Reflections on the Juvenile Service Learning Cycle

By Saudi Encarnacion, Cinical Coordinator


The highlight of this cycle was our trip to the Museum of Modern Art. We received VIP treatment since Tuesdays are not open to the general public and we had a great tour guide. I really wasn't sure if the kids would be open to the experience of going to the museum but I received a HUGE surprise! The kids were impressed with the architecture of the building, the paintings and they also participated in a discussion of the art work presented by our tour guide, Calder Zwicky. They were very inquisitive and asked well thought of questions regarding the art work presented. They made impressive efforts in trying to formulate an understanding of the message the artists wanted to send. They observed work from Picasso, and learned about his art form, "cubism" and had a dialogue about two of his famous paintings: Three Musicians and Girl Before a Mirror.
They also observed Andy Warhol’s piece, Campbell's Soup Cans. They also learned about “futurism" as an art form and observed work from Fillippo Tommaso Marinetti. They learned about the history of modern art, and participated in a thorough discussion of what "modern art" means to them. They also asked about the process undertaken for an artist to have their work in the MOMA and they even asked how art work is valued. They were flabbergasted when they found out the price value of the art work they were seeing. They were wide-eyed and engaged throughout the whole and like sponges absorbed all the information provided. At the end of our visit, our tour guide, Calder Zwicky gave the kids MOMA passes where they are able to bring four more guests for free. They were ecstatic and immediately began making plans as to who they would invite. On our way to the train station one of the kids said, "Yo, this trip wasn't bad".