8th Grade Arts Night
In the words of Mr. Bartsch, this week the GUS community “gathered around the modern-day equivalent of the village fire - the computer screen - to tell tales and share experiences.”
As they have every year for the past 26 years, members of the graduating class presented their White Shirt Projects and dance performances as part of 8th Grade Arts Night. The major difference this year? It was virtual. 27 members of the class of 2021 presented to an audience of over 80 families, who tuned in from the comfort of their homes on Tuesday night after a nor’easter dumped varying amounts of snow across the region and forced a campus closure.
A collaborative project led by 8th Grade Humanities Teacher Jeffrey Bartsch and Art Teacher Dawn Southworth, The White Shirt Project challenges students to create a piece of artwork from a common object. Each student selects a contemporary artist to draw inspiration from, then sets out to create something of substance and meaning from nothing but a white button-down shirt. In addition to their artwork, the project also includes a written biography of the inspiring artist, a gallery talk where students present the technical aspects of their creation to their classmates, as well as their final presentation to the wider community.
“In creating both their artwork and dances, they consider questions such as what is of value to me and what do I wish to contribute? Some answers are individual - their artwork- and some are collaborative - their dances. Both approaches are, as so much is at Glen Urquhart School, concerned with the students having genuine experiences and drawing lessons from the intersection of diverse disciplines and of the interaction of their distinct strengths.” - Jeffrey Bartsch
The theme for the dance performances this year was True or False? Dance Teacher Ann-Marie Ciaraldi challenged students to research a historical event they felt was unjust. In small groups, they worked to compose a well-crafted question that would bridge their chosen historical event to today, and serve as inspiration for their performance. Students were responsible for both choreographing, performing, and editing their performances, as well as incorporating an additional art form this year.
“Not everyone is going to agree with your statement as an artist, and that’s ok. The important part is, and what’s essential to art, is that you put out what you believe.” - Ann-Marie Ciaraldi, Dance Teacher
