Turn On, Tune In, Tap Out, organized by CAMH’s Teen Council, is a group exhibition featuring work by twenty-six Houston-area teen artists. The exhibition addresses the world’s rapid shift into a virtual space where learning and interactions with others occurred almost exclusively through a digital screen.
Like the rest of the world, these Teen Council members faced the rapid shift to quarantine in the middle of the school year. During a global pandemic and widespread uncertainty the Teen Council has continued to meet, plan, and connect—all in a virtual space. In seeking artwork to include in this exhibition they posed the questions: How do you define “The Screen”? How does “The Screen” protect you or hold you back? How can you crack “The Screen”?
The works represented in this exhibition respond to these questions with both hope and despair. Artists in the exhibition have found their voice and power behind the screen, while others feel muted and a loss of control. Turn On, Tune In, Tap Out focuses on the relationship between our bodies and “The Screen” with largely three-dimensional works in a time when many are craving physicality, touch, and in-person experiences while directly responding to this cultural, social, and political moment.
Teen Council’s 12th biennial exhibition, Turn on, Tune in, Tap Out, is a time capsule of the teenage experience during an era of viral, political, and mental turmoil: “The Screen” to our youth. CAMH welcomes visitors to explore, ask questions, and share what “The Screen” means to them.
A full-color catalogue will accompany the exhibition featuring essays by Teen Council members.
About CAMH’s Teen Council
Composed of young arts enthusiasts, Teen Council serves as the Museum’s vehicle for attracting the city’s teen population to CAMH and exposing them to the vibrant field of contemporary art. For council members, the group serves as a highly collaborative creative incubator that opens up opportunities for leadership, visual literacy, and life skill development. During weekly meetings, the council is introduced to the inner workings of museums and to the dynamic Houston arts community. Teen Council activities are decided upon by its members and can change from year to year, but past events developed by the Teen Council include virtual zines, exhibitions, fashion shows, film screenings, listening parties, music festivals, and poetry readings.
2020–21 Teen Council Members
Matildé Acosta, Dawson Benner, Isaac Bremauntz, Jillian Green, Maddie Guyton, Elizabeth Harris-Guillory, Noah Henriquez, Celine Huang, Ava Jiang, Jessica Liu, Katrina Machetta, Izzy Parmenter, and Selena Ramos.
Featured Artists
Levi Bicas, Sadie Burlton, Eliza Crawford, Isatu Gassama, Hales, Mason Hartley, Grace Jones, Garner Lazar-Pope, Guanyi Li, Sofia Liu, Irissa Machetta, Natalie Mafrige, Avantika Matele, Sam Nunez, Luke Parker, Corina Perez, Alec Phipps, Blair Reeves, Alexis Rodriguez, Patrick Solcher, Emilia Sterkel, Kathryn Stone, Elliot Stravato, James Tendencia, Grace Vallone, Danny Zuniga Zarat