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Celebrating the Art of Creating

Forty-six Santa Fe Prep arts students were invited to represent our school at the 2015 ISAS (Independent Schools Association of the Southwest) Arts Festival that was hosted by Ft. Worth Country Day School in Ft. Worth, Texas, this spring. Approximately 3,000 students from independent high schools were in attendance exhibiting their visual and 3-D art work and presenting drama and music performances to professionals and faculty from various universities. Additionally, students had the opportunity to attend workshops in various disciplines.

Students were given informative feedback on their work and extremely positive critical review via the adjudication and portfolio process. Additionally, our “interventions”, especially The Wedding, attracted a huge crowd of participants. An intervention actively addresses the dilemma of traditional art in a museum/gallery in terms of narrow access and its relationship to class. Interventions typically seek the “public” as their audience in an extremely intentional way. In the context of the objective of embedding our arts curricula in 21st century art practices, this recognition clearly demonstrates that our art curricula, with its emphasis on contemporary trends, connected at the highest level to the academic and art professionals at ISAS.

Our students had a significant impact and presence, especially for a school and department of our size. They participated in many events including One Act (which received only one of two standing ovations in the performance section), Scenes and Monologues (all from published plays that have been performed on Broadway or Off Broadway,) Jazz Band, Coffee House (where members of the Prep Jazz Band and others held a jam session), String Solos, Piano Solos, Vocal Solos, Video, Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Contemporary Sculpture, Ceramics, and Art In Social Sphere Interventions.

Our students, unlike those from many other schools, do not restrict themselves to one genre or another. They are contributing across the spectrum of performing and visual arts, which speaks to our commitment to trends in progressive art education that seek to integrate fundamentals in art with experiential interdisciplinary approaches to teaching that incorporate ‘best practices’ in curriculum and pedagogy.

Due to the enormous success of this trip, we are currently discussing the possibility of attending ISAS Arts Festival next year in San Antonio. Click here to see photos of our students and their work at the festival>> ISAS 2015

-Paula Castillo, Visual Arts Chair
-Brad Fairbanks, Performing Arts Chair