Stepping Out

Artful expressions

‘The Art of Andy Warhol’ pops into Long Island Children’s Museum

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Families can claim their “15 minutes of fame” this summer as they step into Andy Warhol’s colorful world at Long Island Children’s Museum. The museum delves into the life and creative energy of the dynamic pop artist with its newest exhibition, “The Art of Andy Warhol.”
The summer traveling exhibit, which runs through Sept. 4, introduces kids to the Pop Art movement, as represented by Warhol, who blurred the line between fine art and commercial art.
For the purposes of this exhibit — created by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in partnership with the Andy Warhol Museum — LICM has become a gallery and art studio, showcasing some of Warhol’s works while enabling visitors to step into a lively artistic environment a la Warhol.
“This is certainly a departure for us,” says Jeanmarie Mansfield, the museum’s associate director of education, who is coordinating the exhibit and its related programming. “We haven’t done anything like this before and it’s been wonderful. We’re eager to do more of this type of thing. It’s a nice addition to what we do. It rounds out the activities and educational experiences that we offer.”
The exhibit includes six original screen prints from Warhol’s “Myths” series that he created in 1981 and “POP Art: The Andy Warhol Studio,” an installation that enables visitors to design an original image and then produce a silkscreen print.

Warhol’s “Myths” series includes iconic prints of famous mythical or fantasy characters from popular culture, taken from old Hollywood films and 1950s television. The series includes characters loved by children such as Mickey Mouse and Santa Claus, as well as iconic fictional figures like the Wicked Witch of the West and Uncle Sam, and a self-portrait of Warhol as the pulp novel and radio show character “The Shadow.”
Warhol’s use of classic comic heroes and popular figures, even Uncle Sam himself, demonstrated the ever-increasing presence of nostalgia in a rapidly changing image-conscious world. Warhol gathered these figures from the worlds of comics, movies, and politics into a mosaic of popular American culture.
One of the unusual aspects of the “Myths” series is that diamond dust was used in the printing process. The resulting effect of this mixture of fine particles of cut or crushed diamonds applied to the print when the ink is wet is one of light shimmering across the image’s surface.
Other components of this exhibit include the silkscreen studio, a recreation of sorts of Warhol’s “Factory,” where kids can get first-hand experience in the silkscreen process from beginning to end, and an area where they can dress up like characters in some of Warhol’s paintings and learn about Warhol’s artwork and art in general.
In the silkscreen studio, kids will be guided in designing an original image out of newsprint and then take it to the silkscreen bed and help staff in the “inking” process. The result is an original piece of Warhol-inspired art to take home.
“The exhibit provides children with a studio experience, allowing them to immediately apply what they are seeing and learning,” says LICM President Suzanne LeBlanc. “The images in Warhol’s ‘Myths” series are playful and relatable to all ages; providing opportunities for children and adults to begin a conversation about art.”
Those conversations continue during the five-day artist-in-residency workshops that supplement the exhibit’s daily activities. The first workshop, led by Lynbrook-based painter Keith Gamache, a visual arts teacher at South Side High School in Rockville Centre, was held last week. It involving creating a dot-to-dot portrait inspired by Gamache’s work and that of Warhol.
“We’re working with artists that have a connection to Andy,” says Mansfield. “The artists connect with the kids who in turn learn to think the way an artist thinks.”
The second artist-in-residence program, led by photographer Sandra Carrion, of Franklin Square, involves photo manipulation, Monday through Friday, Aug. 15-19. Carrion will lead participants in learning the process of photo transfer. Kids can try their hand at transforming black and white images with color using varied materials to create a pop art poster.
Carrion, a founding member of fotofoto Gallery and 9 East Contemporary Art Guild, both in Huntington, also teaches photography at Nassau Community College.
“Both artists connect in different ways to pop art,” says Mansfield. “This is a great additional piece to the exhibit. It’s an excellent introduction to artists at work. Kids and parents can get involved and have mutual conversations about the process. Warhol is very accessible to kids, since his art is based on pop culture. We’re showing them how to create and approach art and think in a design-oriented way.”
As always, the museum’s staff offers themed activities to enhance the exhibit experience. This week, Aug. 4, the museum hosts “Wonderful Warhol,” an afternoon of activities and crafts.
The event (1-4 p.m.) introduces kids to Warhol’s creative process, enabling them express their own creativity as they explore color, repetition and printmaking. Everyone can emulate his unique fashion style as they design wacky wig hats and learn about his studio (“The Factory”) and create their own versions of his favorite artwork – Campbell’s Soup Cans.
“Children make natural connections with Andy Warhol,” explains LICM Director of Education and Visitor Experiences Aimee Terzulli. “They are drawn to his colorful, vibrant images, filled with familiar objects and popular characters. His choice to celebrate everyday items and the things he loves, such as favorite foods and items from his toy collection, resonate strongly with our audience.”

‘The Art of Andy Warhol’
When: Now through Sept. 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $13 adults and children, $12 seniors, free to museum members and children under 1 year old. Additional fees for theater and special programs apply.
Where: Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. View the LICM events calendar at www.licm.org for additional information or call (516) 224-5800.