it, and placed it in a basket. Next, they randomly selected a paper from the basket and created an artwork based on its content. 

The goal of the game was to understand that sometimes we need others to help us let go of our burdens. Art can serve as a powerful tool for expressing and releasing the things that trouble us. 

Students loved this project! The diversity of responses was astonishing. One student wrote down that she wanted to get rid of her Barbie Dreamhouse. Other students wrote about discarding “bad negativity” or “my anger and sadness.”

As usual, students impressed us with their creativity. One student picked a paper that said “my shower” and ingeniously crafted a three-dimensional representation of a shower using cardboard, wood, and metal wire.

Another student visually captured complex emotions through color by representing anger with red and sadness with blue. 

Maria's work at Hudson Guild is supported by the Emergency Arts Education Fund, which provides free arts education to NYC school communities whose art programs have been decimated by recent budget cuts.

Children’s Museum of the Arts’ three Residents Artists are currently implementing ambitious arts curriculum at each of our partner sites throughout New York City: Hudson Guild in Chelsea, Sid Miller Academy in Crown Heights, and Children’s Workshop School in the East Village. Come spring, our residents will showcase their students' work through exhibitions and installations across the city. Learn how you can support the work of our residents here.