Dec 28, 2016 Art & Collection Keith Haring (1958 – 1990)“Moses and the Burning Bush” 1985Acrylic on canvasCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art Crystal Bridges’ Teen Council is a group of awesome high school students from all across our area who meet regularly to socialize, learn about the museum, participate in artmaking activities, plan events for teens at the Museum, and provide our Education and Programming teams with insights into better ways to reach and engage with their peers. It is a very insightful and fun group of young men and women, who have some great ideas about art and life. If you are a teenager, or have a teenager, who has never attended one of the Teen Council’s events, I encourage you to do so. I’ve been looking for ways to get the Teen Council’s voice on the blog more regularly, and so I’ll be working with them every couple of months throughout 2017 to produce blog posts that reflect what the group is talking and thinking about when it comes to art at Crystal Bridges. This month I asked them to put together a tour of some of their favorite artworks in the permanent collection, paired with some of their favorite songs, and give us some insights into the choices they made. The results are below. –LD If you want to listen to the Teen Council’s playlist, you can find it on Spotify here, all you need is a free Spotify account. Crystal Bridges’ Teen Council Tour and Playlist Stanton MacDonald-Wright (1890-1973)Synchromy1918Oil on canvas “Safe If We Don’t Look Down” — Mutemath “My reasoning behind this song was simply that they give me a similar vibe. The painting seems upbeat and happy, trustworthy. And the song makes me think of comfort and safety, taking a risk, but for your own happiness and comfort.” — Virginia Hammond, 11th grade Gabriel Dawe“Plexus No. 27”2014, Thread and steel hooksCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art “Palladio (1st Movement)” — Karl Jenkins “From beneath Plexus No. 27, the piece looks small and slightly one-dimensional. As you change your perspective, the piece seems to shift and expand. “Palladio” also starts small and contained but grows quickly into the recognizable epic that it has become.” — Caroline Gschwend, 12th grade William Trost Richards (1833-1905) “Along the Shore” 1903 Oil on canvas Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art “The World Was Wide Enough” —Hamilton soundtrack “I chose this song for this piece because the song is about Aaron Burr killing Alexander Hamilton during a duel. They were kind of ‘frenemies,’ one might say, and respected each other. During the duel, Hamilton shot toward the sky, but Burr got paranoid and shot Hamilton, killing his “‘irst friend and enemy.’ He talks during the rest of the song about how, even though Hamilton was the one that died, he was the one that paid for it, because now he had to live, knowing he killed his friend. This painting made me think of this song because it looks dreary and sad, and there is one lone bird in the sky, which makes me think of Burr, feeling alone after the loss of Hamilton. The waves and sky show a kind of stormy conflict, symbolizing the duel.” — Virginia Hammond, 11th grade Dorothea Tanning (1910 – 2012)“The Truth About Comets,” 1945Oil on canvasCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art “Counting Stars” — OneRepublic “Similar to the song, the piece depicts the theme of dreaming to be something more/magical. The song talks about not counting money but ‘counting stars.’ Not only does the picture actually have the two girls watching a comet but it symbolizes that there are more important things beyond the material.” — Alex Cantey, 11th grade Sol Lewitt (1928-2007)Wall Drawing #880 Loopy Doopy (orange and green)1998/2013/2016Acrylic paintat Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” — From The Lion King – Jason Weaver “During this song in The Lion King there is a demonstration of bright colors and lots of movement. Loopy Doopy appears very childish and simple–very similar to Simba’s character at this point in the movie/musical. — Alex Cantey, 11th grade Lyonel Feininger (1871 – 1956)“Schlossgasse,” 1915Oil on canvasCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art “Cold As Ice” — Foreigner “This piece reminds me of this song because the color scheme is like the idea of ‘cold as ice’ in the title and chorus. The bold lines remind me of the upbeat and sharp tones in the rhythm of the song.” –Virginia Hammond, 11th grade Ruth Asawa (1926 – 2013)“Untitled,” 1965-1970Bronze wireCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art “Pretty Hurts” — Beyonce and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” — Green Day “I thought of ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ when I looked at this piece for many reasons. For one, the dark coloring reminds me of the depressing theme of the lyrics. The sharp ends remind me of the sharp change between slower and rhythmic beats to almost-upbeat-sounding chorus. Finally, the idea that this piece is one full, flowing piece, that it is all one thing and it is the only focus, makes me think of how the song talks about being alone, with only your shadow next to you.” –Virginia Hammond, 11th grade Wayne Thiebaud b. 1920“Supine Woman” 1963Oil on canvasCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art “Lazy Song” — Bruno Mars Keith Haring (1958 – 1990)“Moses and the Burning Bush” 1985Acrylic on canvasCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art “Fuga Y Mysterio” — Piazzolla – String version “The pattern overlaying the depiction of Moses and the burning bush reminds me of the bold overlapping melodies in ‘Fuga Y Mysterio’ as well as the path tango dancers take.” –Caroline Gschwend, 12th grade Tom Uttech (b. 1942)Enassamishhinjijweian, 2009Oil on linenCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art “On My Way” — Phil Collins (specifically the Brother Bear scene using this song) Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)Rosie the Riveter1943Oil on canvasCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR “Superwoman” — Alicia Keys “Rosie is about women filling the role that men left behind and exceeding in the workforce. She shows women in America that you can be strong and independent.” –Braxton Carney, 12th grade
