Learning to See through Art

A signature experience for our seventh graders is the observational drawing unit conducted through Saint David's partnership with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. During this winter term, the boys studied modern masterpieces from the museum's Thannhauser Collection, where they developed their observational drawing techniques under the guidance of Saint David's art teachers Jenna Boccella and Bernard Adnet. They also studied the architecture of the iconic museum itself.

Yesterday, parents, faculty and staff were invited to the Guggenheim, where the boys presented on the life and work of Constantin Brancusi and Frank Lloyd Wright.

They also gave observational drawing lessons to their visitors before everyone convened in the museum's education center for an exhibit of the boys' own observational drawings and a discussion about the skills of contour, angles and proportion, value and texture, negative space, and gestalt. The presentations were so well done and the boys' learning evidenced by the artwork on display.

The aesthetics is one of the four major pillars of a Saint David's education. This unit demystifies drawing. Boys learn that being a proficient drawer is not solely a gift that some are born with. By being patient, concentrating, and focusing their attention, our boys discover that they can successfully draw what they see. They also find that being able to see in this deeper way transfers to other areas in their lives.

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OLIVER!

This morning our fifth graders continued a great year-end tradition at Saint David's, The Fifth Grade Musical. The boys performed Oliver! and they were fantastic, providing impressive performances and demonstrating great vocal ability. They have been mastering the dialogue and musical numbers for weeks, and clearly gave it their all. Congratulations to the cast on a job well done, and to their Producers/Teachers James Hubbard and Jamie MacNeille, Director Phyllis Clark, Musical Conductor Jeff Moore, and the Parent Committee of Cynthia Chapman, Susan Kissane, Tara Neumann, Joyce Restituto, and Ann Roberts. Musical theater is alive and well at Saint David's!

Fascinating Art Talk by Michelle Marder Kamhi at Grandparents Event

Yesterday evening, independent scholar and critic Michelle Marder Kamhi ( www.mmkamhi.com ), co-editor with husband Louis Torres of Aristos , an online review of arts; author of Who Says That's Art? A Commonsense View of the Visual Arts ; and grandmother of two Saint David's boys, gave a thought provoking talk on art for our grandparent community. An advocate of objective standards in arts scholarship and criticism, Ms. Kamhi focused her talk on the ways in which art critics such as Clement Greenberg promoted the shift from representational art to abstraction. Kamhi argues that the abstract and post-modern art prevalent today, which often requires explanation by docents in order to be understood, goes against art's purpose. Taking issue with Greenberg's contention that representation is an expendable convention of painting, she quoted the late art critic John Canaday: "Art is the tangible expression of the intangible values that men live by." ...

NE Patriot Tom Brady at Saint David’s

Last night, Saint David’s was honored to have one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, four time Superbowl champion and three-time MVP winner Tom Brady, as the guest speaker for our Alumni Parents Council Lecture Series. Tom, who is the father of one of our Saint David's boys, addressed a standing-room-only audience in Hyman Hall comprised of our eighth graders, alumni, alumni parents and faculty. Friendly, introspective, witty, and wise, he directed his talk to the delighted eighth graders in the front of the room, and focused on the topic of leadership. “You are the young men and leaders of Saint David’s,” he noted. Tom debunked the perception that leaders are born not made, and credited his leadership abilities to “standing up to and facing fears” and to “cultivating a mental strength,” which he cited as “more important than being physically strong.” He also stressed the importance of working hard, honoring teamwork, believing in oneself and being a good lis...

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