On July 11th, Teen Art Gallery will open T.A.G. : A New Chapter at BravinLee programs in Chelsea. This will be the first show curated by the second generation of T.A.G. members.

T.A.G. was founded by Audrey Banks in 2010 with the mission of eliminating age based discrimination by giving teen artists, ages 12-19, the opportunity to contribute to the art world by exhibiting in a gallery space. As the original members head off to college, Banks will oversee the new team along with former member, Paris Starn. Rising Junior, Charlotte Lee will now direct the group. Britina Cheng, Sasha Frolova, Danielle Gamady, Vivian Guo, Chaya Howell, Mack Muldofsky, Matthew Pasquarelli, Ilana Roth, Kristjan Tomasson, and Gina Yu form the rest of the new T.A.G. members.

The July exhibition will include the work of nine young artists Davita Pytowski, Juliette Kessler, Jordana Gluckow, Molly Lieberman, Benn Gabriner, Sonja Tsypin, Caitlyn Woodhead, Lathan Vargason and Emma Depoid. Two artists will include a small series of works. This is the first time that T.A.G. will exhibit work in depth in order to show the range and scope these teens can offer; they are not artists that just make one piece for an art class, but rather they dedicate themselves to their work. The exhibition will include paintings, drawings, photographs, video and sketchbooks. For some, it will be their second showing with T.A.G. An exciting highlight of the show will be a video installation from Emma Depoid of Paris, France. This powerful video with accompanying installation is titled “Between Two” and addresses the filters of communication and the barriers between individuals. Ms. Depoid will be flying to New York on a ticket purchased by her grandparents in order to re-make part of the piece on site.

Despite having been founded less than two years ago, T.A.G. has quickly gained momentum as a serious organization with a series of successful shows. They recently had an exhibition at Salon 94 Freemans in June 2012 and have received coverage in The New York Times, Opening Ceremony, Paper Magazine, Art Fag City and Art Log, ArtNet, New York Magazine and Project Runway. Charlotte Lee, in an article for Artlog, noted that, “As an artist myself, I understand the desire to show your work in a meaningful place. High school athletes have the field, actors have the stage, and I’m hoping to create a place for young artists.” T.A.G. has been created to provide that opportunity. According to Banks on her legacy, “I hope that T.A.G. not only continues to do its job, but improve as an organization and that one day, it can lead to something bigger. We are grateful for the generosity that people have given us.”

For more information contact Charlotte Lee at [email protected] www.teenartgallery.com