Meet the Artists! Making Family Sculptures with John Ahearn and Rigoberto Torres

Have you ever been sculpted before? Join the Museum of the City of New York for a one-of-a-kind experience as South Bronx-based sculptors John Ahearn and Rigoberto Torres sculpt museum visitors’ hands and turn you into a work of art you can take home. 

As the plaster dries, view and engage with the themes of artist’s work on view, Homage to the People of the Bronx: Double Dutch at Kelly Street – La Freeda, Jevette, Towana, Staice, a joyful sculpture depicting four young girls who grew up dancing together in the South Bronx. Homage to the People of the Bronx can be found in our centennial exhibition, This Is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture as well as on the side of a building at the intersection of Kelly and Intervale Streets in the South Bronx. 

Important Preparation Notes 

This program is designed for children and families. Please be mindful of the following notes from the artists: 

• The artists ask those participating to be comfortable sitting for approximately 15 minutes while the plaster dries. 

• Please wear clothing that allows forearms to be easily exposed (e.g. short sleeves, long sleeves that can be rolled up). 

• We recommend you visit our centennial exhibition This Is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture prior to dropping in to build familiarity with Ahearn and Torres’ sculpture. 

• Families are encouraged to take their sculptures home. Sculptures will be available for pick up at the Museum the week of April 29.

About the Artists: John Ahearn and Rigoberto Torres 

New York–based artist John Ahearn creates life casts of people in his Bronx neighborhood. In the late 1970s, early in his career, Ahearn joined artists like Tom Otterness and Jenny Holzer in setting out to find alternatives to the gallery scene and make art more accessible to the public. With the assistance of Rigoberto Torres, Ahearn produces the casts on the sidewalk outside his studio, allowing the work to emerge authentically from the community. The finished pieces capture the specific attributes of the models, from the types of clothing they wear to the attitudes of their poses. 
 

Rigoberto Torres was born in 1960 in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, and began his career in art as John Ahearn's assistant. In 1979, Ahearn began making plaster body casts of people in the neighborhood at Fashion Moda, an alternative space in the South Bronx where artists made art, exchanged ideas, and exhibited. Torres became one of Ahearn's subjects and shortly after he began casting and creating work in collaboration with Ahearn. Rigoberto Torres has had numerous one-person exhibitions around the country. 

This program is produced as part of the Museum’s Spring Break programming. Ahearn and Torres’ sculpture, Homage to the People of the Bronx: Double Dutch at Kelly Street – La Freeda, Jevette, Towana, Staice, can be found in our centennial exhibition, This Is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture.  

This program is a drop-in program, and visitors will be engaged on a first-come, first-serve basis. We cannot guarantee that every visitor who visits the museum for this program will be cast in plaster during the allotted program time.