Visiting Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts

Students headed uptown to one of New York's most respected artist organizations, The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts!

Luckily for them, Maria is very familiar with the space, as she has her own studio there as part of the EFA Studio Program.

First up, students met with EFA Studios Director Alexandra Unthank for a look at the current exhibition Running Joke, which showcases the work of nine artists using humor, play, and symbolism in their work.

The students loved interacting with the installations, such as a duo of fake chickens that came to life with the press of a button, and stuffed pillows resembling cats and dogs, which led to a discussion on the subjectivity of humor. We even got to make a few chicken jokes for good luck!

Next, students headed down the hall to visit Maria's studio.

Maria shared the tools that she uses to create her sculptures, and even showed them how she carves a map into her wall using a dremel!

They loved hearing about the turtles that lived near Maria' childhood home and admired her recent turtle sketches. Of course, they wanted to know the turtles' names – Lattuga (Italian for lettuce) and Fortunato (Italian for lucky).

One student spotted one of his own sculptures, which Maria had taken back to her studio to repair.

The best part was peering through Maria's functional hand-carved alabaster telescope. Inspired by Galileo's first telescope and commissioned by Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, A Starry Messenger presents a composite image sourced from satellite surveillance images that is visible when looking through the telescope lens. 

Lastly, students visited the EFA Project Space to view the exhibition Psycho-tropics: Belonging Elsewhere. They enjoyed engaging with the sound and video artworks, dancing, and listening to music. One piece in particular featured the sound of a heartbeat and evoked strong emotions in some of the students. 

Of course, the highlight was petting a fellow visitor's puppy!

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone at EFA who worked together to provide a fantastic tour to our students!

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.