WASHINGTON, DC.- Showcasing the artwork and community spirit of Washington, DC, students, Expressions 2005 reveals the energy, talent and creativity of the more than 200 young people involved in the award-winning Corcoran ArtReach program. Corcoran ArtReach provides free visual arts and design education to DC youth through three component programs: Community Studios, Apprenticeship and Mentorship. Featuring student work from each of these components, Expressions 2005 will be on view at the Corcoran from May 26 through June 14, 2005.

“Corcoran ArtReach continues to have a tremendously positive impact on children in the greater Washington area and it’s wonderful to see this year’s theme of identity and community reflected in many different forms,” comments Susan Badder, Corcoran Senior Curator of Education.“Each year we are more and more inspired by the collaborative efforts of this program.”

This year’s Expressions exhibition features approximately 50 works by Corcoran ArtReach students who have created imaginative works inspired by visits to recent Corcoran exhibitions, including Thinking Inside the Box: The Art of Andrew Krieger and Common Ground: Discovering Community in 150 Years of Art, Selections from the Collection of Julia J. Norrell. They explore through art such themes as family and community while celebrating the value of identity and individuality. The student art work on display, which include art boxes of all sizes, accordion books, a handmade lantern and a video installation, represent the creativity and diversity of our community.

This year’s exhibition also includes a 10-foot portion of the mosaic mural to be installed on and near the reconstructed Nannie Helen Burroughs Bridge in Southeast DC, a project developed through a first-ever partnership with the Corcoran’s Apprenticeship program and the DC Department of Transportation. The mosaic will be exhibited along with models and drawings done by students.

ABOUT CORCORAN ARTREACH
Since its inception in 1992, Corcoran ArtReach has served thousands of students. Each year, the program extends the resources of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design to young people throughout Washington, DC, through three components: ArtReach Community Studios provide free after-school studio art and creative writing instruction for DC students. All classes take place in partnership with four local community centers: Asian American LEAD, CentroNia, the Latin American Youth Center Art and Media House and The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts. ArtReach Apprenticeship offers students the chance to apprentice with professional artists, acquire advanced art skills, earn a stipend and explore careers in public art and urban design. Over the course of two years, Apprenticeship students will plan, design and create artworks to be installed on and near the Nannie Helen Burroughs Bridge by the DC Department of Transportation. The public art project located near the entrance to Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Southeast DC will contribute to efforts already underway to revive this section of the Watts Branch corridor, the longest municipal park in DC.

The Mentorship Program, now in its last year, is concluding with five high school seniors. These students were recruited on the basis of teacher recommendations and referrals from other Corcoran ArtReach programs. They have benefited from on-going, intense support, training and encouragement from professional artists over the past several years. Long-term artist and youth partnerships have lasted up to three years and are at the heart of the mentorship experience.

Corcoran ArtReach has won national recognition for its work with young people in DC and has received awards from the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts and The National Multicultural Institute for its exemplary community arts programs and its success in promoting multiculturalism and understanding.