This year, the teen is turning 100 years old! And the MOCAT is here to celebrate this.
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a yearly tradition in Washington, D.C., in which the Smithsonian Institute puts on a fair on the National Mall focusing on some aspect of American culture. Both this year and the last, the Folklife Festival featured the Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers, which concentrates on teen culture throughout recent history (beginning in the 1920s — hence the centennial celebration). And both this year and the last, B-CC has played a key role in creating the MOCAT.
B-CC teacher Mr. Lopilato said, “[Students are] doing everything, everything from organization to creation there. There’s no organization outside of the students who have signed up for the MOCAT.” This teen influence is important to Lopilato, who said, “Just the platforming of student ideas is so important right now. if you look at what’s going on in Congress and the Supreme Court, and just the major decisions that are happening without sufficient teen input that affects teens so much.”
Emily Fleming, a junior at B-CC, is a major student organizer for the MOCAT. Specifically, she heads the “Counselor’s Office,” an exhibit about mental health at the MOCAT. “It’s basically that we’re doing marketing outreach and content creation all in one,” Fleming said. She also encouraged students to join, whether by attending the frequent meetings held at B-CC, talking to Mr. Lopilato, or looking at the various posters around B-CC.
The MOCAT is actually a part of a longer project, beginning on March 25, 2025, known as the Totally Teen Summer. The TTS brochure is visible at this link. Highlights include a senior prom at the Kennedy Center, an “ultimate” battle of the high school bands, a teen art show, and more!
