Triennial hosting programs for youth on Sunday and Aug. 30
Photo by Alexandra Peracciny: Youth are shown in an activity during one of the youth programs held during the summer as part of the Medina Triennial. Here, they are building structures out of toothpicks and marshmallows to see how different materials hold up. They practiced using a variety of foraged and repurposed materials to see what was most sustainable. The final two programs are this Sunday and Aug. 30.
MEDINA – As the Medina Triennial enters into its final weeks, focus is being given to a series of youth programs, led by Medina School teacher and local photographer Alexandra Peracciny.
Peracciny has been leading the free programs throughout the summer, in which children and teenagers were introduced to the ideas behind the Triennial’s artworks through conversations, close looking and hands-on creative activities, said Kari Conte, creative director of the Medina Triennial.
Each workshop offered separate sessions for ages 5-10 and 11-18, allowing activities and discussions to be tailored to different age groups.
The programs encourage young people to think about art in relation to everyday life, community, local history, food, storytelling and the environment.
Participants received Triennial passports to use while visiting the exhibition’s 10 sites throughout Medina. The passports encourage families to experience the full exhibition and connect the individual artworks.
The Medina Triennial is a contemporary art exhibition presented across multiple sites in Medina. Its programs invite residents and visitors of all ages to engage with art and with ideas that relate to the region, its communities and the wider world.
The next program, titled “Nourishing Connection: A Workshop on food and Where it Comes From,” is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Medina Triennial Hub on North Main Street. The sessions for ages 5-10 begin at 2 p.m., followed by the program for ages 11-18 at 3 p.m.
Inspired by the works of Mary Mattingly and Michael Wang, participants will discuss where food comes from and how caring for their communities can encourage healthier habits. Each participant will then plant seeds to take home.
The final youth program of the summer on Aug. 30 is called “Reflection:” Who We Are and What We’ve Learned.” Sessions begin at noon for ages 5-10 and at 1 p.m. for ages 11-18. Participants will receive the Triennial passports they completed over the summer and reflect on their favorite artworks and the projects they created during the youth program. The closing activity will invite participants to make self-portraits and write descriptions expressing who they are as artists and who they hope to become.
Past programs, which began June 14 with “Everyday Stories,” introduced participants to works by Jean Shin and Tania Candiani. Young people considered how art can celebrate ordinary experiences and make space for many voices. They then created projects inspired by the discussion.
Future Forests on Aug. 9 explored sustainability and deforestation through works by James Beckett, Harun Farocki and FIBRA. Participants used recycled materials to construct structures of their own.
Collective Memory on Aug. 16 drew upon works by Futurefarmers and Gregory Halpern. Participants discussed how one place can contain many stories and perspectives, then created drawings through which they shared their own stories.
