All Ages Artmaking: Buttons with a Message
Sun, Aug 10, 2025
11 am–4 pm
Installation view of Marina Zurkow: Parting Worlds (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, April 9, 2025-January 11, 2026). Mesocosm (Wink, TX), 2012. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
This event has passed.
See more events like this.
Become a member today!
Join now to enjoy early access to exhibitions and events, unlimited free admission, guest privileges, and more.
Join nowLearn more about access services and programs.
Lobby
Open to all ages
Artists of all ages are invited to join us in the Lobby to create a button with a message inspired by Mesocosm (Wink, Texas), an animated artwork by Marina Zurkow that explores the impact of human activity on the natural world.
Zurkow’s artwork is based on a real sinkhole in Wink, Texas. The sinkhole, an area of collapsed earth, is ever-growing and exists on land owned by an oil company. The animation follows the desert landscape over a 24-hour period as it shifts from a quiet daytime scene to a bubbling, polluted sinkhole at night. Hand-drawn animals, oil refineries, hazmat workers, and swirling plastic bags appear in this dynamic, ever-changing scene. The artwork is controlled by software that ensures no two viewings are the same.
After experiencing the artwork, reflect on a place, animal, or part of nature that you care about. Then, create a button with an inspiring message using words, images, or symbols. When you're ready, Whitney educators will help you turn your design into a real button to wear for all to see!
