P.S. Art Returns to Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education at the Met Today

P.S. Art, the annual juried exhibition of works of art in all media created by New York City public school students, will return to the Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education at The Metropolitan Museum of Art this summer. P.S. Art 2015: Celebrating the Creative Spirit of NYC Kids is a project of the New York City Department of Education and Studio in a School Association, Inc.

The exhibition will open for a special viewing by the public at 6:30 p.m. tonight, June 9, the evening of the City's annual Museum Mile Festival, and will remain on view through October 18. A select group of the works of art from this year's exhibition will be featured on outdoor digital screens in Times Square, courtesy of the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC).

The annual P.S. Art competition fully integrates public school students from the pre-kindergarten level through the twelfth grade. The 88 works in this year's exhibition were made by young artists with a broad spectrum of life experience; students with special needs will be represented, as will students enrolled in advanced-placement art classes. The exhibition shows the varied ways that student creativity, artistic ability, and subject matter evolve on the journey from childhood to adulthood.

Not only will the exhibition's run at the Metropolitan be extended to October (two months beyond its customary ending in August), but selected students' artworks will also be featured on outdoor digital screens in the heart of Times Square through a collaboration with TSAC. Images of the selected artworks will be shown for three minutes every hour from Wednesday, June 17, through Sunday, June 21. A press conference will mark the kickoff of this collaborative project at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17, in Duffy Square (located in Times Square, between 46th and 47th streets, and Broadway and Seventh Avenue).

Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum, commented, "I am reminded each year of how immensely rewarding it is to see the work of many talented, young students displayed at the Met. These students represent unique artistic visions cultivated and encouraged in each of the City's five boroughs. Just as the Museum has made it an annual tradition to honor the inspired talents of our City's students, it is our hope that they and their families create meaningful traditions in visiting the Met."

"It is a pleasure to provide this group of talented young artists and their families with free passes to the Museum," added Sandra Jackson-Dumont, the Museum's Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Chairman of Education. "We are invested in ensuring that the Met is a place for students to explore, be curious, and be inspired as they develop their own unique perspectives and artistic voices. It is an honor to have the works of art of such thoughtful and inventive New York City students hanging on the walls of the Metropolitan Museum. We hope they are as ecstatic as we are."

Dignitaries from the New York City Department of Education, Studio in a School, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art will be among the speakers at a private ceremony for students, parents, and teachers prior to the opening.
Since the Metropolitan Museum began hosting the P.S. Art exhibition in 2008, it has become one of the many ways in which the Met fosters the creativity and education of New York City students. Each year, the Met provides free museum visits to more than 77,000 New York City public school group visitors, and over 2,300 New York City public school teachers and administrators participate in professional development workshops at the Museum.
The 88 works in the P.S. Art 2015 exhibition were chosen from more than 900 submissions citywide. A jury comprised of distinguished members of the art community, including members of the Met staff, made the final decision.

All of the works in the exhibition will also be featured on the Museum's website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via the hashtag #PSArt2015.

VISITOR INFORMATION:

*Hours: As of July 1, 2013, the Main Building and The Cloisters are open 7 days a week.

Main Building

Friday-Saturday

10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

Sunday-Thursday

10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

The Cloisters museum and gardens

March-October

10:00 a.m.-5:15 p.m.

November-February
10:00 a.m.-4:45 p.m.

Both locations will be closed January 1, Thanksgiving Day, and December 25, and the main building will also be closed the first Monday in May.

Recommended Admission
(Admission at the main building includes same-week admission to The Cloisters)

Adults $25.00, seniors (65 and over) $17.00, students $12.00
Members and children under 12 accompanied by adult free
Express admission may be purchased in advance at www.metmuseum.org/visit
For More Information (212) 535-7710; www.metmuseum.org
No extra charge for any exhibition.

Image: Lilybeth Jimenez (Age 6, Grade 1). My Beautiful Flowers, 2015. Tempera on paper. School: P.S. 145, Brooklyn. Art Teacher: Carrie Adams. Courtesy of the New York City Department of Education.