The Westbury Arts Council held conducted its annual Westbury Middle School Art Contest last month, judged by Chris Hobbs and Wendy Liotti. The winners of the contest were invited to attend a special trip to NYC on Monday, February 17. After meeting at the Middle School at 8 am, 14 students, 2 Westbury Middle School teachers (Jenna Newman and Colette Taylor) and 4 members of Westbury Arts (Judy Gerrard, Chris Hobbs, Wendy Liotti, and Chris Hobbs) boarded a bus to to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Drinks, donuts, and bagels were provided along with a challenging trivia contest devised by Chris Hobbs.
The group was met at the Metropolitan Museum by guide Nick McNaber. Nick began the tour in a room that had been transported from a Frank Lloyd home in Minnesota. The students learned about this renowned American architect asked questions about his design choices. The next stop was the Arms and Armor section. After an explanation about the different types of armor, the students were given supplies and asked to design their own armor. The drawings were very imaginative and well executed. The tour ended in the Americas section with a look at small ceramic houses made in Mexico circa 100 bc. The students were asked to observe the houses and compare them to their homes. Afterwards, we walked over to the Temple of Dendur to look at the hieroglyphics and observe the mummies.
After leaving the museum, the bus drove to The Famous Cozy Soup n’ Burger on Broadway for lunch. The group then walked a few blocks to the Astor Theater to see the Blue Man Group. The students were given raincoats to wear because they were in the “Splash Zone”. The show was a combination of performance art, audience participation, interactive moments, humor, and lots of toilet paper.
Once again, Chris Hobbs did an outstanding job organizing this event and Westbury Arts thanks the Westbury Middle School for its cooperation and participation. Events like this instill an appreciation for the arts in our youth. Westbury Arts is committed to bring the arts into the Westbury community and, in this case, bringing the community to the arts.
