Aldrich In Ridgefield Names Artist To Lead Norwalk School Program

NORWALK, CT — The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield has announced that artist Risa Puno will lead the Museum’s Common Ground program this semester with all seventh-grade students at Side by Side Charter School in Norwalk.

Common Ground, a cross-disciplinary school-museum-artist curriculum partnership serving students from Ridgefield’s Public Schools and Side by Side Charter School, was developed in 2015 to function as a classroom/laboratory where students engage in creating projects through writing, art-making, and analytical thinking, while educators learn how to use art as a tool for teaching
critical thinking across multiple disciplines.

This semester, Common Ground will take place over six full-day sessions from Feb. 4 through Mar. 10. Students will participate through project- and problem-based learning as they explore ideas, collaborate, and take ownership of their learning experiences with Aldrich alumni artist Risa Puno.

"Common Ground has become a hallmark of our middle school program, where students are challenged to think critically, imagine, and create a vision of alternative possibilities. Students are not only engaging with contemporary art and artists, but multiple perspectives on our contemporary world," said Mary Newbery, assistant director of Side by Side Charter School.

Students, teachers, and Museum educators will work with Puno to explore broad-reaching and cross-disciplinary perspectives by visiting the exhibitions on view at The Aldrich and learning about the exhibiting artists' own practices and experiences first-hand. Then, through conversation, art-making, problem-solving, and peer-to-peer learning the students will create their own project which draws from their curriculum and experiences at the Museum working with Puno.

Common Ground culminates with final project presentations from the participating students in a partnered event at the school for the broader community. Past Aldrich alumni artists who have led Common Ground include David Brooks, William Powhida, Jean-Marc Superville Sovak, David Scanavino, and Peter Liversidge.

"Common Ground provides an extremely unique opportunity for students and staff to work Alongside an artist-in-residence to design, develop, and create. It is the quintessential STEAM environment which fosters connections across curricula while providing students the ability to make tangible real-world connections. We are truly fortunate to have The Aldrich in our own backyard to lead and support this amazing endeavor," said Tim Salem, principal at Scotts Ridge Middle School, Ridgefield.

Risa Puno’s aptly named public sculpture project, "Common Ground," was installed in The Aldrich’s Sculpture Garden in 2018 following a Kickstarter campaign to bring the work from New York City to the Museum. This work comprises a grid of connected tables and benches, each tiled with a different mosaic design inspired by the neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens where the work was commissioned and first installed. She also exhibited in "united states," a 2012 exhibition at The Aldrich. Puno is known for her interactive and socially engaged installations and public projects. Her most recent project, "The Privilege of Escape," presented by Creative Time, was reviewed by The New York Times in 2019.