October 23, 2026
The artwork that lined an upstairs City Academy hallway in February was inspired by some of the most influential Black artists of the past century. But the ideas expressed through its portraits, silhouettes, story quilts, and bold fields of color belonged to City Academy students.
Displayed across several bulletin boards, the collection featured original work by students in third through sixth grade. Each piece reflected lessons drawn from artists including Faith Ringgold, Kehinde Wiley, Alma Thomas, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kara Walker, and Amy Sherald.
“Art records who is seen, who is remembered, who is allowed complexity, and who is given permanence. This project asks students not only to study Black art, but to understand the courage it often takes to create it.”
– Zac Warr, City Academy Art Teacher
The project began as a Black History Month assignment and grew into a broader study of art, identity and, representation. Students in fourth through sixth grade selected a Black artist, learned more about the artist’s life and creative practice, and considered how the artist used materials, color, form, and subject matter. Their task was not to reproduce an existing piece, but to create original work informed by the artist’s visual language, themes, and cultural perspective.
Third graders participated through a focused study of Basquiat, whose work combined symbols, layered text, expressive lines and bright colors.
City Academy art teacher and Class of 2011 alumnus Zac Warr said the project was intended to help students understand both the creative process and the significance of stories that are preserved through art.
“Art records who is seen, who is remembered, who is allowed complexity, and who is given permanence,” Warr said. “This project asks students not only to study Black art, but to understand the courage it often takes to create it.”
The range of artists gave students many ways to approach their own work. Some explored portraiture through Wiley and Sherald. Others studied Ringgold’s use of textiles and storytelling, Thomas’ colorful abstraction or Walker’s silhouettes and historical themes.
Students also made deliberate choices about what they wanted their pieces to communicate.
Fifth grader Chrishara Newson created a plant-filled scene inspired by Ringgold. “My mom loves plants, and I love plants, too,” she said. “I hope people feel calm and relaxed when they see my artwork.”
Amina Nash, also in fifth grade, drew inspiration from Thomas’ use of color and repeated forms.
“My favorite part was choosing all the colors,” she said. “I wanted people to see joy in my artwork and smile.”
For fifth grader Malik Travis, studying Wiley offered a personal connection and a view of what might be possible in his own future.
“I enjoyed learning about other artists like me and how their success went,” Malik said. “It gives me motivation for how my career could go.”
Together, the hallway display showed more than finished artwork. It documented students researching, interpreting, experimenting, and revising — and deciding how they wanted their own ideas to be seen.
“More than anything, this project exists to show students that their ideas deserve scale,” Warr said. “Their stories deserve visibility. Their identities deserve nuance.”