TAG Talks: The Power of Water, Color, and Teen Voices in American Art: The Stories We Carry
SAM’s Teen Arts Group (TAG) is an intensive internship program for high school-aged youth who are eager to learn about themselves and the world through art, and are excited to make SAM a fun and engaging space for teens. TAG members meet weekly from October to May to learn about the behind-the-scenes work of an art museum, lead engaging gallery tours, plan Teen Night Out, and so much more. TAG Talks is an ongoing SAM Blog series on SAM Blog that serves as a space for SAM’s teen leaders to express themselves and their love of art. Keep up with all TAG adventures by following @samteens on Instagram and stay tuned for more TAG Talks to come!
When it was announced that this year’s cohort of Teen Arts Group leaders would be making an audio guide for American Art: The Stories We Carry as our long-term project for the year, I was a bit nervous. I had never written a podcast or script before—and definitely not an audio guide. The idea of something I made being displayed for hundreds (maybe thousands!) of people to access was both intimidating and exciting! I was thrilled to try something new as well as test my creativity skills by developing something that guests at the museum could use to further enjoy the art. After finding out it would be something we work on in pairs, I felt more at ease as I usually work better and more efficiently in pairs than I do by myself.
I was lucky enough to be paired with Lila, another Teen Arts Group leader who had amazing ideas for the entirety of the project! She initiated the plan of having a conversation between us that consisted of analyzing the tones and impacts of the artworks we were assigned to discuss. She also proposed the idea of presenting the conversation as a podcast episode, which greatly contributed to the engaging and enjoyable demeanor of the final audio guide. Other folks that played instrumental roles on the audio guide as editors, recorders, and overall awesome people were Cristina Cano-Calhoun, SAM Museum Educator for Youth Programs, Ramzy, SAM Digital Interpretation Specialist, and Sasha Falsberg, SAM Audio Visual Technician! They greatly helped us make an audio guide that was polished, well-made, and fun to listen to. Each time new edits were made to our script, they always had the most helpful feedback and creative new ideas to add!
One of the most memorable moments I had working on the audio guide was when it came time to record. This was the part that I was especially nervous about, as I was sure I wouldn’t be very good at recording something like this. Lila and I were guided to the recording area where Sasha greeted us and introduced us to some of the equipment we would be using. It was a calm and cozy environment in the recording room; the lights were dimmed and there were soft objects all around, which helped ease my nerves. We introduced ourselves and recited our pre-written statements made for the audio guide that would be played first when listeners first entered SAM’s American art galleries.
Then, we got to recording our own stop: an analysis of 4 different landscape paintings displayed together on a wall to the right of the galleries’ entrance. We discussed the colors and saturation of each work, and how this affected the gallery’s overall tone. We spoke of the paintings’ differing depictions of water, whether it be an ocean, lake, pond, or a fisherman’s hut. All of our pieces showed various relationships between humans and water. Because of this, we wrapped up our stop by asking: “What would these paintings look like if humans did not exist?”
Our hope was that listeners would walk away from our stop with a new perspective on how humans have impacted our planet’s water, how we use it, and how we need it. I hope that those who listened to our stop will now notice the smaller elements of the artworks that may otherwise go unnoticed, such as the relationships between colors and how they impact the feel of the painting. Overall, I hope that listeners enjoy our audio guide, and I highly recommend anyone with—or without—an interest in art to visit the American art galleries at SAM and listen to our TAG Audio Guide!
– Ella Clark (she/her), 16, First-Year Teen Arts Group Leader
Photos: Chloe Collyer.