Buffalo, NY — The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is proud to present the 2016 AK Teens: Future Curators Exhibition, Viewpoint. Each year, this program enables local students to organize an exhibition of artwork created by their peers. This year, nineteen students from the Western New York area came together to create an exhibition that focuses on multiple perspectives, both physical and interpersonal. The exhibition will span two spaces, both the Albright-Knox Art Gallery’s Clifton Hall Link, and the Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology. It will include sixty works chosen from nearly six hundred entries, submitted by artists from seventeen different schools. The AK Teens: Future Curators program is made possible by the generous support of the First Niagara Foundation.

Viewpoint is an exploration of not only perspective, but also several different forms of media, including digital art, painting, and sculpture. The exhibition examines the point of view not only of the artist, but also the viewer. As Future Curator Uma Samudrala explains, “We chose pieces that had the audience outside looking in, but also showed the perspective of the artist and the emotions he or she had while creating [their artwork].”

AK Teens: Future Curators is a program designed to expose local high school juniors and seniors to various museum-related fields in order to learn how museums operate. Over the duration of the program, students learn the many different components of mounting an exhibition. They meet with AK staff members from all areas of museum operations with the ultimate goal of organizing an exhibition composed of artwork by local high school students. This program also gives young artists the opportunity to exhibit their artwork before they enter college.

“I met people from different walks of life, and from all around the city [of Buffalo] that I’ve never met before, and gained new perspective,” Future Curator Amanda Simone said about her time in the program.

The 2016 Future Curators team consists of nineteen students in grades eleven and twelve: Kyle Baillargeon (Niagara Falls High School), Madison Bean (Nichols School), Olivia Carney (Lewiston-Porter High School), Clare Corbett (City Honors School), Claudia D'Auria (Nichols School), Hannah Emminger (Kenmore East High School), Eva Erickson (Williamsville East High School), Chloe Everett (homeschool), Malika Kodial (Williamsville East High School), Benjamin Lojacono (St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute), Augusta Morgan (Lewiston-Porter High School), Vivien Pearce (Nardin Academy), Axel Sack (Park School of Buffalo), Uma Samudrala (Lewiston-Porter High School), Amanda Simone (Orchard Park High School), DesRee Taylor (Royalton-Hartland High School), Emyle Watkins (Springville-Griffith High School), Malia Williamson (Charter High School for Applied Technologies), and Emily Wilson (Niagara Falls High School).

Beginning in January 2016, this creative team of young aspiring art professionals has been learning what goes on behind the scenes at the Albright-Knox. The program allows students to use the museum's collection and current exhibitions to begin thinking about art from the mindset of a curator. 

The exhibition will be on view in the Albright-Knox’s Clifton Hall Link from Friday, April 15 to Sunday, May 15, 2016, and in the gallery space at the Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology (located at 1221 Main Street in Buffalo) from Friday, April 22 to Friday, May 13, 2016. Exhibition openings will be held on Thursday, April 14 and Thursday, April 21 at the respective locations.

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