The Shen Gallery has been bustling with activity these last two weeks. First, second and third graders have been exploring the exhibition through the lens of “play”. We have been looking at the Playground series and discussing the way that we amuse ourselves – after all, everybody loves to play.

Sometimes, children do not have much to do. Many choose to just relax until the sun goes down. They sit on the grass and tell jokes or stories. They may tell what happened to them, like why they have a scar, why this and that, who and when. - Nwabisa Nake

When looking at the photograph of boys reclining in the grass enjoying their conversation, we talked about how we also like to stretch out and chat on the grass with our friends. Anele Bokuva’s image of a boy playing with a handmade toy inspired a lively discussion about the toys we make from objects that were not intended to be toys, such as the paint roller in the photograph. Students enthusiastically shared tales of elaborate constructions made from cardboard boxes, packing peanuts, duct tape and the like. Thank you FreshDirect for inspiring scores of New York kids to make ships, castles, and vehicles (just to name a few).

With the message of sharing our community as the Joe Slovo photographers did, students were asked to create their story of play. They set to task with pencil and paper and considered how they wanted to express their ideas by drawing and, for some, writing. Please visit the gallery page to see their work.