Croton Falls artist Tom Christopher leads student workshop at Katonah Museum of Art

When you’re a kid, it’s nearly impossible to imagine what life will be like when you’re 40. But last Wednesday, that’s exactly what Croton Falls artist Tom Christopher asked thirteen local students to do.

Christopher visited the Katonah Museum of Art to lead a hands-on workshop in honor of the 40th anniversary of the museum’s Young Artists exhibit, which features the work of high school seniors from local high schools. Christopher’s “13 at 40” session, which was organized by KMA curator of education Margaret Adasko, invited the kids to dream. What might life be like for them when they were 40 years old? What do they have now that might still be relevant a few decades from now?

The students began by taking inspiration from one of Christopher’s color patterned paintings that hung on the wall of the museum. Then Christopher asked the kids to come up with an object that might have relevance when they are 40 years old.

Image courtesy of Tom Christopher

“Goals and dreams were distilled to a single object,” Christopher said of the experience. “A pillow serves as a symbol for a restful life; a hammerhead shark for ocean exploration; a compass for a career in architecture; scales of justice for work as a criminal detective.” The students painted quickly in a graffiti style over patterns of color.

“It was an incredible experience,” Christopher said. “The tempo of producing the artwork was amazing; just solid work for five hours.”

Young Artists 2023 is on display at the Katonah Museum of Art through February 26. For more information, visit katonahmuseum.org.