A low hum of chatter fills the halls of the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) as Upper School (US) students move through galleries of colorful portraits, textiles and images reflecting diverse cultures. On Friday, April 10, US Visual Arts Teacher Laura Tangusso and six students visited the ICA as part of the Petropoulos Art Scholars Program. The exhibitions highlighted Indigenous, South African and African American artists.
James Tao ’29 said he had wanted to visit the ICA for a long time.
“The exhibit exposed me to many unique and underrepresented pieces that I’d never seen before,” James said. “There were large statues of contemporary-looking figures, and another piece consisted of rows of long black hanging strings that formed an orange triangle shape in the center … The entire exhibit was very interesting and different than just paintings and more traditional pieces.”
He said the experience expanded his understanding of art.
“The event definitely widened my perspective on what art can be,” James said. “There were a lot of very creative paintings and objects that I saw, and that I hadn’t seen before.”
This event marked the first time students could visit the ICA as part of a Petropoulos event. Ms. Tangusso said it was a great experience and the exhibits were diverse.
“One was a retrospective of African American art by a program in Boston that was started years ago to support and promote African American art and the other was to show more groups that tend to be underrepresented, including indigenous people and women,” she said.
She said museum visits help students engage with a range of artistic styles.
“The intention of the program is to provide opportunities for students to get out into the greater Boston area and see art in all its various forms,” Ms. Tangusso said. “My goal for this year was to honor that and to give people the opportunity to see things they might not have otherwise.”
The program’s events are open to all students, with additional recognition for those who attend regularly.
“The way the Petropoulos works, anybody can come to the events, and students who come to a majority are designated a “Petropoulos Scholar” on their transcript for the school year,” Ms. Tangusso said. “I hope that more people will take advantage of the program in the future, because it’s really a great program.”
