Convergence: Teachers College Studio Practice for Art Educators Masters Program

Exhibition Dates: juLy 18 - august 12, 2023

Reception: thursday, juLy 20, 5PM - 8pm

The 2023 Cohort from Teachers College Studio Practice for Art Educators Masters Program will be unveiling a culminating exhibition, Convergence at The Painting Center from July 18 - August 12, 2023.

Convergence invites immersive experience and ignites conversation across form, subject, and modality. In every sense of the word and in every area of process, the exhibition’s participating artist educators have spent the past year in convergence – drawing together years of experience as creators and educators into cohesive bodies of work, and weaving these together to form a whole. While each artist offers a distinct voice and story, the conversation between them illuminates the infinite capacity of art to communicate, interrogate, and create space for connection and play.

The prolific ceramic and sculptural works by Felipe Maldonado and Bryan Donahue explore handmade form, computerized design and consumerism and mass production in the modern age; Anna Baldi uses provocative 2D and 3D works to challenge conventions and interrogate the intersections of “nature” and “culture”; Stacey Kimbrough and Liam Daly present powerful investigations of memory through painting and multimedia installation. Meghan Duval, James Perkins, and Jen Buckalew Jones use printmaking, photography, and digital work to dig into the complexities of identity and intimacies of daily experience. Sculptor Stephanie Wang Moncayo and muralist Shani Shih employ contrasting mediums and metaphors to investigate the relationships between the body and environment, mind and body, interiority and exteriority; Ana Leticia Hecker’s sculptural works offer captivating interpretations of fractal patterns in biology and nature, while Maggie Mulligan hones in on the embodiment of the natural elements in clay.

Convergence shines a light on the powerful role of art and creativity in the ongoing making of our world. With deep roots in the K-12 education, community arts, art market space and beyond, the artists reveal a symbiosis between their work as creators and educators – and strive to promote the arts and inspire any and all, who are working in our communities to pour into their creative lives, regardless of method or medium.

Convergence will open its doors to the public on July 18, 2023 and run through August 12, 2023. Admission is free. The public is welcomed to come see, think, and feel; to contemplate the place of creative expression in their lives and the lives of their communities.

Participating artists: Anna Baldi, Jen Buckalew Jones, Liam Daly, Bryan Donahue, Meghan Duval, Stacey Ann Kimbrough, Ana Leticia Hecker, Felipe Maldonado, Maggie Mulligan, James Perkins, Shani Shih, and Stephanie Wang Moncayo.

For more information, please visit https://www.thepaintingcenter.org/. Follow us on https://www.artsy.net/partner/the-painting-center and https://www.instagram.com/thepaintingcenter/?hl=en for updates, sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes content leading up to the exhibition.

About Teachers College Columbia University: Teachers College is a leading institution dedicated to fostering creativity, nurturing talent, and empowering the next generation of educators. With a diverse curriculum, state-of-the-art facilities, and a supportive community, it has earned a reputation for producing some of the most innovative and accomplished educators in the nation.