BY SHAVANA ABRUZZO
Aspiring artist Amaya Hutchinson can stand back and admire her own masterpiece the next time she visits the Brooklyn Museum.
The 9-year-old budding Rembrandt from Crown Heights was among dozens of art-smart visitors of all ages who left their mark on the borough’s most famous archive by putting their magic down on paper at Sunday’s 25th anniversary celebration of Arty Facts and the Gallery/Studio Program.
The family friendly day called upon kids and adults to create a memory book and contribute to a community sculpture, using the museum’s renowned permanent collection of art from around the world as inspiration. The milestone anniversary also featured alumni artwork and an opening reception for the Gallery/Studio Program Student Exhibition — with free cupcakes tossed in to sweeten the deal.
Talented tweenie Justin Maxwell Adams celebrated his installation — a colorful, crayon-inked collage — by pumping both arms in the air, a wide smile spreading across his face as he hailed his two-in-one accomplishment: being an artist and an exhibitor at one of the planet’s most famous museums. Nearby, 12-year-olds Leah Herzberg and Alle Tangney, andBenjamin Herzberg, 5, toiled on a vibrant pencil drawing — their joint offering for the wall of fame.
The elders weren’t to be outshone, though. Thomas Robinson, a senior from Queens, proudly exhibited his 3D labyrinth crafted from beads and shells, while Jhmar Galloway displayed his multi-media sculptures to rave reviews.
The Brooklyn Museum’s Gallery/Studio Program offers fun and challenging studio art courses for wannabe artists, including classes in painting, printmaking, drawing, sculpture, mixed media and digital photography — capped by an exhibition of the students’ work in the museum’s Con Edison Education Gallery.
Gallery/Studio Program Student Exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum [200 Eastern Pky. at Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights, (718) 638-5000], now through March 22. Arty Fact classes are held each Sunday, 11 am to 1:30 pm. For info, visit www.brooklynmuseum.org.
