My Identity Examined Student Exhibition

The Rockwell Museum and Corning-Painted Post Middle School collaboratively present My Identity Examined. Approximately 330 sixth grade students visited The Rockwell with their teachers in February to learn about artwork connected to themes of identity, symbolism, cultural heritage, resiliency and artistic self-expression. In this exhibition, we present student self-portrait collages that are representative of their individual identities inspired by their museum visit.

My Identity Examined will be on view at the KIDS ROCKWELL Art Lab April 9 – June 5, 2022. 

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The goal of this program is to promote an environment of empathy through student participation that aligns with the sixth grade “Discovering Who We Are” unit in collaboration with the Language and Literature teachers. Students examined cultural, environmental and physical characteristics that contribute to their unique personalities. Their experience and ongoing perseverance through the COVID-19 pandemic is incorporated into their artwork through symbols and choice of media. The collages depict aspects of the students’ identities that have been kept masked because of the pandemic along with aspects that they are proud to share with others.

During their museum visits, students explored the following themes and artworks:

Students studied the painting NDN (for life), by Juane Quick-To-See-Smith to think about how images can be interpreted in different contexts related to stereotypes, storytelling and identity. They explored symbolism through interactive gallery activities.

In the Contemporary Gallery, students examined how artists experiment with different media and stretch the boundaries of how art is created. Students selected their favorite artwork to critique in the space. This activity motivated students to be confident in their independent choices and provided new ways to interpret art.

A tour stop included Agnes and The Arts: The Architectural Evolution of Old City Hall, an exhibition recognizing the 50th anniversary of the catastrophic flooding to the region. Students discussed how we were able to recover and bounce back from such a disastrous event. They each carved a positive affirmation into a mini tin tile. The tiles were attached to a collective of panels designed to lift each other’s spirits and create a school community.

In the Southwest Lodge, students viewed Native American Pueblo pottery that incorporates comic books and futuristic characters. Students were asked to imagine, draw and write about a superpower that they would use to help others.

The Rockwell is proud to collaborate with the Corning-Painted Post Area School District on this creative project that connects artmaking with classroom curricula and encourages self-expression through mixed-media collages.