Inspired by ëCreationí At-Risk Students, Teachers Showcase Work Influenced by Haydn Piece by Christine CubÈ A brilliant marriage of art and music comes together in the breathtaking exhibition ìOn Music: Tim Rollins + K.O.S. (Kids of Survival)î at the Kreeger Museum. ìOn Musicî is an intense look at our cosmic origins, largely inspired by the 1797 oratorio ìThe Creationî by Franz Josef Haydn, which is based on the biblical account of the first seven days as recounted in the Genesis. The exhibit showcases the works of more than 20 at-risk students and their teachers from the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, Md. There, artist Tim Rollins and his art collective, K.O.S. (Kids of Survival), collaborated to produce this earth-shattering exhibit that is as lyrical as the music played alongside each piece. Art students at Pyramid Atlantic, a highly regarded papermaking and print studio, listened to Haydnís libretto and were charged with producing creative abstract pieces using watercolor, ink and paper collages. What the group produced takes viewers on a touching spiritual journey. An orientation video at the Kreeger captures some of the behind-the-scenes action that transpire d to create ìOn Music.î But the reality of the final pieces chosen for display is incredibly deep. The exhibit is inspirational, and the story behind the works is equally amazing. Rollins has touched the lives of hundreds of young artists who have worked within K.O.S. The results of these collaborations can be seen in the permanent art collections of more than 70 prominent museums in the United States and overseas, including Washingtonís own Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. The moment visitors enter the exhibit, theyíre greeted by a striking piece titled ìA Midsummer Nightís Dream (After Mendelssohn)î that features water, aqaba paper, collage and bright, fascinating colors splashed atop sheet music adhered to a large canvas. In fact, ìOn Musicî is filled with watercolor piecesóboth large and smallóthat lie overtop a musical score background. On the surface, the bright colors keep museum viewers entertained and mystified by the depth of each piece. Some resemble tie-dyed material; others look like wild flowers. And still other piecesóvery much in keeping with the creation storyóappear stormy and dark. There are numerous pieces that fit this creation mold. Their titles are also aptly fitting: ìRepresentation of Chaos,î ìIn the Beginning,î and ìLet There be Light.î These pieces resemble dreamlike images of earthy landscapes and cosmic space. Others represent fire and water. One of my favorite pieces, titled ìCursing Rage,î looks like a snapshot of a body of water, with the blue hue ìmovingî in liquid perfection. When you think about the creation story, it is not an easy subject to depict in the abstract. Rollins encouraged young artists to abandon typical clichÈ imagesóno hearts, stars or wingsóand asked the artists to develop their own idea of the appearance of light, recreating the universe and what the world would have looked like at the time. In the orientation video, one art representative called ìThe Creationî sessions a sort of ìpressure cooker-typeî workshop. Rollinsís vision comes out, but he ìallows the kids to break ground and let their voices in,î the student said. At the same time, Rollins also calls on K.O.S. to decide on the final pieces that will go on exhibition, allowing the young artists to put on a ìcuratorî hat as well. Amid the Kreeger Museumís classic collection of works by Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Vincent van Vogh and Marc Chagall, ìOn Music: Tim Rollins + K.O.S.î is its own superb artistic and spiritual creation worthy of hanging among these great artists. ìOn Music: Tim Rollins + K.O.S.î runs through July 30 at the Kreeger Museum, 2401 Foxhall Road, NW. For more information, please call (202) 337-3050 or visit www.kreegermuseum.org. Christine CubÈ is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.