From Scholastic Awards to Solo Exhibitions....

Swing by the Brooklyn Museum to see two solo shows bought to you by alumni of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Abdi Farah and Andy Warhol are two generations of artists – one established, one emerging – whose works will inspire you to go running after for YOUR fifteen minutes of fame.

Andy Warhol (1928–1987) got his early start with The Scholastic Art Awards, but Andy Warhol: The Last Decade captures work from the last (but most productive) years of the artist’s life. Last Decade is the first assemblage of Warhol's later works by a U.S. Museum, and offers a rare glimpse at the inventive and experimental approach Warhol took to his art in his final decade. According to the Brooklyn Museum: “It was a decade of great artistic development for him, during which a dramatic transformation of his style took place alongside the introduction of new techniques.” Andy Warhol: The Last Decade was organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and is currently on display at the Brooklyn Museum through Sunday, September 12th.

Work of Art, a new solo exhibition opening this coming Saturday August 14th, is the first of its kind and will spotlight 2005 Scholastic Award winner Abdi Farah. As a high school senior, Abdi Farah won an Art Portfolio Gold Award and $10,000 scholarship – The Awards’ highest honor. This past year, he earned his degree from the University of Pennsylvania and became one of the youngest contestants on Bravo’s new reality show, Work of Art: Next Great Artist. Over the course of ten episodes, he and thirteen other contemporary artists competed for a cash prize, a solo show at the Brooklyn Museum and the title Next Great Artist. Abdi produced original works in a series of artistic challenges each episode, and through sheer talent and creativity was announced the show’s winner on Wednesday, August 11th. According to Work of Art host China Chow: “He has an amazing spirit….It comes across in his work.” Following in the footsteps of Andy Warhol’s last decade, Abdi’s career is just beginning. Work of Art opens at the Brooklyn Museum on Saturday August 14th and will be on display through October 17th.

Photo Credit, above: Andy Warhol at Exhibition, wearing Gold Key Pin. Photograph by Susan Greenwood/ Getty Images.
Photo Credit, above: Abdi Farah with Scholastic Award-winning sculpture (2004).