U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. will deliver remarks at the opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Boston Public Schools (BPS) Student Art Exhibit, “A Brighter Boston: Inspiring Creative Minds,” on Friday, May 6, at 11 a.m. in the Department’s National Library of Education in Washington, D.C. He will be joined by BPS’ Executive Director for the Arts Myran Parker-Brass, renowned for expanding arts education in BPS and winner of Education Week’s 2016 Leaders to Learn From Award.
The ceremony will feature original visual works of art by k–12 students and performances by the Boston Arts Academy Electric Quartet, which will perform Johnny Mercer’s “Autumn Leaves,” Herbie Hancock’s “Actual Proof,” and Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay.”The quartet comprises Gustav Endl on sax, Miguel Diaz on guitar, Muneca Diaz on bass, and Kemet Crayton on drums.
In addition, the event will include two student-produced videos: “Faces” from West Roxbury High School’s Catherine Lopez; and “Punch Girl” from Madison Park Technical Vocational High School’s Georgina Williams. The exhibit, which represents the works of some 65 students from 17 Boston Public Schools, will be at the Department of Education through June 30.
The Department’s Student Art Exhibit program, now in its 13th year, features visual, literary, and performing arts created by students in U.S. and international schools. It provides students and teachers an opportunity to display creative work from the classroom in a highly public place that honors their work as an effective path to learning and knowledge for all.