Art Ready: Selected Work from the Artist Mentorship Program 2025

This exhibition presents the artwork of students who participated in the 2024-2025 session of Art  Ready, Smack Mellon’s arts mentorship program for NYC public high school students interested in  pursuing a career in visual arts. This year, students worked with professional artists who specialize in graphic design, painting, sculpture, textile and video. The exhibition  showcases an impressive range of media such as fabric collage tapestries, figurative paintings and drawings, videos, plaster sculptures, and garments, among others.

Art Ready engages young people in a way no other arts education program does—by pairing students directly with successful working artists. Mentors provide professional and creative guidance as the students make decisions about their futures in the arts. They tutor the students in their creative process, introduce them to new ways of working, and encourage critical reflection. Museum admission, mentor time, snacks, and subsidized transportation are all provided to students free of charge.

Coming from 10 high schools, this year’s Art Ready students include: MJ Abazi, Esul Baek, Yessenia Bonilla, Jameson Butler, Jessica Castelan, Nina Fields, Thomas Flores-Ramírez, Ashlee Ghosh, Gabrielle Gonzalez, Louisa Haimo, Eric Huang, Laadan Jarrett, Leanna Lai, Diana Martinez-Lozada, Allison Mealy, Esmeralda Mendez, Joshua Muentes, Sophia Nikishova, Olivia Rivera, and Marcos Rosales.

This year’s professional Artist Mentors included: Juan José Cielo, Anastasia Corrine, Florencia Escudero, Angélica Maria Millán Lozano, Craig Anthony Miller (CAM), and Phillip Shung. Meet the 2024-25 Art Ready Mentors.