Family Day at Marian Goodman Gallery

We are deeply grateful to the staff and artists of Marian Goodman Gallery for welcoming our families for an exclusive tour and artmaking activity inspired by their recent exhibition Giuseppe Penone: Hands - Earth - Light - Colors.

Led by CMA Artist in Residence (and native Italian!) Maria D. Rapicavoli, children took a cue from Penone's large-scale paintings as they experimented with different ways to use their hands as tools.

When looking at Penone's works, children noticed horses, volcanos, and even faces smushed against glass.

First, students used ink pads and paper to explore how the unique imprints of their skin can create all sorts of shapes and figures.

Next, they delved into 2D and 3D representation as they smushed clay between their hands and fingers, drawing connections between their own clay and Penone's Avvolgere la terra - il colore nelle mani (To Enfold the Earth – the colour of the hands) sculptures.

Finally, they added natural and man-made materials such as shells, glass marbles, and plastic tiles to their clay sculptures, taking time to notice how the shapes, textures, and even temperatures added dimensions to their works.

Of course, children loved sharing their works with the group at the end of the session — one student introduced his sculpture named Hollow, which was situated entirely on a sea shell.