Written by: Jodi Haller, Art Teacher
A new semester has started at D'Evelyn and the (virtual!) drama, music, and art rooms are bustling with more than 800 students engaged in some fantastically important work within the D'Evelyn educational program. Those students are not simply fulfilling a graduation requirement, but they are working toward satisfying one of the overarching components of the D'Evelyn educational philosophy: enriching and broadening our students' education through challenging electives that augment the required basic subjects (CU 05). This enrichment happens through making connections between the fine arts and other subjects, by questioning and exploring ideas from other disciplines through the lens of the visual and performing arts, and, perhaps most importantly, through the direct act of creating studio work and performing musical and dramatic pieces. A few years ago, D'Evelyn Founder Carolyn DeRaad wrote a Steering Committee article for Jaguar Tracks (August 2017) reminding us how one of the great strengths and benefits of a liberal arts education is the interconnectedness of all academic subjects. "Our teachers weave the courses together by showing how the disciplines interconnect. The study of the liberal arts--taught through the core disciplines--helps students understand that all knowledge is part of a whole." I believe the fine arts electives we offer relate beautifully to this in many ways, making further connections with our academic classes and expanding our sense of the "whole." In ceramics class students make all sorts of connections with their science classes as they learn about the chemical and physical transformations of the clay and glazes in the kiln. Or, maybe it's how anthropologists and historians know so many things about ancient civilizations because of the ceramic pieces created by those cultures. In drawing class we learn about the evolution of pictorial representation as civilization progressed from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. We look at those ideas in terms of the mechanics of linear perspective and the subtleties of portraiture. In the jewelry classes, students may be experiencing a culture not through the lens of history but through the evolution of beautiful metal work left behind. One of my favorite "connecting" moments happens each semester I teach soldering to my beginning jewelry class when a student stands at the soldering bench with me, mesmerized by the green flame dancing off the metal they are soldering and asks, "Why is the flame green, Mrs. Haller?" My response is, "Well, the green flame from the torch indicates the metal you are soldering is copper! Do you remember when you conducted flame tests of metal ions in chemistry to see what color of flame different metals produce? Here it is in your art class!" Cool, cool, and super cool! The fine arts at D'Evelyn are also a valuable part of a liberal arts education because they show students other ways of looking at ideas that they have been exposed to in academic classes. By exploring the work of artists, musicians, and playwrights, they learn there are different ways of representation, of interpreting social and political ideas, of expressing the experiences humans have in the world. We ask our students to analyze, investigate, challenge and interpret all sorts of events, ideas and concepts through written work, but creating art, or performing musical or dramatic works about these same (or different!) topics broadens them in unexpected and singular ways. It can expand their world and create deeper cognizance of art and human experience. "Through serious study of the Arts, each student will develop judgment and appreciation for the Arts, one of the highest creations of human effort. Armed with this background, the entire rich world of art is available for appreciation and understanding." (D'Evelyn Founding Document, Program Narrative, p. 16) But, truth be told, most students don't sign up for art, theatre, or music classes to make connections with other subjects or learn to appreciate the Arts. Students take a fine arts class because they love the act of creating, performing, or want to learn something new. They come to forget about English for a while--sorry, Mr. Haller! They need a break from their other classes. In our fine arts classes, students get that break. They get to make, perform, express. As they immerse themselves in the joy of an art discipline, they also unwittingly hone all sorts of skills including creative idea generation, discipline in mastering technical skills, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, interpretation, and other "executive functioning skills." They get to practically experience the intense work of the creative process. Innovation and creativity are invaluable skills students need to move onward in their lives beyond D'Evelyn. They are developing such skills, right here in our theatre, art, and music rooms. Anyone who has spent extended time studying, loving, and mastering any sort of performing or visual art knows the intrinsic value of the Arts in both education and in life. In the context of D'Evelyn's program, there are many valuable reasons why fine arts courses are a vital component of a liberal arts education, a few shared here. If we value depth and breadth in our students learning, making connections across disciplines, and nurturing creativity within the character of our students, all should be encouraged to take multiple courses in the fine arts during their time here. The fine arts are an invaluable part of our liberal arts program. Comments are closed.
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The Steering Committee is the governing board of the school and establishes policies designed to maintain and enhance its liberal arts philosophy. The Steering Committee appoints Directors to the Board of the D'Evelyn Education Foundation. Archives
March 2023
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