Mystic Museum of Art (MMoA) Presents
One World Project: Art, Culture, and Architecture from Around the World
January 26 through March 3, 2024
Inaugural Exhibition of the 2024 Year of Pathways
Mystic Museum of Art (MMoA) presents the inaugural exhibition of its exhibition year of Pathways: the pathways by which individuals and cultures find their way to iconic creative expression, and the pathways by which works of art reach the public. Opening on January 26, 2024, One World Project: Art, Culture, and Architecture from Around the World represents the Museum’s newest initiative, combining its outreach and exhibition programs in an exploration of the various pathways that lead to iconic cultural expression. By combining the One World outreach project with the exhibition program, MMoA can share with its visitors the journey of young artists as they join a creative, global conversation about what matters, and how it can be expressed. The exhibition opens to the public on Friday, January 26 and will run through Sunday, March 3.
The new One World Project at MMoA is an annual outreach program to enrich school curriculum with the study of art and cultures from around the world. The project is designed to engage students in finding creative new pathways to community with individuals from widely diverse backgrounds. The theme for this inaugural year was architecture.
Starting in the Museum’s KTJ Studios in September 2023, 18 students from New London High School Multi-Magnet Campus looked at 35 buildings representing many eras, widely divergent purposes, all continents, and differing architectural styles. With MMoA art educator Jeff Crew, and MMoA Lead Outreach Teacher Meredith Andrews, they discussed how each building reflects a society’s culture, environment, and history.
Each student then selected one building to study in detail through architectural drawings, plans, and elevations. They experimented with different materials and techniques to create a 3D scale model.
In many ways, designing the model of a building is similar to designing and building the real thing. They each require a foundation, sound structure, 3D form, exterior surfaces, and finishes. Model making is a useful skill and tool for understanding three-dimensional objects and for communicating spatial ideas. By asking what the buildings have in common, students learn that, despite manifold differences, people share the same dimensions, the need for shelter, and for social places to connect us with others in ways that are important to their community. The exhibition features the students’ models, reflections, and processes, as well as the students themselves, as artists.
MMoA is deeply grateful to the following for making this inaugural project possible:
- The Frank Loomis Palmer Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee
- CT Office of the Arts
- CT Humanities
- The Kitchings Family Foundation
