One distinctive attribute of our program is the rich offerings provided our students in the arts. Through painting and drawing, ceramics, woodworking, music, theater, film, digital art, and many other media, our students acquire essential experiences and skills as they develop as learners, able to express their creativity while forming meaningful connections to what it is to be human. Many new programs have been introduced in recent years, and our Arts Block has proven to be a successful structure for providing our upper school students with a broad range of opportunities for exposure and creative work.
As I visited the second period of Arts Block classes this afternoon, I was once again impressed with the range of our course offerings, the quality of creative student learning experiences, and the teaching talent of our faculty. Jon Suters’ students were building a library of sound samples – including notes from Harvey’s horn and Ben’s bass – to support using a keyboard to build digital compositions. Heather Fishman’s vocal group was practicing four-part harmony as they worked on their next a cappella piece. Jesse Howard’s film class was reviewing their short films, critiquing recent design projects. Laura Gratz’s woodshop students were turning on the lathe, producing bookshelves, and soldering stained glass projects. Marilyn Cromwell’s students were finishing a series of decorated plaster hands. And, Jenny Wright’s graphic design class was mastering sophisticated software in our digital graphic arts lab. If you are interested in seeing these classes firsthand, please give me a call.
We live and work in a region of the country with extraordinary resources. The arts are a prominent feature and, in part define the uniqueness, of the Berkshires. The area attracts artists to live and work, and a culture that is creative and rooted in the arts is obviously of great value to many others in the region. I believe that a strong distinctive arts program will continue to be a strategic advantage as we seek to enhance our reputation and identity in the greater Berkshires community.
