DUMBO — A DUMBO art gallery will exhibit artwork — from depictions of urban cityscapes to abstract 3D constructions — from local students through the next month.
The exhibit, titled “It’s Elementary,” will run from Nov. 17 to Dec. 18 at A.I.R. Gallery at 155 Plymouth St. and features work from kindergartners through fifth graders.
The show, curated by Carolyn Martin and Sylvia Netzer, includes drawings, paintings, prints and mixed media depicting cities, rural landscapes, family vacations and portraits, as well as more abstract pieces.
Martin, who is a member of A.I.R.’s cooperative for women artists, decided to dedicate her exhibit to children’s work due to her experience as an educator, according to Roxana Fabius, the gallery’s executive director. Martin reached out to local schools like P.S. 11 in Clinton Hill and the Dock Street School in DUMBO, and put out an open call for students who wanted to participate in the show.
The gallery received dozens of submissions, not just from New York, but from around the world, including places Saudi Arabia.
“There’s a language that students everywhere can participate in,” Fabius said.
Due to time constraints, the gallery will only be featuring about 40 pieces from local New York City students, as well as some submissions from Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, according to Fabius.
The exhibit will open on Nov. 18 in conjunction with two other exhibits — a solo show called “In & Out” by A.I.R. artist Luisa Sartori, and a group exhibit that called “Overlap: Life Tapestries” that covers feminist topics.
“It’s a real opening, it’s not a children’s exhibition only,” Fabius said.
The gallery will also be partnering with two local schools, the Dock Street School and the Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School in Harlem, to host conversations between students and resident artists.
A.I.R. is open Wednesday through Sunday, from noon to 6 p.m. The opening reception will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 17. The gallery will also be open for the monthly DUMBO Art Walk on Dec. 1 from 6 to 8 p.m.
