Art Manifest
February 24, 2010Click to view Slideshow
Art Manifest, a weeklong celebration of the arts at Stevenson, is the brainchild of Stevenson art teacher John Headley. As many schools are cutting back on their art, music, creative writing and drama programs in these difficult financial times, Stevenson is bucking this unfortunate regression by further developing its arts program. Mr. Headley envisions Art Manifest as a yearly event that reaffirms the school’s commitment to the arts reminding us all how important the arts and creativity are to our students and the entire community.
Art Manifest, a weeklong celebration of the arts at Stevenson, is the brainchild of Stevenson art teacher John Headley. As many schools are cutting back on their art, music, creative writing and drama programs in these difficult financial times, Stevenson is bucking this unfortunate regression by further developing its arts program. Mr. Headley envisions Art Manifest as a yearly event that reaffirms the school’s commitment to the arts reminding us all how important the arts and creativity are to our students and the entire community.
Each day of the week, a different type of arts activity was showcased including visual, performing and culinary arts.
The week began with an international buffet lunch cooked by students and staff. Many of the dishes were prepared by members of the Food Club, which is headed by math teacher Roya Lashkari with assistance from science/health teacher Jacqueline Bush. Its mission is to cultivate culinary knowledge and skills with an emphasis on ethnic foods.
Theatre Arts Day: Shakespeare’s MacBeth
Jenny Privatt’s Shakespeare class presented scenes from MacBeth to the school community. Though Ms. Privatt has worked with the students in former years to present scenes to the other students in her class, this is the first time that a professional actor worked with the students. The visiting actor worked with the students for several weeks to develop their acting skills and deepen their understanding of the language and culture of the period. The students also worked with costumes, props and lighting.
Community Art Day: Art Happening
John Headley created an art project for the entire community to participate in. Throughout the day, everyone had a chance to paint several black brush strokes of their own design on one of three large canvases. Then Mr. Headley’s art students added color to the canvases to complete the project. These works of art were then displayed in the community room for the rest of the year.
Creative Writing Day: Poetry and Prose
This event was organized by English teachers Jenny Privatt and Liz Sosa. Students read their poetry, short stories and sections of their novels and essays to the school community. A wide variety of themes, topics and ideas were explored with passion, humor and insight.
Musical Arts Day: The Stevenson Rock Band and the Saxophone and Clarinet Duo
Being the second year of the inception of the Stevenson Rock Band, this day was the perfect opportunity for the talented musicians of the school to display their sonic finesse. Steve Farnsworth, head of the Stevenson Rock Band, organized the concert which featured guitars, drums, bass, saxophone and vocals. Students played everything from Tears for Fears to Nirvana, and even rocked out with numerous improvised blues riffs on guitar. John Headley invited a professional jazz saxophonist to accompany the band and play a couple of classical pieces with one of the students who is an accomplished clarinetist. One of the rare highlights of this event was a heartfelt attempt by Mr. Farnsworth to mimic the dulcet falsetto of Kurt Cobain’s rendition of Smells Like Team Spirit, to the delight and amusement of all.