The Art Room in Bay Ridge showcases children’s artistic creations

Recent Retrospective Celebrated the Work of Talented Students

June 16, 2017 By John Alexander Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Art Room wall filled with children’s art work for retrospective showcase. Eagle photos by John Alexander

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The Art Room, located at 8710 Third Ave. in Bay Ridge, is a unique place where children can learn about art and begin to create their own personal masterpieces.

It’s run by a dedicated staff of teachers including founder Leigh Holliday Brannan and Mary Immaculata Brannan.

Leigh was born and raised in Washington, D.C. After high school, she moved to the Midwest to study psychology, but decided her first love was art and moved back to the nation’s capital to attend the Corcoran College of Art and Design. After graduating in 1996 she founded a fine art school for children near Georgetown, where she remained for seven years.

In 2003, Leigh moved to New York City where she worked for a time on Wall Street, before again realizing that art was her true passion. In 2010 she founded The Art Room NYC and has been educating and inspiring children to create art ever since. She is married to Justin Brannan, Councilmember Vincent Gentile’s chief of staff.

Mary has been a teacher at Holy Angels Catholic Academy in Bay Ridge for 30 years. She began her career as a kindergarten teacher in 1984, and was responsible for founding their Pre-K program in 1990.

Recently, The Art Room held a retrospective showcasing their students’ artistic creations. “The idea behind the Retrospective was to celebrate all the work done by students of The Art Room, ages 2-12,” said Leigh. “For this show, the kids were the curators! Each child was asked to select a piece they were especially proud of from the school year to be displayed for the exhibition.”

“At least once a year,” continued Leigh, “we transform our art studio into a gallery, where students can view each other’s artwork in a salon style setting. Works included technical drawings in pencil, charcoal, and pastel, acrylic paintings on canvas, works in watercolor, clay sculptures, textile designs, and more.”

“Not only do we feel that showing their artwork elevates their total Art Room experience, but it raises self-esteem, which we’re all about! Our students really do become peers in what they are doing at The Art Room and it really is a nice way to put a finishing touch on another school year!”