Kids of Survival: The Art and Life of Tim Rollins and K.O.S.(1996)

Over a decade ago, Tim Rollins, a well-respected educator/artist, noticed students with an artistic bent took a much greater interest in their schoolwork when encouraged to paint or draw. Expanding on this, Rollins targeted a group of at-risk boys and merged art with the traditional classroom. Together with Rollins, these young men form Tim Rollins and K.O.S. (Kids of Survival) and produce large-scale works that hang in museums around the world. The inspiration for the pieces come from major books, typically classical literature, the boys read, then use their creative skills to construct the resulting work. This film is more than a story about disadvantaged boys and their struggle to leave the ghetto; the filmmakers take the viewer into the lives of these young men and their mentor and suddenly the viewer is part of their world. It goes deeper than education beating the odds in an impoverished society; these young men are taught to use art as a survival skill, not a mere luxury.