In its first year of inception, 84 students have chosen to participate in the newly adopted afternoon arts program. Students with keen interests in the arts have been able to spend their afternoons engaged in focused projects which expand their knowledge and experiences as artists, musicians, thespians, and other performers.
“The afternoon arts program provides time to practice that I didn’t have before,” says Ryan Merriam ’07, who opted to fine tune his skills on the alto saxophone this fall term. Ryan, who also has a deep love for theatre, participated in the Ellis Theatre Guild’s winter production Fortinbras, and he played Charlie Brown in the spring musical You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. “It’s great to have a time built into the day, so I don’t have to compete with my other commitments. I’m playing better than I ever have before.” In fact, Ryan and fellow musician and accomplished violin player Matt Consul ’06, who spent his afternoons this fall fine tuning viola playing, delivered a beautiful recital of the classical and jazz music they practiced this term in the Music House in November.
Drew Skitko ’08 and Leah Sivieri ’06 both had the opportunity to spend a term mastering their crafts in the art studio. In the fall Drew designed beautifully intricate pysanky eggs. These highly ornamental, story-telling Easter eggs are an Ukrainian custom, made using a wax-resist dying process called the “Batik Method,” where each line and color represents part of a story.
“It was great to be able to work on pysanky. Making these eggs has allowed me to connect with a significant part of my heritage, and also to enhance my skill in this art form,” notes Drew. Drew’s eggs were displayed in the Academic Center during the winter term.
Leah created a remarkable portrait series of authors, musicians, and artists that influenced the past year of her life. She was able to find her own personal style and passion through her portraits. This program also enabled her to take a life-drawing class at a local gallery. Leah strongly feels that because she was given the time, tools, and encouragement she was able to realize her vision of the portraits and to grow as an artist.
“This program gave me the invaluable chance to develop myself as a painter; it catered not only to me but to the large number of creative students at Hill, and fostered a highly encouraging and artistic work environment,” says Leah, who plans to major in fine arts and hopes to be able to exhibit some of her work at some local galleries. “The feeling of satisfaction as I painted in the studio and listened to the sounds of violins drifting down the hall was perfect.”
Members of the School’s arts faculty have been equally pleased with the new program. Director of the Center For The Arts and Director of the Theatre Program Burton A. Merriam is thrilled with the fact that a time period finally exists that is designated specifically for the arts, including theatre. In Burt’s 17 years at the School, there has always been a theatre program, but auditions and practices most often would need to be held during dinner or later in the evening. This led to many evenings away from home for Burt and away from the dorm for students.
“It is wonderful to be able to expect the entire cast of a production to report to virtually every rehearsal for which they are called, and that we finally have ample rehearsal time to mount a full production in a single term,” comments Burt. “Now, we can truly lighten the load a bit on students who have a passion for theatre.”
“It was so satisfying to finally have the time and energy to become fully immersed in the theatre program,” said Eve Cremers, who participated in the winter production of Fortinbras, continuing: “The chance to devote to the arts the focused attention and passion that they deserve really meant a lot to me.”
Moreover, students who possess a deep love of the arts now can more easily express and nurture their talents and contribute to the School.