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Rikers paintings on display

Rikers paintings on display
By Nathan Duke

A group of young artists from three Rikers Island-based schools are displaying their work at the Queens Museum of Art for one month in a program that allows them to explore their feelings through painting, sculpting, filming and digital technology.

“Underestimate Me … No More!” will be displayed through July 5 on the second floor of the museum, located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The students taking part in the exhibit attend the Austin H. McComick Island, Horizon and Passages academies at Rikers Island. A majority of the fledgling artists are minors, said Donnielle Rome, the program coordinator.

“It helps them connect to their communities even though they are in jail,” she said. “They are in a stressful environment, so this helps them focus and allows them to express themselves. Even though they are in jail, they are still creating.”

But none of the paintings will be sold because many of the artists are between 8 and 16. In addition, the artists are listed on the works only by their first name and last name’s initial.

Paintings in the exhibit include portraits of President Barack Obama, comic book-inspired drawings, pictures of animals or flowers, surrealist works and landscapes. But students also crafted sculptures or used graffiti in their works, while one student crafted a handbag made of newspapers.

“It gives them confidence to do other things,” said John Curtis, assistant principal of Austin H. McCormick Island Academy.

The exhibit was named after a poem by student Antoine B. called “Underestimate.” In that piece, the student wrote: “You estimate my money. You estimate my worth. And yet you doubt me, and underestimate me as a man. Underestimate my value and treat me like crap. And I must admit I’ve fallen into your trap, once or twice. But no more!”

Tom Finkelpearl, director of the museum, said one of the most moving aspects of the exhibit is seeing the pride from family members of the incarcerated artists.

Jacqueline Davis, of Manhattan, said she was not only pleased that her son, Shabazz Martin, 18, was able to show several of his comic book-themed paintings at the show, but also that he would be returning home within the week.

“He has been drawing since he was little,” she said. “He always said he wanted to put his drawings on clothing and sell them. From the looks of it, he could still get there.”

The exhibition is the third annual collaboration between the three schools and the museum. This year an estimated 150 works will be shown, Rome said.

“It’s a way for them to focus on their identities as artists, rather than identifying themselves with crime,” she said.

Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.