A new show at University Galleries put teens in the curator's seat—but the four high schoolers who developed A Conversation Between… want everyone to weigh in.
Teen Art Group is a yearly partnership between Bloomington High School art teacher Monica Estabrook and the gallery, with monthly sessions aimed at building a collective vision for a summer exhibition—plus pizza.
“The pizza is very important,” said Miette Smith-Golwitzer. “It wouldn’t be the same without it.”
Recent BHS graduates Smith-Golwitzer and Sharini Menon, both age 18, were part of the curatorial team (with Elyahna Miller and Clien Kitchens). Menon said she's always been interested in art but stopped taking classes in grade school when her schedule filled up.
“Miette told me about Teen Art Group and this was a way for me to connect with art and do something related to art without having to take an art class,” said Menon, who will attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the fall, studying materials science and engineering.
Smith-Golwitzer said she’s been drawing as long as she could remember, starting with doodles of fairies and vampires.
“I was obsessed,” she said. “I loved Monster High—just loved like that character design aspect.”
Smith-Golwitzer plans to attend Milwaukee Institute for Art and Design, majoring in illustration.
“I started taking it more seriously during COVID, because if I didn’t get a new hobby, I’d go crazy,” she said. “So then, over time, I realized that I really started to fall in love with art and character design specifically.”
Smith-Golwitzer and Menon participated in Teen Art Group for two years, “which, I wish I knew about it before so I could be in it even longer,” said Smith-Golwitzer.
The group meets once or twice a month to discuss the gallery’s current exhibition and develop a theme for their show.
“I think that has helped us have a rounded view of what show’s could look like,” said Smith-Golwitzer. “And we also bond over the pizza we get at every meeting.”
In April, they took a field trip to Chicago, where they visited the Art Institute and Chicago Cultural Center. They also toured Illinois State University’s Alumni Center, where many items from the permanent collection are installed, and met with Polly Bedford, director of development for the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts
“We are trying to encourage all sorts of opportunities in the visual arts,” said Kendra Paitz, director and chief curator at University Galleries and Teen Art Group facilitator. “In none of our groups yet had we spoken with a director of development. It was a way to learn about the fundraising side, as well as looking at 15 or 20 pieces installed there for potential consideration.”
A Conversation Between… features works by recent ISU graduates Alan Atkins and Jade Nguyen, as well as Erin Hayden, Wonsook Kim and Rafael Soldi.
“We all voted on which ones we like,” Menon said. “We also talked about which pieces really spoke to us and what exactly we liked about each of them. Because there’s four of us and we genuinely like each other, we’re not afraid to say anything and we came to an agreement pretty quickly.”
Companion pieces have been created by all the Teen Art Group curators and community members. Smith-Golwitzer zoomed in, then extrapolated Nguyen’s photograph for one of her paintings; Menon drew a profile of a woman with braided hair on cardboard, connecting her piece to Atkins’ preferred medium.
Perhaps accidentally, they stumbled upon hot-button topics in the art world, particularly in the age of artificial intelligence: Where are the lines between authenticity, inspiration, imitation and appropriation?
“Usually you’re encouraged to ‘be original,’” said Smith-Golwitzer. “You can’t copy anything. But then, it’s like, you can credit the artist and let yourself be inspired.”
All are encouraged to respond with their own pieces of art—be that a painting or a Post-it note—throughout the time the show is on display.”
“We want this to be ongoing conversation,” said Menon.
“We really want it to be something that’s approachable,” said Smith-Golwitzer. “It’s a conversation between the artists, a conversation between the viewers whether or not you contribute. You have a say in it.”
A Conversation Between... is on view through July 28 at University Galleries, 11 Uptown Circle, Normal. The gallery is free and open to the public. galleries.illinoistate.edu.
