Times Square Is Showcasing NYC Student Artwork Through October

Last week, Times Square Advertising Coalition premiered its three-day presentation of digital art made by 27 New York City public school students in Pre-K through 12th grade. Their artwork, which was picked from over a thousand submissions, is now displayed in Times Square’s Duffy Square on Clear Channel’s screen. These Times Square works of art were chosen from the 115 works in The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s P.S. Art 2019: Celebrating the Creative Spirit of NYC Kids exhibition. This is a project from the New York City Department of Education, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Studio in a School NYC.

“Kiditor” in Chief of Kids’ News NYC Waverly Winchester went to Times Square herself to check out the art exhibit’s premiere. According to Waverly, you could see these artworks from NYC students at Duffy Square (47th and 7th) in Times Square of you look up right above Dos Caminos Restaurant. She interviewed Fred Rosenburg, president of the Times Square Advertising coalition. She asked Rosenburg about why her mom had told her that Time Square used to be very different from when she was young.

“Times Square changed tremendously. It’s now the center of the universe. It’s a wonderful, vibrant place.” Rosenburg said. “We’ve also made a big push to have a lot of art events in Times Square. So TSAC puts on events like this one for the kids throughout New York City, and also the Times Square Alliance has various art events. Time Square has been cleaned up and is the most visited place in New York, and probably the United States, so it’s changed quite a bit. The place is great now... It’s probably the most exciting place on Earth.”

She also interviewed Jacquelin Chokpaporn, a student artist at Frank Sinatra School of Arts High School in Queens, one of the 27 students whose work is on display.

“I was so shocked and it was such an honor when I found out.” Chokpaporn said. “I didn’t expect this all, and it’s incredible. It’s surreal.”

Chokpaporn also said she feels it is crucial to encourage creative expression in kids from a young age. “It’s incredibly important [to be creative] because when you’re growing up, having art class and music class, or just a creative outlet, is important because we are going to be the voices in the future,” Chokpaporn said, “and we have to get nurtured to be able to speak our mind and create, because then our opinions and thoughts at a young age, when we’re older, can have an impact on our community.”

The artwork will be put on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art through Sunday, October 20.

Main Image: Speakers and student artists. Photo courtesy of Miyan Levenson/Clear Channel Outdoor.

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