By Joe Salas
Hanging in the lobby of Greenwich House, at 27 Barrow Street, is one of the Village’s best-kept secrets—a portrait of the organization’s founder, Mary K. Simkhovitch, painted by Leopold Seyffert, the renowned American portrait artist. However, what might actually be the Village’s best-kept secret is located five floors above at the Greenwich House After-School Spring Art Show.
The Art Show is one of three mounted annually by the arts-focused After-School program. The show features projects students have worked on over the course of the term, but these aren’t your typical arts and crafts projects. On display will be hand-crafted puppets, custom ceramics, a three dimensional map and model city, and robotic creations. In the vein of the Seyffert that hangs downstairs, oil on canvas portraits will also be on view.
One particularly notable project this term is a collection of model homes created by the architecture class. Students designed and built to scale, wood versions of the ubiquitous Federal-style townhouses seen throughout the Village. The students also designed and built custom wood furniture to complete the homes’ interiors. The model homes could even be considered one step ahead of their real life brick counterparts: They contain solar panels to power miniature interior lights.
THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE: Sally Young helps a student construct a roof segment in Greenwich House’s After-School architecture class. Photo credit: Peter Parrella.
The architecture class is a staple at the Greenwich House After-School program. In the class led by artist, historian, and preservationist Sally Young, students explore the design of buildings and furniture, learn about green building technology, and use recycled materials to construct models and structures found in their communities.
“Teaching art to children requires a special set of skills, as well as, knowledge, technique, and the spirit of the creative process. The students have worked hard all year long with our highly trained teachers to create wonderful art that shows their innermost expressions,” said program director Omar Amores.
Greenwich House’s After-School program carries on a long tradition of arts in the Village. The After-School program provides quality affordable arts programming that encourages creativity and builds self-esteem. The majority of classes are arts-based with a selection of sports and science programs as well.
Sally Young, Architecture and Woodworking Instructor, will be honored at Greenwich House’s annual Fund for Fun celebration on August 11th on the organization’s rooftop space. Fund for Fund is an annual campaign to raise donations for scholarships, materials, and supplies for Greenwich House’s After-School and Summer Arts Camp.
Learn more about Fund for Fun at greenwichhouse.org/fundforfun. To learn more about the After-School program and the After-School Art Show, contact Omar Amores, Program Director at oamores@greenwichhouse.org or 212-242-4140, Ext. 263.
