Under the guidance of artist Natasha Pestich, and in collaboration with Free Arts Minnesota, teen students in her after-school program will explore artworks from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and choose a piece with which they identify. Over the span of a few weeks, they will learn more about their piece through role play and photography as the basis for creating and activating their own printed and embellished costumes. Students will approach works of art in the MIA’s collection through the lens of identity, beginning with a discussion about who we are and where we come from. There will be follow-up questions, such as: What are some of the ways in which people express their identity with music, clothing, or in their homes? Students will then participate in a series of discussions and exercises at the museum, leading to the development of an individual costume design that reflects their identity, which could be based on their personal strengths, the people, objects or places surrounding them, or a recollection of a defining event in their lives.