A morning with Tom Otterness.

Every year I get to take my second graders on research adventures all over New York. It is one of my favorite parts of teaching where I do. We explore urban parks, wander through the Transit Museum, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, and travel up the Hudson to research suburban areas. But one of my favorite trips every year is visiting Tom Otterness at his studio in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

During our transportation study we learn about public art in New York City, specifically focusing on the art in our subway stations. The kids learn about mosaics and how they are used throughout our transportation system. Our class visits the glass, stone, and marble mosaic Under Bryant Park, one of the largest artworks in the MTA. We also take a trip to the 14th Street/8th Avenue subway station to explore Life Underground, an installation created by Tom Otterness. The kids love searching for Tom's playful sculptures around the station and are fascinating by the themes in his pieces. Our visit to his studio is even more meaningful after studying and seeing his sculptures.

This year my kids were in awe as they stepped through the studio doors and incredibly engaged throughout our visit. They spent almost an hour walking through the space sketching and jotting down questions to ask Tom Otterness. We got to talk to Tom about his artistic process, the inspiration behind his sculptures, and why he often incorporates money into his pieces. He also showed us his very first sculpture, a lion he made when he was in third grade, and worked on a new piece right before our eyes. It was an amazing morning!

Tom's first sculpture, a lion he created in third grade.