ICA Associate Director of Education

Rosanna Flouty

By DAVID DAY

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Art in Boston can be a dismal survey, with galleries continually closing, the MFA in a constant state of confusion and public art seen as more of a nuisance than an urban delight. But look to the youth , and things get brighter. And we're not talking about the thousands of artists being trained at our universities—we're talking about the teenagers.

"I feel most rewarded," writes Rosanna Flouty in an email, "when I see that a teen who has been shy for a few weeks, and is suddenly excited about the work they are making, or the things they are seeing." Flouty is the associate director of education at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art and oversees the Teen Arts Council. As a result, she comes in constant contact with our youth and is pleased to report: It's all good.

"They are no longer striving to be apathetic hipsters like the generation that came before them," she writes. "They can DIY just about anything."

In addition to overseeing a multitude of after-school programs and artist residencies, Flouty puts on a regular "Teen Night," where the youth of Boston can dance, enjoy the museum and be themselves. "The experience of looking at, talking about and reacting to contemporary art helps teens see that there are new boundaries to be pushed, and gives them authority to speak their own voices," she writes. "If there is anything I want them to take away from here, it's to know that the ICA is a safe place for them to go."

Local DJs participate in teen night. "Rosanna's work has made young people a driving force within the ICA," says Kevin Driscoll, aka DJ Lone Wolf. "She respects the interests, experiences and capabilities of young people and holds them to high standards."

Seventeen-year-old Cory Tomascoff, one of her students, says, "Her work has only improved the teen programs in this city. They clearly offer an exciting and different outlet for some teens who maybe never thought of spending their free time making films ... or learning how to use Photoshop."

"I look at people who are my age and older ... I'm 22," says local DJ Ariana Paoletti (aka Volvox), "and I think that they are just fucked. But I look at people who are younger than me, like at Teen Night, and I feel like something huge is about to explode in Boston."

[Institute of Contemporary Art, 100 Northern Ave., Boston. 617.478.3100. icaboston.org]