Although Mya Phu is only in the eighth grade at Middle School No. 4, she already had a map of her future as she stood in the glow of sunset near the Goldman Sachs building on the Jersey City waterfront.
She pointed to pictures of her family and the heroes in her life, represented in a piece of mixed-media art that was blown up to poster size for the business people to ponder as they went to and from the nearby ferry.
“These are all the people who influence my life,” she said.
These images included her father and mother, and even a popular pop star from South Korea.
With the first of two pieces of art she wrote in the captions, “In ten years, I’ll still like the same things.”
She was among the scores of kids and loved ones who took a tour in the cold air on Dec. 4 to look over artwork that had been done as part of Goldman Sachs’ Student Art Project.
The poster was equipped with a bar code that allows passers-by with cell phones to access more information about the piece.
“There is a video for each poster,” said Chanda Gibson, vice president for Corporate Services and Real Estate for Goldman Sachs.
“The students worked with a number of media from Sharpie to water color.” – Jesse Wright
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At this year’s reception, however, Goldman Sachs celebrated not just this year’s group of young artists involved in the Student Art Project, but all ten years of projects that included a number of themes.
This year’s program began last summer when kids signed up, took workshops, and went on a field trip to a local art museum, Mana Contemporary on Newark Avenue in Jersey City.
Gibson said in the past the program had to go to New York City to find art venues, but Mana provided the same artistic experience for the kids locally.
This year’s theme “Here I Am, There I Go,” explored the students’ perception of their past influences and where they believed they would be in ten years.
The program was designed to teach the kids about art and major social issues. They worked with a local artist Jesse Wright who helped to craft their work
During three workshops, the kids used mixed-media collage to explore who they are and what they would like to see 10 years into the future.
The program culminated with a reception for the student artists and their families at the Goldman Sachs office at 30 Hudson St.
Wright, a well-established artist locally, worked with the students at the workshops and then was part of the tour at Mana Contemporary.
“I wanted them to see as many artists as possible,” he said. “The students worked with a number of media from Sharpie to water color. We even had Amir creating with his dance moves.”
By Amir, he meant, Amir Archibald, a sixth grader whose two posters both depicted images of basketball. With one picture, he wrote in its caption, “At first, ten years before, I missed the shot, and after ten years from now, I made the shot.”
His second work included basketball imagery as well as a drawing of a Chicken Paradise menu. With this, he wrote, “I’m going to play for the New York Knicks and then I’m going to open a restaurant.”
Art, social themes and a community partner
Since its inception ten years ago, the program has explored a number of themes that included the celebration of imagination, promoting environmental responsibility, valuing respect, understanding globalization, empowering female entrepreneurship, enhancing financial literacy, taking a stand against bullying, inspiring healthy lifestyles, exploring social impact and identity, and this year, imagining the future.
Launched in 2005, the Student Art Project is designed to challenge young artists to think critically and creatively about the environment and social issues.
The Jersey City education, arts and nonprofit communities collaborated on the project. In it, Goldman Sachs partners with a community organization. Over the years, it has worked with American Conference on Diversity that Gibson said has significant involvement in Jersey City, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hudson County, Educational Arts Team, Inc., the Hope Center Arts program, Junior Achievement of New Jersey, the Jersey City public school district, Liberty Science Center, and, this year, Art House Productions.
The program provides a platform for young students to share their perspectives on a range of complex issues.
Each year, students create original artwork that addresses the topic of that year.
The exhibit consists of 30 posters, half of which are hung on the exterior of the building.
“We only have room for 15 at a time,” Gibson said. “So we hang half for six months, and then put up the other half.”
Each year, the program has its own unique feature, such as the year when women entrepreneurs were celebrated and Jersey City students got to connect with successful women from around the world, learning about them and the cultures they came from.
“Each year is different, and each year there is a different community partner,” Gibson said. “Community partners are very important to us.”
She said Goldman Sachs is involved with many local programs, from providing summer internships and other jobs to kids to construction of affordable housing units near Martin Luther King Drive.
“This is one of the ways the Jersey City schools expand opportunities for our kids,” said Board of Education President Sangeeta Ranade, who was among the numerous officials that shared the celebration.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.