PRESS
RELEASE

PRESS CONTACT:
Diana Rickard / 718-875-4047 ext. 11 / rotunda@brooklynx.org

ROTUNDA GALLERY'S ANNUAL
KIDSART EXHIBITION
OPENS ON "BROOKLYN/QUEENS DAY,"
QUIRKY PUBLIC SCHOOL HOLIDAY
FOR ART-MAKING, LEARNING AND FUN

KIDSART, the Rotunda Gallery's annual exhibition showcasing the work of participants in the Gallery's education program, opens on KIDSDAY, Thursday, June 8 -- also known as "Brooklyn/Queens Day" -- and runs through Saturday, June 24. Like every Rotunda Gallery exhibition, it opens with an artists' reception -- in this case cookies and juice donated by Morgan Stanley Dean Witter -- from 4pm-5pm. The Rotunda Gallery is located at 33 Clinton Street (Pierrepont Street - Cadman Plaza West) in Brooklyn Heights. Gallery hours are Tuesday - Friday, noon - 5pm; Saturday, 11am - 4pm.

Curated by Meridith McNeal, Director of Education, KIDSART fills the Rotunda Gallery with the exuberance and vivid colors of children's imaginations. More than 200 drawings, paintings, clay and cast-paper sculptures, and collages express young artists' reactions to the Gallery's 1999 - 2000 exhibitions, among them Chronologies (on the concept of time), The Lottery (referring to issues of chance), Flurry (exploring the winter landscape and investigating issues of identity), and Subject to Sound (artistic expressions that integrate sound with visual media).

Established in 1984, the Rotunda Gallery's Education Program reaches 6,000 children annually—from pre-kindergarten through high school -- introducing them to a broad range of contemporary art. Groups of students from all over the borough attend the Rotunda's School Visit program each day an exhibition is on view. After discussions, students create hands-on art projects based on the artwork in the exhibition. The Rotunda's Mini-Museum outreach program integrates art instruction with school curricula through a series of gallery visits and classroom lessons, and culminates in the creation of a Mini-Museum or installation project in the participating school. Projects have included Sumi ink and brush drawings, Indonesian shadow puppets, and large-scale murals. This year's Mini-Museums are in P.S. 20/Fort Greene, P.S. 105/Sunset Park, P.S. 159/East New York, P.S. 164/Borough Park, P.S. 198/East Flatbush, P.S. 384/Bushwick, I.S. 49/Bushwick, I.S. 220/Sunset Park, and I.S. 265/Brooklyn Navy Yard. KIDSART includes selections from artwork produced in all the Gallery's education programs.

Hundreds of children will enjoy KIDSART on Thursday, June 8 as part of KIDSDAY, an all-day event offering free creative activities planned by the Rotunda Gallery, Borough Hall, the Brooklyn Heights Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, the Brooklyn Historical Society, and the New York Transit Museum. Art-making, clowning, games, movies and author readings will occupy children at these Brooklyn Heights institutions, all within walking distance of each other. Workshops begin at 11am and continue throughout the day. (Click here to view complete schedule.) Reservations are required in most cases.

The Rotunda Gallery, housed in an award-winning space designed by Smith-Miller + Hawkinson, showcases the work of Brooklyn artists. The Rotunda Gallery's educational programs reach 6,000 students each year with gallery visits and in-school artmaking projects. The Rotunda Gallery is a project of the not-for-profit BRIC/Brooklyn Information & Culture, Inc. (Nanette Rainone, President)

Located in Brooklyn Heights, just over the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, the Gallery is also easily accessible by public transportation. It is a short walk from the 2,3; 4,5; M; N or R trains at the Court Street/Borough Hall station; or the A, C trains at High Street.